Jamie Rogers

Will the Capitol Steps make you laugh out loud at politics? Yes they can! With more than 25 years of political comedy under their belt(way), these singing satirists have a bag full of current events to work with when they bring their live touring show to Atwood Concert Hall tonight.

How about a side of R&R with your BLT or IPA? No TV, please. If "rest" is key to your restaurant selection, a relaxing atmosphere is your first of order of business. Think more bliss, fewer loud birthday sing-alongs. Try these calm locations for a dining experience to soothe stomach and soul.

I'm psycho for eggs Benedict. It's not the dish's English muffin base. Or its slice of ham. Or its poached egg perched atop. Excellent breakfast ingredients, all. It's the hollandaise.

Snap, crackle, pickle! A poppin' fireplace -- and crisp cucumbers -- make Arctic Roadrunner a hot spot on cold days. The restaurant's down-home menu of burgers, sandwiches and assorted fried sides has been sticking to the ribs of generations of fans. Need proof?

Funky Fairbanks favorites Sweating Honey roll into Anchorage with sleeves rolled up, ready to work. With three gigs in two days, their prime objective is promoting their new CD, "When We Were Young," which rolled off the assembly line mere weeks ago.

Al Carranza admits he ate at the former king of all things hot wing almost three days a week before it closed in August. When he couldn't figure out a way to score Wings 'n Things' secret recipe, Carranza did the next best thing: He opened his own restaurant with two of Things' former employees.

Sometimes the path to edible enlightenment can be an insufferable quest. The same thing for dinner -- again? Well, here's one truth about Anchorage food choices: Point your wheels toward Muldoon Road, and you'll eventually discover somewhere fun to feast.

Exhale outside, and steamy vapors escape into the cold air. But inhale inside Pho Vietnam, and steamy vapors from bowls of soup will thaw even the coldest of souls.

This Queen of Hearts never folded. She simply shuffled to a quieter corner of life's poker table to work on a more full house while still recording. With 15 top 10 singles on the pop and country charts and sales of more than 10 million records worldwide, Newton has never really faded away. But without a big hit since 1984, some may wonder where she's been.

Admit it -- you've always wanted to wield one of the most influential instruments in the filmmaking industry: the big Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down. Start flexing your fingers, Anchorage audiences, because you'll be able to do just that during the 11th annual Manhattan Short Film Festival slated for this weekend at Out North.

Turkey Red is golden. Tucked into a corner of the Downtown Palmer Plaza, the restaurant, open just a few months, is a bistro-style oasis stuffed with fresh-baked breads and pastries in addition to carefully prepared dishes that promote local agriculture, organic ingredients and creative flavors with every bite.

Other fair edibles (im)pale in comparison to foods on a stick. Hot dogs, nachos, potatoes, chowder bowls -- they're fine contenders. But they're easily available year-round, and they're not what you think of when the sights, sounds and smells of the midway waft through your mind.

Alaska, you don't look a day over 21, much less 50 years old. But the Alaska State Fair is saluting your 50 years of statehood this year with a celebration that lasts 12 days. And what better way to fete the state than a summer tradition that keeps throngs of fairgoers coming back year after year with its youthful enthusiasm?