Alaska News

Dining review: Nordstrom has a lot to offer in the food department

I've always had a soft spot for the Anchorage Nordstrom. Sure, it's expensive, part of a national chain and attached to a mall, but when I think of the store those facts are veiled by thousands of pleasant memories going back to when I was a young child.

What I think of most is how, growing up, if there was an important occasion, my mom would sometimes take me to Nordstrom to get something special. Then we would take a table at the little cafe, which is tucked away on the second floor. It has low amber lighting and the waitstaff all wear long white aprons. Feeling fancy and grown-up, I'd tell her about school and my friends as we sat with our glossy, dove-gray shopping bags and ate lunch.

In terms of quality and cost, I've long believed the Cafe is the best deal going for food at the mall -- and it really holds its own as a downtown lunch destination in general. But I've realized that not a lot of the people would think to visit the cafe or even know it's there. Seeking a fresh perspective, I recently took a couple of friends who'd never been there before to check it out.

Our first visit was at 11 a.m., when the only people there were the staff. The way the restaurant is arranged, customers order at the counter, then take a seat, and waiters bring the food to the table. The menu has a broad array of salads and sandwiches, with a couple of pasta dishes and more entree-like offerings as well. At the register is a selection of brownies, cookies and other sweets.

Sitting in the empty cafe, we waited for our spicy shrimp pad thai salad ($11.50) and sliced peppered steak sandwich ($11.95). The salad was simply ingenious -- taking some of the best elements of pad thai and combining it with lots of vegetables, meaning that I didn't get the heavy, sleepy feeling I normally experience when I eat a lot of pad thai (I can never stop at just a little).

The base material of it was about half cold rice noodles and half mizuna greens. Julienned carrots, green beans, edamame and roasted peanuts added texture, and the whole thing was splashed with a delicious peanut sauce dressing. My only criticism was that it was skimpy on the shrimp and there wasn't a lot of spice.

The sandwich had a tall heap of tender, thin-sliced steak, set off beautifully by crunchy balsamic roasted onions and creamy mustard aioli, all on a soft brioche roll.

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Emboldened, I came back with another friend for dinner. For two people, we ordered a massive amount of food -- a chicken club sandwich with salad and soup, pasta, a grilled steak entree and a chicken salad.

The chicken tomato Alfredo ($11.25) had a surprisingly fresh-tasting tomato Alfredo sauce with baby spinach and generous pieces of roasted, sliced chicken. The parmesan-crusted salad was a little over-dressed in honey Dijon for my taste, but the bacon, hard-cooked egg and avocado were plentiful. The chicken club sandwich ($10.50) came piled high with sliced turkey and thick-cut maple-glazed bacon.

The standout was a grilled skirt steak ($14.50), which looked beautiful and rustic on the plate, accompanied by whole roasted carrots, potatoes and crisp-tender asparagus. The steak was tender, cooked to medium and with a nice crust. It was accompanied by a cilantro-lime chimichurri sauce that I now want to pour on just about everything I eat. This would be a respectable dinner anywhere, and probably would cost a lot more if it wasn't being served next to a hosiery department.

Which is kind of what Nordstrom's cafe comes down to. If you don't mind wandering past the stacks of cashmere sweaters and designer sunglasses to find it, you'll have a thoroughly satisfying and reasonably priced meal. I happen to enjoy that trip through the department store -- it doesn't cost anything to look, after all. And a really great lunch can only sweeten the view.

Nordstrom Cafe

Hours: 10 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun.

Location: 603 D St.

Options: Take out and dine in

***1/2

$$

Victoria Barber

Victoria Barber was formerly the features editor at the Anchorage Daily News and is an occasional contributor.

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