My mother-in-law tells everyone (repeatedly) that she hates salmon. Except the salmon in Alaska. But since I stopped eating fish, salmon was off the table.
Food wasn’t the focus of our trip to Alaska, but with all the hiking and biking adventures we had planned, we had to eat.
Hiking Adventure
We planned a couple of day hikes from Anchorage and had been advised that we needed to bring food with us. You can’t count on finding decent food near trailheads. And it is particularly difficult to find vegetarian food in the more remote parts of Alaska.
Right in downtown Anchorage, Fire Island Rustic Bakeshop has sandwiches on their excellent artisan bread, and delicious pastries. We got a bag of scones and the last four sandwiches of the day, Luckily, two of them happened to be vegetarian. They also were tasty and filling.
There was also huge cookies for treats later in the day, loaves of bread, and a small market at the bustling shop. Locals with dogs and tourists were taking advantage of the perfect weather – we had arrived in Alaska after a week of rain – to sit outside, drink coffee and chat.
Watching For Salmon
At the Eagle River Nature Center, we hiked through the woods. The only wildlife we saw was salmon at the salmon viewing area. The most intense trail at the nature center was closed due to excessive bear activity. We heard them growling. Apparently bears really like the salmon in Alaska, too.
49th State Brewing
This three level place is insanely popular, with lots of hoppy beers and lots of vegan options.
We had a vegan quesadilla with jackfruit, crispy cauliflower with a vegan blue cheese sauce, and a Buddha Bowl avocado, sriracha chickpeas, arugula and tahini date dressing.
49th State Brewing also has pizzas, halibut tacos and crabby grilled cheese served with seafood chowder.
So maybe the salmon is good in Alaska. But there’s plenty of other food too.
WheelsandEats 