Edgewater Dining Room — Restaurant in Alaska

This was our first time eating here and combined my wife and I have lived in Alaska for almost 50 years. For starters almost every worker spoke English as their second language, I suppose this can be expected from a company like Princess. This is unfortunate because for tourists they cannot rely on staff to answer any of their questions about the area or the state. The atmosphere was stale to say the least, you would expect some AK lodge style look to their fine dining room but instead it looked like a banquet hall. We were very fortunate and had an awesome waitress, Amy. Unlike 99% of the other staff she is actually local. She was very attentive, had a great personality and seemed like she enjoyed her job. The food was quite good to my surprise, we started with the scallops as an appetizer. The plating wasn't the greatest but the scallops and sauce were very delicious. We then shared a cup of smoked salmon chowder. Coming from someone who smokes salmon frequently I can say there was hardly any smoked flavor but the chowder was still decent tasting. Both my wife and I ordered the ribeye which was seasoned very generously, almost too much but very close. It was cooked properly and was a quality piece of meat. The vegetables were unfortunately overcooked and soaking under the ribeye and the mashed potatoes were somewhat bland. We finished with a baked Alaska and the cheesecake. Neither one of us have had baked Alaska before and it was beautiful in presentation and well constructed. We didn't care for the cake but it was probably meant to be on the dryer side to help hold up to the ice cream. The blueberry ice cream on the other hand was absolutely delicious, I would have sworn it was made by hotlicks but I was told it is not. The cheesecake was very delicious, I make my own cheesecakes and this is definitely on the upper end of what you typically get in a restaurant. For the price I would say it was pretty good but they have much work to do on the atmosphere, presentation of the food and finding more local workers. Speaking of local, if you want locals to eat here you need to advertise. if your bean counters think that radio is too expensive then ask Amy and she will tell you a very inexpensive way that will reach everyone in the interior of Alaska. Listen to your workers you might be surprised what they know being on the...

Over the last few weeks I have thoroughly enjoyed investigating the menus at the Princess Hotel, but I owe you all an apology for taking so long to make a post about it. You have about one month until they close for the season and you need to put them into your regular rotation.

I have eaten twice at the Edgewater, once at Trackers, and last night out on the deck.

I have had the gnocchi twice because it is so good, a chicken sandwich, and halibut with a curry coconut sauce. And every time except for my lunch visit I have gotten the rosemary rolls - I am going to have withdrawals from those this winter - amazing!!

They maintain a large garden behind the restaurant - more on that in a minute - and the the menu features the garden including fresh salads. Last night we had a kale salad with sesame dressing that I will be back for. I have topped off a few of the meals with their amazing blueberry Baked Alaska. Share it as it is a large portion! Or don't share it because it is so good!

Oh, and the garden? Last night we planned to get there early for dinner so as to take a stroll. We went from the parking lot back out towards the road and then into the trails on the property. We went all the way around the back, which included a wonderful little tour of the beautiful garden plots, a good way to work up both an appetite and an appreciation of the freshness to come.

The chef, Christopher, is so enthusiastic about what he has done there with the menu this summer. Bonus if you get to chat with him for a few minutes. His joy in what he does is reflected in all of the amazing waitstaff that I have had in my visits. I now have to figure out how to fit a few more dinners into my budget before they close in...

Top notch service here! To begin with We were seated quickly even on a busy Friday night. Our server, Miranda was exceptional! We will be back just because of her!! A genuine warmth about her, She was professional, efficient, and so congenial… and her service was as delightful as our meal!! Without question, Miranda has a real talent for making all guests feel welcome. She is a true professional, beautiful inside and out, and it is quite evident she takes great pride in her work. Talk about service with a personal touch! Miranda has the magic! Thank you for not only serving the meal with a smile, but enriching our experience as well. Saturday night was equally amazing!! Our server Ema Bo was very pleasant and upbeat, making our dining experience, enjoyable! Her energy was infectious! She treated us with a kindness that is both generous and rare ! The meatloaf wrapped in bacon was outstanding! Our baked Alaska was superb! I had never had baked Alaska in my 68 years… We were surprised to see chef Christopher come out to our table to speak with us about the meal. In all my life, I’ve never had a chef come to my table.He spoke with us about our dining experience and explained how the Baked Alaska was made! He had extensive knowledge about the menu! Meeting chef Christopher was the highlight of our evening. He was professional, kind, extremely intelligent, and he took the time out of a busy evening to share some of his culinary creations! Edgewater restaurant hit the jackpot with this chef! We HIGHLY recommend this restaurant! We will be back again for certain! Thank you for such a wonderful experience! Stephen and...