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

Dave and I caught up over a very nice dinner at Amarin Thai Cuisine. It is located on Castro Street, which for decades has been the go-to neighborhood for Asian food on the Peninsula. This is my pumpkin curry with tofu. The pieces of pumpkin gave a very nice texture complement to the tofu and the taste perfectly complemented the tofu. Dave reported his salmon was great.

I stopped by Passage to India, located on El Camino on the north side of Mountain View, for a satisfying lunch. Their buffet includes meat and veggie dieshes. As a nice surprise, it also includes several Chinese-Indian dishes, including my favorite hot chili corn. My naan was very fresh and pillowy soft.

Metro City is located on Sunnyvale's historic and lively Murphy Avenue. The atmosphere combines an industrial vibe and historic photos. Service was very warm and attentive. The restaurant seems to have a lively crew of breakfast regulars. My veggie omelet was huge and packed with vegetables. I really enjoyed the pepper sauce on the table, too. The hash browns were the perfect combination of crunchy on the outside, creamy on the inside. The rye toast was quite good.

Ponko is a new addition to Chamblee's food scene, located near I-85 just off Chamblee-Tucker Road. It is a fast casual restaurant specializing in chicken tenders with an Asian twist. Service was very attentive and helpful. My tofu tenders were quite good. The coating was crispy and a great contrast to the tofu. I asked for the spicy sauce, which was just enough to moisten the coating without making it soggy, and just spicy enough to tickle my tongue. (Given that I have raised this concern at other restaurants, I would mention that a less fish-sticky shape might be nice.) The sweet potato fries were tasty. I really enjoyed the slaw, which was very crunchy and nicely tangy.

I faced a long wait for my flight out of Fairbanks. I'm glad that The Local was there for a snack to keep me going. Airport restaurants vary widely but I found The Local's food to be quite good. This is my cup of chili. It was spiced to give it just enough of a kick. The beans were nicely soft but not mushy. The reindeer sausage gave the cup a nice meatiness and a fun twist. The sauce offered plenty of umami, something one hopes for in any chili.

Once I arrived at the park entrance, I wanted a small meal to keep me going for the long ride into Denali's interior. Morino Grill did the trick. Named after the gentleman who operated a roadhouse here for many years, it offers the basic, solid food at reasonable prices one would expect at a National Park. There was my lunch, waiting for me. The cod was good; I nibbled on a few crinkle fries. Satisfied, I was ready to head into the wilderness.

Wilderness Express cars operate on the Alaska Railway. The cars are modern but provide an old-fashioned first class rail experience. The top floor is fully domed for a continuous view of the spectacular Alaska scenery. The bottom floor provides white tablecloth dining service. The trip down to Denali started in the morning. I couldn't pass up the blueberry pancakes. The syrup comes from Alaskan birch, which gives a different flavor from maple syrup that is very nice. The reindeer sausage was excellent, with a porky flavor. My return to Fairbanks was my chance to try dinner. Alaskan fish is uniformly superb so I ordered the halibut. The fish was tender and flaky, nicely moist, and very flavorful. I couldn't resist this berry tart for dessert. Berries are another Alaskan mainstay and these were superb. The preparation hit just the right amount of sweetness to show off the flavor of the berries.