This may have been the best fine dining I've had in Anchorage. I had no idea UAA had a culinary arts program, or a teaching kitchen, so I was thrilled when a friend scored a reservation for lunch and invited me to tag along. Now, let's start with this: These young people are LEARNING, so we were patient, gracious, and understanding when there was a slight hiccup - don't waste an amazing reservation here on a quick, hour or less lunch. Take your time, talk to the servers and pastry chefs and everyone else - you'll be glad you did, and they are passionate about creating a wonderful experience for you. We spent 2+ hours over 4 courses and had an absolutely delightful time, with some downright delicious food.
There are no alcoholic beverages, but be sure to ask about the drink specials - there was a cold and hot one, we tried the strawberry lemonade and we were so glad we did! Fresh, crisp lemonade with a strawberry popsicle for sweetness, it definitely put me in the mood for summer, and the presentation was very fun. Next up, we had to try the steamed buns with duck - the steamed buns were perfect, soft and fluffy, and the pickled onions plus cilantro were the perfect compliment to the duck. There were 2 per plate, so everyone got to try a little snack before we dove straight into the salad and soup course. We tried the steak & mushroom soup (soup of the day), which was the most tender steak pieces, complimented by caramelized onions and oyster mushrooms, in a nice, thick soup base that was made even better with fresh cracked pepper. We also tried the caprese salad, and I swear the tomatoes had to be the size of cantaloupes! They were beautiful, perfectly ripe heirloom tomatoes with a gorgeous ball of still-warm mozzarella that simply folded itself out once punctured, topped of course with a tasty, herbaceous balsamic.
Now on to the main course: the pork belly with kimchi rice, or alternatively the Tuscan seafood pasta. By now, we were insisting everyone try everything on the table because it was all so scrumptious. Pro-tip: try your entree, share a little, then have it boxed up for later so you have room for the dessert buffet! The pork belly was perfectly fried, not a hint of weird gelatinous fat, just crisp, slightly spicy pork belly and a nicely spiced kimchi rice, with those pickled onions! I swear I could have them on everything. The scallops on the Tuscan seafood pasta were perfectly pan seared, still moist and simply melt in your mouth. And then we promptly moved to the best part: the dessert buffet! Do this, don't deny yourself. Get some coffee, take your time. Maybe have them scoop you up some freshly homemade ice cream and have an adffogato? That would have been perfect for this week's flavor - coffee! And definitely ask questions and talk to the pastry chefs about which ones they made, it's so interesting to hear them explain the tricks to the perfect macaron "feet", or how to make a divine chantilly cream. My favorites from the dessert buffet: Lychee mango tart, macarons, and the most delicate petit four that was perfectly bite-sized. My only complaint was that there was no chocolate, but we survived - ha!
Final tip: make a reservation for Friday, as parking is free on campus on Fridays, so you won't have any excuse not to take you time. Run, don't walk, to get one of these reservations before they close for the semester! read more