| Located near downtown
Anchorage in the warehouse district of Ship Creek, Moose's Tooth
Brewing Company is a hip and popular destination for both Alaska
locals and tourists alike. An 11,000 square foot brewery combined
with a funky casual dining atmosphere, both indoors and out, make it a
favorite spot for after-office gatherings as well.
With 17 or more unique, custom-brewed beers and ales working at any
given time (probably double the offering at most microbrews) along with a
baffling array of appetizers, salads, soups and the house specialty, pizza,
even the most devoted diner would require months of frequent visits to
ensure no repeats. In addition, both the Moose's Tooth and its
sister restaurant, the Bear Tooth, feature live local music as part
of their Summer Music Series.
Though the sun paid only occasional visits as we dined outdoors, it was
still a pleasantly warm early June evening in the mid 60's. And it
was virtually mosquito-free, which enhanced the dining experience
considerably!
If you're not sure which brew to try first, you can pick and
choose from any of the offerings to compose a sampler. I was at a
loss from all of the choices, so I asked the waiter to select an
assortment from his favorites, and he did not disappoint! The
Hard Apple Ale was unusual, slightly sweet, and very tangy;
Prince William's Porter was fairly robust and lightly hoppy for a
dark; the Fairweather IPA was far more hoppy - resinous,
pleasant and very even tempered; and my favorite of all, the Big
Moose Bock, was a rich, dense and highly drinkable malt-laden
dark.
Ahead of my pizza, the house soup, Hungarian Mushroom,
was a deliciously seasoned and original twist on the typical cream of
mushroom, but it was nonetheless a fatally flawed, unfinished symphony.
Good thing I had my samplers to wash it down!!! This visual mess
simply would not fly in the big, big city, with it's thick layer of
oil-soaked herbs and spices splattered all over the surface and shoreline
of the bowl like spillage from the Exxon Valdez (see the
photo in the inset frame - keep in mind that the soup, underneath the oil
slick, is nearly WHITE!). It was just shy of embarrassing, and
the only conceivable reason I can think of that this glop
was not somehow properly emulsified into the body of the stock is that the
chef (using this term loosely) needs some help with
the basics of composing a roux.
This first
impression - in a first course - is a lasting impression, and though it
may pass in Alaska, it will simply not hold up on the Outside!
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Far easier to swallow was the delicious Blackened Halibut Pizza.
With a light and crispy, almost cloudlike crust, chopped fresh paste
tomatoes, red onions, an excellent cream sauce, drizzled with olive oil
and mozzarella, it was a fine take on the typical "white" pizza. But
WHERE was the Halibut? And why wasn't it blackened?
Supposedly Cajun-seasoned, the breading was thin and somewhat bland, and
considering this locally abundant fish from the Gulf of Alaska can weigh
into the several hundreds of pounds, the 7 small
chunks which surfaced on this pie were a veritable Where's Waldo?
of Alaskan seafood!!! (See the photo in the inset frame.) There was an
entire quarter of the surface of this pizza which had no meat at all, and
the rest of the halibut, as well as the onions, were so unevenly
distributed it looked as if the cook had tossed them on blindfolded!!!
What a shame, as the overall texture and composition of flavors nearly
approached excellent - hopefully better luck next time!!!
More typical restaurant fare included The Albuquerque, an
oven-baked sandwich from the Specials Menu, which was a delicious creation
of shaved turkey breast, green chiles, bacon, and jack cheese served with
a creamy, spicy, tomatillo dressing.
Flaws and all, Moose's Tooth
offers an overall fun and
relaxing Alaskan dining experience, with very good service to boot.
However, the ability to offer up a meal short of basic,
easy-to-remedy imperfections would be a significant plus, easily knocks
off another star in my rating (actually, I see-sawed long and hard between
2 1/2 and 3), and could go a
long way in a large metropolitan area like Anchorage where there is strong
competition for the both the locals' and the visitors' dining-out dollar.
I hope to visit Moose's Tooth again soon, and also hope to see continued
improvement!
Sunday: 12pm - 11pm
Monday: 11am - 11pm
Tuesday - Thursday: 11am - 12am
Friday & Saturday: 11am. - 1am
- Entrees (pizzas at 10" - 18") and
sandwich plates range from $5.00 - $24.95
- Appetizers from $1.95 - $6.95
- Soups, Sides, Desserts and Extras Vary
- Beer, Wine and House Drinks
- Accepts All Major Credit Cards
- Seating is open and spacing is
generous, outdoor seating in season.
- Noise is continuous but not
unbearable indoors - acoustics warm & pleasant.
- Tunes are eclectic, live music in
Summer - check web or call for more info.
- Kids can have fun here too,
accompanied by adults.
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