Fairbanks: Alaska Salmon Bake

Although I didn't hear about it until I arrived in Fairbanks, the Alaska Salmon Bake is a tradition in town. This outdoor, German beer garden style spot is located in Pioneer Park, itself a warmly regarded Fairbanks tradition. The service is all-you-can-eat. The food is quite good and the atmosphere is relaxing.

In an attempt at balance, I started with the salad bar, which offered a good range of very fresh fixings.

My next stop was the grill. I tried all three: prime rib, salmon, and cod. The prime rib was very tender and cooked just right. The salmon was cooked over an open fire to a perfect temperature. The grilling emphasized its tenderness and freshness. Cod has been the big revelation of this trip---it is plentiful here and superb. This fried cod was plump and meaty without a hint of fishiness. I went back for seconds on both the salmon and cod. I can get good beef in the lower 48 but this fish is special.

I finished up with a trip to the dessert hut. My big treat was the compotes, one strawberry/rhubarb and the other blueberry. After all this food, I worked off at least a few calories with a walk along the river and through Fairbanks' pleasant neighborhoods.

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Eating Around Georgia Tech: Ecco

Our Texas Instruments colleague Cathy Wicks was gracious enough to host several of us at Ecco tonight. This is one of those restaurants that has been on my list for a long time. Even though it is within easy walking distance of Georgia Tech, I hadn't made it there until tonight. The menu is a combination of Italian, Spanish, and French that make use of some local Georgia ingredients. The combination of those three countries is sometimes a little forced, although the georgia ingredients (fruit, cheese) were all great and perfectly appropriate. We started out with a meat and cheese board. This actually reverses the French tradition, where cheese usually follows the main course. Everything was excellent. The Georgia cheese was a big hit, as was the French cow/goat cheese. I thought the sauscisson was very subtle and very good. The waitress said that the roast pork pasta was their signature dish, so I had to try it. It had traditional broad pasta (fresh, of course)

Pressure Cooker Candied Ginger

I made candied ginger a few years ago. It's not something I would do every day but I had a lot of fun doing it. I recently acquired a pressure cooker and it inspired an interesting idea to me: why not make candied ginger in the pressure cooker? It should be very soft and flavorful. Here is the result. I peeled two large ginger roots, cut them into small cubes, and put them in the pressure cooker with heavily sugared water. The traditional method first boils the ginger in plain water to soften it and then again in sugar water to candy it. The resulting candy was very tender but still with the characteristic ginger texture. It was also sweet without being overpowering. The traditional method leaves a lot of sugar crystallized around the ginger. The pressure cooker gives a much more subtle result. The ginger stays moist even after it cools but you can dry it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. That inspired me to dip it in chocolate. While I was in the b

DCA: Cava Mezze Grill

Cava is a DC area chain with light Mediterranean food. Saibal encouraged me to try lunch at their airport location and I was very happy with the experience. I ordered falafel on SuperSalad with assorted other toppings. The falafel was tasty. The SuperSalad was light, flavorful, and very easy to eat. Overall, a healthy and enjoyable lunch, something you can't always say about airport eating.

Atlanta etc.: Marilyn Wolf's Food Blog and Restaurant Blog

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