Dining review: Opting for the bar-side menu is a way to discover a different side of Anchorage restaurants

When my youngest daughter left for college last year, so did my most trusty dining partner-in-crime. And while I miss our restaurant adventures, empty nesting has allowed me to rediscover the very specific joys of barstool dining.

There are a lot of practical reasons for opting for bellying up to the bar instead of the dining room. It’s great for when you’re dining alone, for when you just want a snack, for when you’re really hungry but your dining companion isn’t. And it’s an economical way to enjoy some of our city’s upscale spots. But practicality isn’t the only reason to belly up to the bar for a meal. Sometimes — often, in fact — the bar of a restaurant is simply more fun than the dining room. You might strike up a conversation with a stranger or run into an old friend. And no one will judge you if your idea of a balanced dinner is a dry martini and a basket of french fries.

I recently paid a few visits to some of Anchorage’s more established restaurant bars to see how they measure up.

South Restaurant

South came in strong with two simple words: happy hour (offered Monday–Friday from 4-6 p.m.). The menu offers drink specials (which according to Alaska law are available at all times, not just happy hour) and some extremely well-priced bar snacks, appetizers and meals. I met friends for an early weeknight dinner and, after perusing the menu, very much enjoyed saying, “We’ll have one of everything.” Very Daddy Warbucks.

The $8 margarita is a perfectly executed classic though I only drank one before switching to South’s signature Gin & Juice ($14), which contains muddled blackberries, lime bitters, allspice, thyme and lemon, and is one of my favorite cocktails in town.

The food menu goes from snacky salmon dip with bread ($6) and blistered shishito peppers ($4) to the more substantial pulled pork sliders ($9) and lamb pita wrap ($8) and don’t miss out on the delicious za’atar fries ($4) which come with a tzatziki-style dipping sauce. The food is tasty, the room has style, and dinner and drinks for three with leftovers came in at under $100. Highly recommend.

If you go:

South Restaurant

southak.com

11124 Old Seward Highway

907-770-9200

Monday-Friday: 9 a.m.-9 p.m.

Saturday and Sunday: 8 a.m.-9 p.m.

★★★★

Simon & Seafort’s

I have so many fond memories of Simon & Seafort’s beginning in the late 1980s, when it was my parents who would enjoy drinks and appetizers on the bar side of the restaurant and occasionally let me tag along. In a rather alarming “full circle” moment, I brought my daughter there for a quick bite and realized it had been well over a decade since I stepped into the downtown stalwart. While I’m a sucker for nostalgia, our visit was something of a mixed bag.

Let’s start with the good. The view is the best in town. Alaska is stingy with its daylight this time of year but makes up for it with egalitarian sunsets happening at the time of day when most people can enjoy them. Sunset at Simon and Seafort’s bar, with its fiery backdrop showcasing Sleeping Lady, is pretty special. And the room with its gold rush-themed portraits, old-timey saloon decor and glassy-eyed trophy heads still charms. It’s equal parts elegance and camp, and I hope it never changes.

The menu, on the other hand, does not appear to have changed much over the years, and after our meal I hope it does. We were too late to order off the happy hour menu but opted for a Caesar salad ($10.60) and an appetizer tasting sampler of teriyaki sirloin bites, coconut shrimp, and crab and artichoke dip ($37.50). The salad was fine if unexciting, but the appetizer platter was unaccountably dreary. The best part was the hot crab dip, which boasted a good crab-to-cheese ratio. But the coconut shrimp was bland and lacking in crunch, and the sirloin bites had a strange and inconsistent texture. They went all but uneaten.

The experience was saved by excellent service and a delightfully performative cocktail called the Smoke and Bourbon, which involved two servers and table-side pyromania. It’s performative and silly and, like the room, equal parts elegance and camp. I am the first to admit to enjoying a cocktail that comes with a side of jazz hands.

Next time, we’ll prioritize wining over dining.

If you go:

Simon & Seafort’s

simonandseaforts.com

420 L St.

907-274-3502

Monday-Thursday: 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m.

Friday and Saturday: 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m.

Sunday: 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

★★★

Kinley’s Restaurant

The bar side of Kinley’s Restaurant always seems to be doing a lively business. Once a regular spot for me due to its proximity to my daughter’s dance studio, I have always enjoyed the upbeat hum of the room when stopping in for a quick bite before a performance or late pick-up time. It feels sophisticated but not stuffy. On a recent whim, my husband and I dropped in for an early weeknight dinner and to enjoy its thoroughly grown-up space.

As usual, business was brisk and I felt like a rock star when we slipped into the bar’s last available table. Alas, I had failed to notice the sign in the weirdly cavernous entryway asking patrons to wait to be seated even for bar seating. After a few minutes of waiting, a manager pointed out our mistake with what I can only describe as a distinct lack of ceremony. Embarrassed, we vacated the table, but he did not invite us to put our name on a waiting list nor were we guided to take seats at the bar. After a few moments of awkward standing, we noticed the seats ourselves.

Once settled in, our bruised feelings were eased in large part by gracious service from our friendly bartender, and in larger part by a lavender martini ($13) for my husband and a glass of Secret Squirrel cabernet ($12) for me.

I love that Kinley’s offers a special bar-side menu and enjoyed something of a Franken-meal beginning with rich and hearty French onion soup, followed by a light and lively plate of ahi tuna tacos. My husband opted for a basic burger and we were both very well pleased.

I’m enjoying this New Year’s resolution of bellying up to more bars. As always, I love hearing your suggestions. Where should I go next?

If you go:

Kinley’s Restaurant

kinleysrestaurant.com

3230 Seward Highway

907-644-8953

Tuesday-Saturday: 4-9 p.m.

★★★½