The Cookery — Restaurant in Seward

ok, it is 2021. We've learned our lesson. We've eaten here several times since my original post. I stand corrected. It is worth the wait for grilled salmon/halibut. So, go a 1/2 hr before opening, bring a book, scroll your phone, whatever. Order the halibut and or the salmon. The grilled salmon and halibut were each divine. Grilled, TENDER and MOIST. Fish done the way fish should be (Raw is the other form fish should be eaten). Side bar here: No matter where you order any fish fried, however, (any place)all you will taste is oil and or batter, and or vinegar or tartar sauce. So, you get what you deserve. That's why the chips, ff, and beer as sides. So, be prepared to wait, or get in line way early. Their grilled salmon and halibut is the best in Seward. It is also worth the drive from Anchorage. Halibut and Salmon photos from this visit are the last two in the group.

original post. WARNING: go early or go late. Two hour waits especially on cruise ship days. You can wait out back in the open air, drink a beer, slurp oysters while you wait for a text message. The bar is part of their wait list. Okay. Food. The the walnut encrusted halibut is the best we've ever eaten. Moist, tender, and slightly underdone. Restaurants, even "top" ones, tend to overcook halibut. It is a delicate flesh and should be treated with a gentle touch. We've eaten LOTS of halibut. Is it worth a 2 hour wait? NO. The pistachio encrusted halibut was also delicious, again moist, tender and slightly undercooked. The bed of wheat berries and I think cubed european cucumber it was lounging upon was a lazy garnish and didn't pair well at all. The roasted corn cake paired with the walnut halibut was sumptous...buttery, crispy brown on the outside, creamy on the inside. The avocado puree and zuchini strip at least showed some effort. Dessert was cream cheese ice cream with bacon bits. Cream cheese ice cream was a new treat for us. A zippy, slightly sour, tangy , rich, just like cold cream cheese but with a velvety texture. The bacon bits provided a slightly smoky salty finish. Over all? The halibut and the ice cream were worth the money we spent....

High quality, upscale dining at reasonable prices. A remarkable combination in a tourist town! Happy hour half price oysters from 5-6.

I had a mixed experience here. I ordered the mushroom toast, 1 each of the oysters and the halibut. Mushroom toast was excellent. Lots of textures and flavors. I enjoyed the oysters and the "sauce" that came with it (note that I'm not a big oysters guy). Neat that they are sourced locally.

I had dithered between the halibut and the salmon but went for the halibut as salmon can sometimes be an overpowering flavor for me. The halibut comes on a bed of vegetables with an avocado sauce on one side and a mole sauce on the other plus a side of rice.

Unfortunately everything tasted thin/watery to me. The halibut had a wonderfully seasoned crust but the fish itself was so most moist (and thick) that the flavor quickly disappeared. It may have needed a bit more time in the pan. The sauces were good but, again, after the initial taste the flavors kind of disappeared. The water in the rice and the fish needs a bit more punch behind it. I could have had an insensitive tongue day but the mushroom toast was so good I don't think that was it.

Service was ok. Hostess spent half her time calling or texting people on the wait list so I waited 3-5 minutes just to put my name on the list. They cost money but there are many automated systems that could help this. Bartender was overtaxed filling drink orders for the entire place, taking bar orders, cashing out customers and making bread appetizers (without washing his hands). He was doing his best but could have used some help. The point of sale system also seemed to be holding him back.

They have a nice patio/waiting area in the back where you can have a drink and watch the chef in action. Beware that if you do sit back there you will undoubtedly leave smelling of the food (like you stood next to a savory campfire). Just part of the experience

Overall I think this is worth going to and I would definitely try again. The chef seemed like a kind, hard working guy. I saw a few people come back to say hello and...

We just left The Cookery very disappointed - waited for a table for 45 minutes to get oysters only to find out they were out of oysters after we had already waited for the table and ordered drinks.

We were excited to try the oysters that they are known for, and it would be fine that they were out if someone had told us when we first arrived. Instead, after waiting 45 minutes, we got the table and the hostess sat us and even handed us the specials menu (which had oysters on it) and said to make sure we read the specials menu. Still no mention that they were out of oysters.

We ordered drinks from our server and when it came time to order food and we asked about oysters we finally learned that they were completely sold out. We were totally thrown off and ordered a cheese plate but we had come there for oysters and didn’t want to order anything else. Despite us clearly stating we came there for oysters, there was no effort to make up for that. Even when we asked for extra bread for the cheese plate (because there wasn’t nearly enough) they charged us $4 and couldn’t even comp us that when we were clearly disappointed in the whole situation.

We also ordered dessert and really enjoyed the cream cheese ice cream. However, this was another chance they could have comped us something to make up for the issue. I worked at a restaurant for many years and we always comped dessert as an easy apology for anything that went wrong for people. But again, no effort was made. Like they even charged the $4 for extra crostini.

After paying for everything, we informed the manager of the situation and our deep disappointment. She did not take accountability or offer to do anything to make up for it. She just blamed it on the hostess. I am shocked because I have never been to a restaurant that does absolutely nothing when they made a mistake.

If you go here, ask up front if they have everything on the menu, especially oysters. And also beware that management will not do anything if there...