May 05

Tiparos – Fairbanks AK

404 Lacey St

Fairbanks, AK 99701

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Located in downtown Fairbanks, Tiparos is one of several Thai eateries within a 1 mile radius. After pulling up to the icy parking lot, we entered the restaurant where the server handed us menus and directed us to sit anywhere we liked. After finding a seat, the server came by with waters while we reviewed the menu. The menu consisted of a large variety of traditional Thai cuisine. When the server came back around, we were ready to order.

Today, we decided to order a Thai tea, red curry with pork, and pad Thai with chicken. The Thai tea came first and tasted authentic. After a brief wait, both the curry and noodles arrived. The red curry with pork was quite flavorful and there was an adequate amount of pork that came with the dish. There was an over-abundance of bamboo slices, but that was OK. The curry went well when smothered over the rice. The pork was tender and tasty. The pad Thai came with an adequate amount of chicken, but I would have liked a few more pieces instead of the included pieces of tofu. I had ordered the pad Thai medium spicy, and they delivered that amount of heat perfectly.

Overall, Tiparos serves up authentic Thai cuisine in a town full of Thai restaurants. The pad Thai was delicious and not overly-sweet. Service was pretty good, but it was a bit odd to be handed menus to be brought to your own table. Prices were very reasonable for the amount of food received. Given another chance to locate good tasting Thai food in Fairbanks, I would definitely still suggest Tiparos.

May 01

The Crepery – Fairbanks AK

535 2nd Ave #101

Fairbanks, AK 99701

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Located in downtown Fairbanks, the Crepery serves up a variety of different crepes consisting of both savory and sweet varieties along with various coffee drinks. We walked in, reviewed the menu board, and were ready to order. Today, we decided to order a 16 ounce mocha, pepperoni and cheese crepe, and crab melt crepe. After ordering, we were directed to sit at any available seat, and they will bring the mocha and food by when they were ready. We located an available table near the street window, and not long after, the mocha arrived. The mocha was very tasty and sweet. It seems like they used hot chocolate instead of chocolate syrup, which made the drink taste very rich. Soon, both crepes arrived piping hot. The pepperoni cheese crepe was extremely cheesy, and the pepperoni was quite flavorful. Unfortunately, each bite really just tasted cheesy without much flavor. The crab melt was oozing with cheesy crab goodness. Each bite was delicious and full of flavor. You can see the real crab pieces inside the crepe filling. Overall, the savory crepes were quite tasty, but the crab melt was the one that really hit it out of the park. The mocha was a nice drink to have coming in from the cold outside. If you are in Fairbanks and want to have a tasty meal that is reasonably priced, the Crepery would be a sure bet to fulfilling your needs.

Apr 28

Aloha BBQ Grill – Fairbanks AK

402 5th Ave

Fairbanks, AK 99701

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Located in downtown Fairbanks, Aloha  BBQ Grill serves up various Hawaiian dishes in the cold community. Upon parking on the frozen parking lot and walking up the small walkway into the restaurant, we were quickly greeted by our server and sat down at an available table and provided with menus. After a quick review of the menu, we were ready to order.

Today, we decided to order the Kalua Pork and the combination with Chicken Katsu & Meat Jun. After the server provided the order to the kitchen, he came back with two bowls of savory soup that was tasty and went well with the cold weather. He also came back with two dishes containing their own cabbage kimchi and macaroni salad. The kimchi was not really fermented, but just had kimchi flavors. The macaroni salad was like the ones you can buy in bulk from the grocery store, but it was still tasty. Not too long after, the server came back with both of our entrees. Both dishes came with generous portion sizes. The Kalua Pork was seasoned well and was mostly tender. The cabbage was soft and went well with the pork. There was not enough rice provided for the amount of meat, but that was OK. The chicken katsu was very crispy, but the chicken itself was sliced very thin. There were many occasions where the breading would just fall off of the meat because the chicken was so thin. The provided sauces were savory, but they did not resemble the katsu sauce that we were used to. The meat jun was interesting because it was actually sliced teriyaki marinated beef coated with egg. The result was quite tender and delicious. There was so much food that we were unable to finish it all so we took the rest to go.

Overall, Aloha BBQ Grill serves up some tasty dishes, especially with the Kalua pork since it was tender and delicious. Some items like the kimchi and the meat jun don’t really scream Hawaiian food, but the meat jun was surprisingly delicious. The server checked on us multiple times and always wanted to make sure we had everything we needed. With quick service and great portion sizes, I definitely recommend paying this restaurant a visit if you are in Fairbanks.

Apr 24

Cowlick’s Ice Cream Cafe – Fort Bragg

250 N Main St

Fort Bragg, CA 95437

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Located right next to Taka’s Grill, Cowlick’s Ice Cream Cafe is Fort Bragg’s most popular ice cream joint. With quite a few flavors and some seasonal flavors, they have something for everyone. After looking through their ice cream selections, we were ready to order. Today, we decided to try their rocky road, cake batter, and almond joy ice creams in two fresh waffle cones. You can smell the aroma of the fresh cones being wafted from the waffle grills while you order your ice cream. The rocky road was rich and tasty. The cake batter really has a signature cake batter flavor. The almond joy had some coconut flakes mixed in with peanuts and chocolate, which went perfectly together. The cone was crispy and sweet. Overall, a visit to Fort Bragg without a visit to Cowlick’s is not a visit at all. Prices are reasonable, and service was great. Give them a try the next time you are in town!

Apr 21

Taka’s Grill – Fort Bragg

250 N Main St A

Fort Bragg, CA 95437

Rating: ★★☆☆☆ 

Located right outside the downtown area of Fort Bragg, Taka’s Grill is one of the few Asian restaurants in town, so we decided to give them a try. We arrived before their lunch hours ended, and were seated in the back of the restaurant. We were provided with menus, but the server took a while to come back and take our order.

On this visit, we decided to try the shrimp tempura roll with snow crab, beef curry rice, and ramen noodle soup. The shrimp tempura roll with snow crab was quite small, and I could not really see much snow crab inside. With that said, the roll did taste good, and the shrimp tempura was fresh. The beef curry rice had a decent amount of beef, and the curry provided enough flavor to season the rest of the rice. It was not too salty, but the flavors were one-dimensional. The ramen noodle soup seemed more like a Japanese minestrone with so many vegetables and so little pork. The miso base did not seem to give this soup any justice either since it was quite sweet. The dish was just very off.

Overall, Taka’s Grill serves up decent Japanese food considering the area, but the food authenticity, quality, value, and service do fall short. During the meal, we did not really receive refills, and the food took a long time to arrive, and all at different times. It also took a while to get the check. Prices are not reasonable for what you get. If you are looking for Asian food in Fort Bragg, you are better off just waiting until you go home.

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