Alaska News

Dining review: Where rock is out to lunch

I want to start by pointing out some of the positives about Hard Rock Café Anchorage. Located where a certain notorious nightclub used to be, Hard Rock has already gone out of its way to create a venue for local musicians (the Whipsaws will be rocking out for the winter solstice). They've also hosted fundraisers for a number of worthy community causes -- Breast Cancer Focus Alaska, Toys for Tots, Bean's Café and others.

It seems that Hard Rock's management is making an effort to get involved in the community when they could have stuck to luring in tourists walking the Fourth Avenue strip. Good for them.

Now, about the dining experience.

Let's imagine for a moment -- weird as it is -- the spirit of rock 'n' roll embodied in a restaurant: raucous, creative, rebellious. Whatever that restaurant might look like, Hard Rock Café has got to be its opposite.

It's the kind of place where the wait staff wears "flair" and will tactfully push merchandise at some point during your meal. The interior is quite tidy and corporate-feeling, all the rock memorabilia carefully preserved under glass. A constant soundtrack of the most mainstream, recognizable songs from the last 60 years or so of popular music plays in the background.

When it comes to food, standard American fare is what's on the menu. Appetizers go the route of potato skins, artichoke dip and nachos. Your salads come in three varieties: Caesar, chicken, Cobb. There are burgers, a couple of menu pages devoted to barbecue and a strong emphasis on alcoholic milkshakes and fruity cocktails.

On a gray afternoon recently, my friend and I walked in and opted for burgers: the Fiesta Burger ($14.95) and the Local Legendary ($14.95), a burger special to the Anchorage cafe.

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As Aerosmith wailed "Dream On," our burgers arrived. The Fiesta Burger includes guacamole and jalapeno salsa. The Legendary's local twist was that the beef patty was topped with reindeer sausage. Both burgers arrived expertly cooked to order -- medium rare -- and each was held together with a fake switchblade (cool).

What was puzzling was that, jalapeno salsa or not, the burgers were undeniably bland. It's not something I've ever called a burger, good or bad, before. The fries were decent but the onion rings were greasy and chewy. So far, not great, even for diner fare.

But, on a positive note, the Cocoa Press -- a boozy concoction of hot cocoa, rum and amaretto served table-side in a French press -- was a hot, sweet ending to meal.

The next day I opted for takeout. Hard Rock's conscientiously peppy service and just-a-little-louder-than-necessary classic rock soundtrack just weren't my jam, to pardon the pun. While waiting for my order I wandered upstairs, where they have a very cool second-story bar and a stage with seating overlooking Fourth Avenue.

This was the first time I found myself genuinely excited about Hard Rock – what a fantastic venue for live music downtown.

I took home The Texan burger: a barbecue chicken burger topped with shoestring fries and deep-fried jalapenos on a toasted brioche bun, served with a side of Twisted mac and cheese ($12.95). I also got an order of the other Alaska-focused menu item, a grilled Alaska salmon filet with mashed Yukon Gold potatoes and steamed broccoli ($19.95).

The barbecue burger's soft sweetness was barely offset by some subtle heat from the deep-fried jalapenos. The mac and cheese, on the other hand, was surprisingly kicky and my favorite of the dishes. It's completely a guilty pleasure, which is exactly what I like in mac and cheese.

The salmon had an interesting smoky flavor but was too dry -- in my mind an unforgivable flaw in a neighborhood and city with so much expertly cooked seafood (the mashed potatoes, however, were very good -- and very rich). The portions were certainly plentiful, and I was still full six or seven hours later, when dinnertime rolled around.

I wasn't blown away by the food at Hard Rock, but I am excited about the place as a venue. I can't wait to catch a show there over a beer or two. Just one small request to management -- can we get some Alaska microbrews on the menu? Then I'd really be a fan.*

*Note: After publication of this story, a gracious representative of Hard Rock Cafe Anchorage called to inform the writer that they do, indeed, carry local beers on draft from Alaskan Brewing, Kassiks, Denali Brewing, Glacier Brewhouse, and King Street Brewing Company. Rock on!

Hard Rock Café Anchorage

Restaurant hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sun.-Thur., 11 a.m.-12 a.m. Fri.-Sat.

Bar hours: 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Sun.-Thur., 11 a.m.-12:30 a.m. Fri.-Sat.

Location: 415 E St.

Contact: 274-7625 and hardrock.com/cafes/anchorage

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**

Victoria Barber

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

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