For some reason, i avoided Spoonline - maybe because they were "new" and i expected there to be the usual kinks associated with a newer restaurant. I don't really have a reason. And i already had my go-to restaurant for Girdwood: Chair 5, however my go-to restaurant is no longer my go-to, and has now become my not-going-back-there-again, due to them having new ownership, and a menu that i dislike. I could always have switched to Double Musky, but sometimes i just don't feel like eating half a cow, plus sides, and a salad.
So, I thought I'd try Spoonline - what hooked me was the Vongole on the appetizers menu. I love Mussels, or Clams in broth, and use it as a benchmark to measure a restaurant by. If they do it well, I'll return.
So, we arrive and fortunately, it's summer, and very pleasant here. A nice little parking lot in the back, with some covered tables, and a heater if you'd like to sit outside in lovely weather. It's a lovely little rustic, cabiny sort of a building on the outside. Hanging baskets etc. The dining room is lovely, nice and modern looking, good art on the walls, and not loads of kitschy stuff. I like that. It's not cluttered, it has a spacious airy feel. I try the bathroom out, because i usually do, in order to evaluate whether their standards extend to the bathrooms. I can confirm, the bathroom is very nice and modern.
We were seated immediately, and brought water. I like that the water doesn't have ice (I'm English, i don't like a glassful of ice and 2 inches of pop) the dinner menu is small, which sometimes is a blessing, because looking at a huge menu and trying to decide can be daunting. I already knew what i wanted anyway - The Vongole, which is clams in white wine, garlic, butter and herbs, and comes with sliced baguette. Now here is where my benchmark comes into play. The last place i had mussels, failed to bring me a bowl for my empty shells, did not have cutlery to get the seafood out of the shells, and also didn't serve any kind of bread with it, which, as far as I'm concerned is a travesty. One of the best parts of clams or mussels in a broth is dipping bread into the delicious broth. If i don't get it, I'm not happy.
Blake ordered the shrimp and grits, and i also got the fried polenta from the appetizer menu. He got Root Beer, i got Mexican Cola, the server (he was lovely, very helpful) brought us glasses with cute small ice (which went untouched) and in a short amount of time, out came my huge bowl of clams. I'd already been given a bowl for my empty shells, and the cute little fork and spoon to eat them with, so you know, we are looking good. And those clams! Epic! If i were NICE and I'm really not, I'd have shared them, as there's enough. These clams! OMG! Juicy, fat, every single one was open, and tender. Sprinkled liberally with garlic and herbs, and three toasty pieces of baguette. I immersed one into the broth straightaway. To get it soaking up that luscious juice. I'd never say that something had too much garlic, because can such a thing even occur? But these clams have a lot, and i absolutely love that, visually you can see lots of herbs and garlic, and it's buttery smooth, and silky, and the clams just slipped right out of the shells with almost no effort on my part. I wouldn't normally behave so disgustingly, but these clams were so good i dispensed with my normal ladylike "Eat 1 clam at a time" and i sat and pulled them all out of the shells, and let them sit in the broth so it was like a clam soup. It made it that much faster for me to get more in my mouth at once. I decided i should really try the fried polenta that was sitting untouched - i couldn't step away from the clams - it was presented beautifully. It had a soft interior, and a crispy outside and was topped with something like a pepper/tomato salsa/jam type of relish, tasted almost like it had balsamic in it, very tasty, and a liberal sprinkling of manchego. If I'm honest, i prefer a wet, creamy polenta (preferably made with a solid hunk of grated cheddar and topped with an assortment of mushrooms and a poached egg) but all polenta is good. I think if i had not gotten myself so besotted with the clams, I'd have enjoyed my fried polenta more. I ate a couple of pieces, but the clams were calling my name. Eventually, with about maybe 8 left in the bowl, i was groaning because i was so full. The Vongole are on the appetizer menu. Very filling and a great value sharing plate, and an absolutely wonderful flavour. I can't stop thinking about how good they were. I want more and will definitely return. Of all the clams/mussels I've tried in Alaska, these were, hands down my Number 1.
Blake enjoyed his shrimp and grits - I'm not a fan of cooked shrimp, unless it's tempura, or breaded. But his grits were good. I'm also not keen on Cajun flavors, so i didn't really enjoy that when i tasted it.
Spoonline can consider themselves my new go-to in Girdwood. read more