Last month, I flew into Juneau for the International Food Blogging Conference. What a trip! Not only was the scenery amazing but the food! OMG! I’ve never had such delicious fresh seafood and I live in Seattle.
Amazing restaurants and food trucks
Who would have thought that the restaurants would be so amazing in this town of 32,000 people? And the fact that they have so many restaurants! Wow! I highly suggest you take a tour from Juneau Food Tours. Midgi Moore is the owner and she’s fantastic! It’s a great way to get to know the city with history and food! Unfortunately we visited so many that I can’t mention all of them. They were all fantastic! Here are some of the highlights of my entire trip:
Mount Roberts Tramway
My first day started off with a ride up the Mount Roberts Tramway. The view from the tram was amazing and the weather was absolutely perfect! After the tram ride I took a hike on one of their trails. Unbelievable views! The top picture at the beginning of this post is from that view.
Deckhand Dave’s and the Juneau Food Tour
After the hike, I was a bit hungry so I headed to a food truck lot near the The Baranof , my hotel. I really just stumbled upon this taco truck called Deckhand Dave’s. The halibut tacos were so yummy! I only had one. I wanted more but didn’t want to eat too much before the Juneau Food Tour later in the afternoon. Little did I know that a few hours later I would be back to the same truck – as it was on the food tour! How lucky was I?
I also visited the truck one more time on another day during our lunch break. I just had to try their, “Slutty Fries.” Don’t judge me! I’m back to tracking Weight Watcher points now!
Tracy’s King Crab Shack
They have the biggest Alaskan King Crab legs I have ever seen!
Tracy’s King Crab Shack was our first food stop on the Juneau Food Tour. The food tour included their famous Crab Bisque. Incredible! Normally I’m not a fan of bisque, but it was so rich and creamy and not fishy at all. Absolutely amazing!
Luckily Tracy’s King Crab Shack was also part of our Taste of Juneau evening where 18 restaurants and companies put on a fabulous expo of tastes for the IFBC so I was able to enjoy the bisque one more time before I left! Plus I visited the shack again for one of those awesome crab legs!
Alaskan Brewing Company
For those of you who really know me, I’m a wine fanatic. Occasionally I’ll drink a dark beer (from my years living in Germany) but it’s not my preferred drink of choice. However, I was game to try the beer tasting from The Alaskan Brewing Company on the Juneau Food Tour. I have to say it was absolutely delicious!
The beer tasting we did included 3 of their beers – Alaskan Amber Alt Style, Alaskan White Wheat Ale and Alaskan Freeride APA (American Pale Ale). The tasting took place at the Alaska Hotel and Bar built in 1913. What a great bar with lots of history! My favorite beer by far was the Amber but the White was pretty good too. Because the Alaskan Brewing Company was one of our sponsors for the conference, I was able to have it quite a bit during our receptions and evening events.
Small business turned successful. It all started with a dream…
I just love successful stories of small businesses! The Alaskan Brewing Company was started in 1986 by a young couple, Marcy and Geoff Larson. The banks wouldn’t loan them money to start their brewery but members of the town pitched in. While researching breweries in Alaska, they came upon old shipping records and a newspaper article from 1889-1907 that described the current brewing process back in those days. Geoff homebrewed a batch and that is how their Amber Ale was born.
This business speaks highly to me because my tea business (Afternoon to Remember) back in 2002 was merely a dream but with a ton of support and a lot of hard work we made it happen and I eventually sold it in 2016. The Alaskan Brewing Company also started with a dream and now is a very successful brewing company.
Opening reception at the International Food Blogging Conference
Talk about a feast! Wow! The opening reception was sponsored by the Alaskan Seafood Marketing Institute. Like I said before, this was the freshest seafood I have ever eaten and I live in Seattle! Unfortunately I didn’t take a lot of pictures because I was too busy eating! One of my favorites of the evening was the fresh Alaskan King Crab in these cute little wooden “boats.”
The Alaskan Seafood Marketing Institute has a lot of great information on their website -everything you want to know from sustainability, health and nutrition, what’s in season when, quality buying guides and more! Check it out!
Have you ever had protein noodles made from Wild Alaskan Pollock?
I have! They are amazing! Not fishy at all, delicious protein noodles made from Alaskan Pollock – fish! Who would have ever believed I would like something like that? But I did!
These protein noodles will be coming soon to specific areas, but are not everywhere yet. They are only one of the delicious products from Trident Seafoods who was also one of the sponsors at this conference. It’s the largest seafood company in the U.S. They control every part of the seafood process, from the second it leaves the icy waters of Alaska up to the moment you prepare it. They have a ton of products. See what’s in your area!
Hummus Toast Bar
Sabra hosted a beautiful hummus toast bar. Almost too pretty to eat, but I did! From their presentation I learned that over 40% of people in the U.S. do not know what hummus is. I found that very interesting! I also didn’t realize that their chickpeas are grown in my area – the Pacific Northwest.
Sandpiper Cafe
On the last morning of the conference after my early morning walk I ended up at the Sandpiper Cafe. So glad I came early! The line was out the door by the time I left. As many of you know, I’m a tea snob and they had delicious black tea. For breakfast, I ordered an omelet with cheddar, Canadian bacon and Roma tomatoes but the best part were their homemade biscuits and their Yukon grilled potatoes – buttery, crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. Yum! I had to really force myself to just eat half or this blog will soon be named Gourmet Done Chubby!
Taku Lodge Feast and 5 Glacier Discovery Tour
Okay, I’ve saved the best for last. Hopefully you’re still with me! I know this is a super long post but keep reading!
This 3 hour seaplane adventure tour from Wings Airways flew over 5 glaciers and landed at Taku Lodge. I took the early morning tour. It’s a small plane and everyone has a window seat. The scenery was just gorgeous! We landed on the water near the lodge and you could see one of the glaciers fairly close.
Taku Glacier Lodge Brunch
The Taku Glacier Lodge Brunch was a feast of freshly cooked salmon (we watched it cook), slow cooked baked beans, herb biscuits, blueberry scones, their famous ginger cookies and more! So delicious!
After brunch we took a walk through the woods where our guide pointed out various trees and plants. Unfortunately we didn’t see a bear but the next tour did! I was so sad to go, but it was exciting to fly over the glaciers again back to Juneau.
Until next time!
What an amazing trip I had to Alaska! Although I had been there once before (but only for the day on a cruise ship), staying for 5 days this time was just magical. I’m so excited that it’s only a 2 1/2 hour flight from Seattle. I plan on visiting again next summer but will definitely bring my husband this time. I look forward to more eating as well as more hiking. If you’re looking to travel to Alaska be sure and check out Travel Juneau. They have a great website about everything in Juneau. Until next time!
