Course changes and special events continue at Mat-Su restaurants as summer struggles to take hold.

The central Mat-Su’s hottest new restaurant is set to showcase the best of its culinary talent. On June 20, Alaskana Social Club, at Meier Lake Resort near Wasilla, is presenting what they’re calling First Catch: A Celebration of Wine and Alaskan Seafood, a seasonal lakeside dining experience in partnership with Brown Jug.

Guests will enjoy a four-course menu prepared by Chef Matt Stohlgren that Marissa Senna, co-owner and operations manager at Meier Lake Resort, called “approachable and adventurous, elegant yet relaxed.”

“The menu embraces the playful dichotomies Alaskana Social Club is known for,” she said. “The evening will invite guests to savor summer in its fullest expression.”

The event will kick off with a baked Alaskan oyster appetizer with Dungeness crab stuffing, topped with smoked paprika-lemon hollandaise, pickled red onions, and toasted sourdough rosemary crumble.

That will be followed by an Alaska spot shrimp and scallops salad on a bed of sweet and crunchy microgreens, with shaved green apple, caramelized fennel, sweet peppers. The salad will be served with a parmesan crisp and kumquat vinaigrette.

The entrée will showcase grilled Bristol Bay sockeye salmon from Heavy Weather Fish Co. The fillet will be served with carrot top pesto, Parisian saffron potato, honey roasted red beets, baby carrots, salmon caviar and micro dill.

Pavlova, a toasted almond meringue-based dessert with buttermilk brown sugar ice cream, rhubarb gastrique and dehydrated raspberries, will close out the dinner.

Each course will be paired with two different wines selected by Bruce Abbott, president of Brown Jug and certified wine specialist. A veteran of more than 100 wine dinners, Abbott will host the event, bringing his signature warmth, passion, and considerable expertise to the scenic lakeside venue.

Abbott said he has enjoyed his collaboration with the staff at Alaskana Social Club and is looking forward to seeing it all come together on the 20th.

“I’m excited about what they’ve put together,” he said. “It’s a beautiful, picturesque setting. One of the big reasons I wanted to partner with them is to do dinners that celebrate Alaskan ingredients and the natural beauty of the state.”

Abbott said he is most looking forward to sharing Stolpman Vineyards’ Uni White. From California’s central coast wine region, Uni is made from Roussanne, a grape variety from France’s Rhone region. It is one of two pours that will be served with the salad course.

“This wine has beautiful richness,” he said. “It’s going to surprise a lot of people.”

Reservations are still available for the dinner, which will be served outside, weather permitting. Regular service will also be available that evening, although with limited seating.

“We are very excited about this event,” Senna said. “Bruce will be speaking on some amazing wines to pair with some local fresh catch prepared by Chef Matt.”

The event is for ages 21 and older. Tickets, which are all-inclusive, are $150 and can be reserved online at https://myalaskatix.com/events/first-catch-a-celebration-of-wine-and-alaskan-seafood-6-20-2025.

A discounted rate for rooms is also available to dinner attendees using code “Sip&Stay2025” at www.meierlake.com/book-now.

The Grape Tap

The popular downtown Wasilla eatery is in its second month of converting its cozy Old Town space into The Gathering House for informal weekday drop-in use. Open Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., a limited menu of Buzz’s Bakery croissants and scones, plus quiche made in-house by Grape Tap Executive Chef Gretchen Stoddard, are available with coffee, wine, beer, and non-alcoholic drinks.

Additionally, visitors are welcome to bring lunch in from the nearby Wandering Café and Krazy Moose Subs.

“It has been super fun being open and meeting new guests and sharing our space with them,” owner Kristin Cook said. “Please come see us and take some time to relax and feed your soul, or enjoy your lunch with a glass of wine or beer.”

Cook said arrangements can also be made in advance for Saturday morning bridal or baby showers, family get-togethers “or anything else”. Lunches can also be catered with a more extensive menu if reserved in advance, with no charge for the space.

“The Grape Tap has always had a warm welcoming vibe,” she said. “So it was a perfect place to start a gathering house. Small businesses in Wasilla need our community’s support now, maybe more than ever, and this is a small way to support us and each other.”

Cook is doing her part. In addition to encouraging visitors to bring lunch in from other places, and using Sutton-based Buzz’s Bakery, The Grape Tap now serves Wasilla-roasted Cold Snap coffee.

“As some situations happened with guests, or community, and world, I realized we need to slow down and reconnect,” she said. “We want to give people another space and opportunity to do that.”