Food and Drink

Review: Fine dining with a Southern twist at Kincaid Grill

The readers have spoken. In a recent article highlighting my favorite strip-mall restaurants, many agreed that I had made a glaring omission: Kincaid Grill.

Believe me, I was not throwing shade on this long-standing local favorite. I promise. In fact, I considered including it, then realized that it had been over a decade since I'd actually eaten there. I know this because on my last visit I was both pregnant and celebrating a wedding anniversary, and I allowed myself one teeny tiny glass of celebratory champagne. T.S. Eliot can measure his life out in coffee spoons. I measure mine in champagne flutes.

Since then, the restaurant has seen some changes. Executive Chef Drew Johnson, a protege of proprietor Chef Al Levinsohn, is now at the kitchen's helm. A chef with Southern roots and a fine dining pedigree, I was interested to see what changes he has made to the menu and to the dining experience as a whole. I was clearly years overdue for a visit.

[Related: Anchorage's best strip mall restaurants]

I met my friend Sue for an early dinner at the bar. It's an elegant restaurant with intimate spaces, low lighting and an air among the staff of subdued efficiency. Even the tall bar tables are draped with white linens and formally set. The bartender, as our server, was friendly and knowledgeable and took pains to find a white wine to Sue's taste. He enthusiastically described the week's tasting menu (five courses for $65 with optional wine pairings) and pointed out which items could be ordered a la carte.

Thematically, the daily menu is upscale American (gumbo, succotash, king crab cakes) with an emphasis on Alaska seafood and a global flutter here and there (cioppino, curry-marinated lamb and a Mediterranean mezze). We decided to share the steamed clams in a coconut/Thai chili broth ($12) as well as the curry marinated lamb lollipops ($14).

The clams were sweet and plump and the broth nicely balanced the salinity that the clams bring to the dish. Thai chilies garnished the dish and our server joked about "taking the pepper challenge." We demurred. However, jokes aside, I would have liked a stronger chili presence in the broth. I saw it on the plate but didn't taste it on my palate. It was all creamy comfort and no fire. It's a pleasant dish, but I wanted more spice.

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The lamb lollipops were perfect. My carnivorous leanings are strong, and I'm always delighted to eat meat off the bone with my hands. Celebrating my inner cave woman while sipping a nice cabernet and wiping my fingers with impeccably white linen napkins? That's the dream. The meat was tender and buttery. The restrained curry seasoning added depth but didn't mask the lamb's subtle sweetness. The tangy tzatziki on the side was tasty, but I wasn't inclined to use it on the meat itself. I didn't want anything to take attention away from the star of the plate.

For our entree, we decided to share the 24-hour sous vide pork belly featured on the weekly chef's menu. This was an enormously satisfying dish. The super-slow cooking method transformed the tough cut of pork into an almost silky mouthful. The mustard and maple marinade were rich and appetizingly sticky, adding texture and a bold, assertive flavor to the mild but unctuous meat. The spaetzle was hearty and cooked to a perfect al dente (is there a German word for this?) and the pickled apple and cabbage provided a nice lightness to this otherwise heavy dish. At $16, this dish was a fine-dining bargain.

I returned the following week for dinner with my friend Laurie. This time, we sat in the dining room with the grownups. We began by sharing three appetizers: king crab cakes, gumbo and Gorgonzola fondue.

The gumbo should have been a home run. It had a deep, dark, smoky base that could only come from a lovingly tended, long-cooked roux. It was beautifully seasoned. It was dense with chunks of andouille sausage and plump Gulf shrimp. Unfortunately, it arrived at the table tepid. To compound this problem, the tempting, juicy-looking shrimp were undercooked, leaving them with a mealy texture and an unpleasantly translucent interior. I pushed them to the side. My guess is that the shrimp are added at the last minute, to order, so that they wouldn't overcook, and somehow our bowl didn't get the right amount of attention. It seemed like a fluke, to be honest. I'll order it again and hope for better luck. Two more minutes of heat and it could have been the best gumbo in town.

The king crab cakes were, happily, perfectly executed. A crispy, golden brown coating hid a sweet, creamy, crab-dense interior. There was very little filler in the savory little cakes. The corn relish and lime serrano aioli on the side were an inventive take on a traditional garnish.

The Gorgonzola fondue was rich, pungent and decadent. Perfectly balanced with spiced fruit chutney, candied walnuts and perfect, crisped little ovals of toast, we repeatedly had to give the wait staff the stink eye when they attempted to take it away. We were not giving up even the scantest smidge of that dish.

The halibut, like the gumbo, should have been a home run, but it was more like a double. (I blame the Cubs for my tortured sports metaphors. Last one, I promise.) The plate was beautiful. A glistening piece of halibut rested on a potato puree and edamame succotash. A vividly green, kale-based chimichurri rested on top. Unfortunately, the fish was ever-so-slightly overcooked. The fish came away on the fork in slightly dry flakes and some of the subtle flavor of the fish was lost. Overall, it was all a bit bland. We agreed that the halibut got the extra minute of cooking that my gumbo should have gotten. We also agreed that the bright, lively, acidic chimichurri saved the plate. We would have loved more. We would have loved it on every plate. More chimichurri, please.

The sous-vide buttermilk fried chicken made us forget about the slightly disappointing fish. The chicken itself was tender, juicy and flavorful — another testament to the effectiveness of a slow, gentle cooking technique. The skin was crispy and well seasoned. The side dishes — creamy smashed potatoes, Southern-style greens with bacon, crispy little wisps of deep-fried onions, and a beautiful, velvety, mushroom gravy — were all good on their own and extraordinary when scooped up into one forkful. This dish wants you to play with your food. Like the lamb chops, it was fun to eat. It's comfort food that has been transformed and elevated through technique, finesse and ambiance.

The service and dining rituals at Kincaid Grill were pleasantly ceremonious. Bread was brought round in a basket and served with tongs. Each dish arrived with its own utensils, a differently shaped plate and tiny ramekins of sauce. Empty dishes were swept away like magic. It was rather fussy. And I like a bit of fuss now and then.

There were a couple of culinary hiccups over the course of two evenings at Kincaid Grill. However, a refined and romantic atmosphere, excellent service, and sophisticated, serious cooking with a creative bent and a sly sense of fun make it clear why it's such a favorite with its loyal customers.

Kincaid Grill

Hours: 5-10 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday

Location: 6700 Jewel Lake Road

Contact: 907-243-0507 and kincaidgrill.com

$$$

****

Mara Severin | Eating out

Mara Severin is a food writer who writes about restaurants in Southcentral Alaska. Want to respond to a column or suggest a restaurant for review? Reach her at dining@adn.com.

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