Anchorage Daily News

If it was caught, grown or harvested in Alaska, chances are good that chef Rob Kinneen has used it in an entree at Orso Ristorante in downtown Anchorage.

"I am a big believer in regional foods, and I think this is what makes our restaurants in Alaska so outstanding," said Kinneen. "We are really lucky to get the quality of fish, fresh vegetables and mushrooms that we have available up here."

Kinneen, 35, started working as chef at Orso in 2007 after a stint trying to build his own restaurant in Anchorage's Mountain View neighborhood. Kinneen and his wife, Carolyn, started Noble's Dinner in 2004 but closed after business dropped to a crawl during a major construction project in the neighborhood.

Originally from Petersburg, Kinneen's family moved to Anchorage when he was in school. Kinneen graduated from the King Career Center's culinary arts program in 1994 and later moved to New Orleans to learn Southern-style cooking.

"I learned a lot about how to look for and use fresh, locally available foods there," Kinneen said.

Kinneen also worked for four years in North Carolina, as well as for local restaurants: the Hotel Captain Cook, Sacks Cafe & Restaurant and the Seven Glaciers.

"I am really lucky that Orso has let me develop a cuisine modified to use regionally available food," he said. "It's pretty outstanding when an Italian restaurant breaks out of a stereotype and finds the magic in locally produced food and fresh-caught fish."

The chef prepares such dishes as fresh Alaska yelloweye rockfish, which sells for $18.95, cashew-crusted fresh Alaska halibut at $24.95 and Bering Sea king crab legs for $33.95.

As he prepared the dishes, Kinneen explained that the use of fresh Alaska cod, yelloweye rockfish and halibut offers two advantages: great texture and a flavor that can be used in any cuisine.

Kinneen inspects all the fish products that come in the door and limits his orders of specialty fish for the menu dishes to ensure a high level of freshness and no waste. Orso buys about 4,000 pounds of crab and 6,000 pounds of halibut each year.

The restaurant serves salmon -- thousands of pounds a year -- from Copper River Seafoods and has a network of other suppliers like Norton Sound Economic Development Corp. for various types of bottom fish.

As much as possible, Kinneen also uses locally grown vegetables and mushrooms, and flavors with onions and other seasonings grown in the Matanuska Valley.

Even the salad dressings and marinades are made from Alaska ingredients, like handpicked spruce tips and smoked mustard seeds from flowers.

Kinneen's recipe for smoked alder vinaigrette is based on a mustard developed by Moosetard, a company based in Fox that specializes in gourmet Alaska mustards.

Fresh fish and vegetables aren't all he gets fresh. Orso had just received 100 pounds of elk from Misty Mountain Meats, located in Delta Junction.

"You have to be versatile if you are going to ask someone to slaughter their animals, so we use the elk for many different dishes," said Kinneen. "We will not only offer the rib chops, but New York steaks, tenderloins for a special wine dinner, and later grind the leftover elk for a Bolognese sauce used over pasta."

"Alaska wild, fresh foods have a lot to offer over second-best frozen products," said Kinneen. "Besides the nutrients and richness, it adds to the sustainability and stability of our local economy."

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