Foodies in February

It seems pretty unbelievable but the greater Palmer area has 56 eateries or drinkeries available. I know—that’s a huge number. They’re listed right here. And in downtown Palmer proper—walking distance—are 38 options. Now, if the description of a vibrant town is “plenty of places to eat or drink,” I think Palmer performs well.

Palmer Downtown Deli and Vagabond’s Coffee House are right on Main Street and offer homemade soups, sandwiches, salads and desserts. The Palmer Ale House is on Dahlia Ave., over by the Borough Building and offers similar food but lots of libations as well.

Sunrise Grill and the Valley Hotel are also on Main Street and offer full family menus, including traditional french fries and hamburgers. The Caboose Lounge is the bar in the back of Valley Hotel where you can have both a drink and order off the restaurant menu. The Moose Lodge offers specialty menus on occasion.

Fine dining is offered daily at downtown Turkey Red Restaurant and they also have a wine/beer license. Weekend fine dining is offered at Edelweiss and the Palmer Downtown Deli.

The Pho & Thai Restaurant is located on the hill above Fred Meyers. It’s open Tuesday through Sunday and has some amazing curry dishes and Vietnamese soups. La Fiesta is on Evergreen and is always serving up terrific Mexican food (with real cilantro.) You can also get a beer at La Fiesta.

Palmer pizza offerings are excellent. Pizza Delphi is well loved and has great service and food. Humdinger’s is in “uptown” on the north side of downtown on S. Valley Way. It has tremendous gourmet pizzas cooked in a wood fired oven. Palmer’s downtown also has Papa Murphy’s and Great Alaska Pizza, which are basically take-out.

Over in Palmer’s “Bar Block” on Main Street is Klondike Mike’s, Moosehead Saloon and the Palmer Bar. Klondike’s and the PB, as it is affectionately known, have some favorite food offerings.

Across from the Skateboard Park is the recently renovated Hartley Motors Building. This is the home of 203 Kombuchery, which is known for its’ wicked and fizzy Kombuchu. They also have some food offerings. The nearby Art Cafe on Blueberry serves icecreams.

Palmer is the home of three breweries. Arkose Brewery is on Steel Loop in the Palmer Industrial Park; Bleeding Heart Brewery on the Springer System; and the Matanuska Brewery is in the old downtown Colony historic block. All three serve fine local beers. Food trucks are often visitors at their events. I’m not listing food trucks in this column, but as the season progresses, I will.

There’s a lot of coffee in Palmer. Here is a list: Perk Up, Purple Moose, Brew Haha, Coffee and Cream, Palmer Coffee Co.,Ethereal Coffee and the

DMV/Courthouse Coffee. And that doesn’t include all the coffee houses and restaurants and specialty shops.

Prepared foods are available at both Fred Meyer’s Deli and Carrs Deli. Both have salad bars. Both have Asian foods, deli items, and yummy sandwiches.

Traditional fast food places in Palmer include Subway, Dairy Queen, Taco Bell, McDonalds and now Wendy’s.

Now we could also toss in the downtown Chevron gas station with their bottled drinks and frozen burritos, which one microwaves on the premises. Or we could add NonEssentials’ homegrown pork, teas and bakery items. The newly opened Poppy Lane—in uptown—is also supposed to have some foods and coffees.

If we head to Palmer’s West Side, there are a number of choices. RW’s is on the north side of the Palmer Wasilla highway. (And they deliver!) Sophie’s Cafe, on the Frontage Road, has fresh bread, clam chowder, lemongrass chicken soup, along with Greek gyros, tea and baklava. Further west is Auntie’s Corner, near the bus barn, Blondies at 49th Street, Pioneer Pizza, Burger Jim’s at the new Trunk Road intersection. If we stretch the definition of greater Palmer, we can add Sally Koppenberg’s Red Beet restaurant on the PW highway. They have a gluten free menu and homemade doughnuts.

Over at the Mat Su College is JJ’s Coffee shop—in the cafeteria area.

On Palmer’s Southside, we have the favorite Noisy Goose Restaurant. A little further out is the VFW, Fox Run’s Bear Naked Belly BBQ. The Mat Su Regional Hospital boasts a nice restaurant and Jenny’s Coffee Shop is also available.

Headed north up the Glenn Highway is Pizza Athena. I suspect if you go towards Hatcher Pass or Sutton there are a few more options but sadly I fail to know their names.

If we visit the west side of 99645, over the river towards Lazy Mountain, you will see the seasonal Ruby Caboose at Bushes Bunches. In the Butte is Pointy Peaks Pigs and Pies and another Jenny’s Coffee Shop. In the summer, Jim Creek Fatt Burgers is the place to go. And at the very end of Knik River Road (during the summer months) is the marvelous Knik River Lodge. Time to eat!

Barbara Hunt is both Palmer writer and artist. She works hard to keep the robust pulse of Palmer, Alaska. She shares the good stuff on the weekly Palmer Alaska Buzz in the Mat Su Valley Frontiersman and daily on the Palmer Alaska Buzz Facebook Group. Contact at bhunt@mtaonline.net