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Most restaurants fly in fresh salmon and halibut from the coast. Meat-and-potatoes main courses, pastas and pizzas, and pub fare dominate most menus, but an increasing number of both ethnic restaurants and establishments serving healthier fare have opened in and around Fairbanks in recent years. The food isn't the only thing full of local flavor: Alaskan pride runs strong, so expect to see snowshoes, bear hides, the state flag, and historic photos incorporated into restaurant decor. As for attire, even in the most elegant establishments Alaskans sometimes wear sweats or Carhartts.
Salmon cooked over an open fire with a sauce of lemon and brown sugar is a favorite at this indoor-outdoor restaurant in Pioneer Park's Mining Valley. Guests select their main course—Bering Sea cod, prime rib, and snow crab are other popular options—and pick up sides, salads, and drinks at separate stations in this food-court-in-the-forest setting.
Alongside the Chena River, this 1930s mining pump station–turned–restaurant claims to be the northernmost oyster bar in the world. A grizzly bear in a glass case stands sentry here over a room full of Victorian-era antiques, and in summer you can enjoy the evening sun on the deck out back by the river.
Don't go to this wood-walled dining room expecting great variety, but you should go if you have a big appetite and are hungry for prime rib, lobster, prawns, or king crab. There's also a good salad bar, prompt service, and homemade bread that comes with every order. The "Turtle Cut" serving of prime rib, advertised as a "medium portion," weighs about a pound.
Fairbanksans are known to make the 40-mile round-trip for the delicious dinners here, including prime rib, steaks, and Alaskan seafood dishes. Don't be discouraged by the lakeside building's outward appearance—rustic logs belie the menu's elegance. For a study in Alaskan-style contrasts, stop in the Trapline Lounge first for predinner refreshment.
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