One of the weird aberrations about Fairbanks is that despite her remote location (just a hundred miles from the arctic circle, and the northern most city of her size and stature on earth) and relatively small size (the city population sits at just 32,000 and the surrounding area – the size of New Jersey – has only 100,000 souls) she has some fantastic food. There are more Thai food establishements than we have ever even bothered to try, with more seeming to pop up all the time, the pizza is fantastic and the fine dining is just as good. There are steak dives, American food fair, a falafel and delectable sandwich place in the summer, local (but overpriced) ice cream, and relatively few national chains to crowd the picture.
One of the best finds I’ve made is Big Daddy’s BBQ, right downtown. They have the best hotwings that I have ever tasted (granted, I have never been to Buffalo, NY … but I have also tried a LOT of hotwings.) The wings are fantastic – they are whole three-piece wings left together and are slow-barbecued before being tossed in a just-hot-enough sauce that is tasty and hot in perfect balance. I dream about those wings when I am away, and they are usually the first and last meals (and several in between) that I get when I come home. There is a Wing Wednesday special, and when I was here last fall, I dragged Toni to the place every Wednesday afternoon all winter long to satisfy my cravings and shore up against the long absence to come.
It is still a mystery to me why this place so far removed from most of civilization and culture has such damned good food. We lived in the Des Moines area (500K people) for two years, and found the food there largely unexceptional (with the notable exception of Zombie Burger, god bless her brilliant, witty menu, homemade burger buns and cheap margaritas). Even Minneapolis and Saint Paul, with much more to offer, has disappointed as much as it has delighted. Some places have been fantastic, but others have fallen well flat.
Food, unfortunately in some ways, has always been incredibly important to me. Not only as a social venue, but for the aesthetic of good taste in and of itself. I am no gastro-snob, and I’m sure some of the delicacies of France or New York City would be far over my head. But I am all for a solid Pad See Ew and a good home made dipping sauce, inventive wood-fired pizzas and solid, hometown barbeque.In fact, I find myself restless and discontent when they aren’t readily available.
One of the reasons that I am content with the idea of settling in Fairbanks for good is her culinary offerings. She may not have the flair of the big cities, or quite the diversity in offerings, but there is plenty that I crave here when I am away, and there certainly hasn’t been time to visit all the places that I love (and dream about) on this short summer visit.
entelechyproject 