Burger Conquest: Snow Goose Restaurant & Sleeping Lady Brewery

Snow Goose Restaurant & Sleeping Lady Brewery
http://www.alaskabeers.com
717 West Third Avenue
Anchorage, AK 99501

THE STORY
I was on tour with a band I manage, Shadows Fall and a local brewery, The Sleeping Lady, provided us with some back stage beer for our dressing room. The beer was so good (read the One Barrel Bar review here) and when it came time to grab some dinner, we opted to try out the brewery's restaurant, the Snow Goose. The restaurant and brew house opened in 1996 in a refurbished Elk's Lodge. As a tribute to them, the Snow Goose tables are fashioned from the bowling alley lanes that used to be in the building. If you stop in, be sure to take a walk up onto the roof patio and check out the breath taking views of Anchorage as well as Cook Inlet.

THE BURGER
I wasn't prepared for a Burger Conquest but while perusing the unique menu, I saw something I had to have, the "Tundra Caribou Cheese Burger." We got an order or the bourbon-peach-BBQ ribs as an appetizer. They were the most tender ribs I have ever had. One bite and literally all of the meat just fell off the bone. The ribs were OK but the sauce was definitely the best part.

The burger came covered with swiss, pesto lime aioli, shredded lettuce and caramelized onions. Caribou, or as they are more commonly known in North America, reindeer, are less fatty than beef and have a wild game taste that I quite enjoy. The burger was lean and not too greasy. It had a slight gamey taste that gave it a subtle and interesting flavor. I was a little surprised that the burger was served with swiss, but once I ate it I realized that the subtle flavor was meant to add and not over power the flavor of the meat.

I asked Matt Bachand from Shadows Fall for his thoughts and he told me, "I have a 2 word review...totally bitchin!"

With great beers and great food, this is a must for any trip to Anchorage. We enjoyed so much that we came back again the next night!