Ketchikan continues to evolve with excellent options for visitors

Ketchikan is the “Gateway City” to Alaska. It was so named back before airplanes filled the skies when the only way in or out of the then-territory of Alaska was by ship.

Numbers-wise, ships still account for the vast number of visitors, although most cruise visitors stay for just a few hours.

Many of the folks on the plane with me were coming for work. But there also were anglers and adventurers exploring Tongass National Forest.

Looking across the Tongass Narrows from the airport to downtown, you cannot miss last month’s big landslide that cut a wide swath from the hillside between the airport and downtown. There were several injuries as a result of the slide on Aug 25. — and one person died.

Crews are working hard to clear the debris. Several homes were destroyed — and the slide cut through one of Ketchikan’s favorite trails. The Rainbird Trail afforded hikers beautiful views of the town below and the busy Tongass Narrows waterway beyond.

Outside of that isolated location, though, most folks are carrying on with their vacations. On a busy day, more than 10,000 visitors get off of cruise ships to go on tours around the area. Many go on boat tours of Misty Fjords National Monument, on kayak trips or flightseeing.

Other travelers land in Ketchikan before pushing on to other fishing adventures. There are some lodges in and around Ketchikan since the fishing is great. Others are located on nearby Prince of Wales Island. Guests may have a one-day layover in Ketchikan before or after their fly-out.

Whether you’re visiting Ketchikan for business or pleasure, both eating and drinking are on the list of activities. Here are some standout options since my last visit.

Coffee

If you’re at the cruise ship dock looking for a good cup of coffee, stop at Alaska Coffee. It’s right across the street at 310 Front St. They use some good locally roasted beans from Raven’s Brew.

But my favorite coffee place is north of town in Ward Cove: The Green Coffee Bean Co. It’s hard to find, tucked away next to a small convenience store. They roast their own beans. I always get a pound of whole-bean coffee to bring home with me.

But the big bonus is it’s just $1 for a 12-ounce Americano. The fresh-baked cookies are good, too. Bring cash, as there’s a $5 minimum for credit card transactions. If you do charge your purchase, there’s a 25-cent fee.

Pizza

The store next to the coffee roastery (Ward Cove Market) used to be my favorite pizza place. That’s changed, though.

Overlooking downtown Ketchikan is the Cape Fox Lodge, adjacent to the Ted Ferry Convention Center. The views from the hotel are expansive — with huge windows that look over the tops of the cruise ships, the Tongass Narrows and Pennock Island.

The hotel’s restaurant always has been a go-to meeting spot for breakfast or lunch.

But recently, the hotel took the extra step of adding a top-notch pizza place, called the Eagle’s Nest. There’s a beautiful outside deck — perfect for sunny days.

The centerpiece of the restaurant is the giant brick-fire pizza oven, which was custom-built in Italy and shipped to Ketchikan. From there, the hotel got a helicopter to lift it from the dock up to its final resting place in the kitchen. Then, the railings and the windows were built around it.

General Manager Michael Briggs said both the oven people were very particular. “They even suggested that we use a particular kind of dough for the pizza,” he said.

Chef Mariah Dodd enjoys adding interesting seasonal varieties.

“This week we’re offering a peach and pancetta pizza,” she said. “The peaches go very well with the ricotta cheese. People really like it.”

The menu includes both pizza and “anti-pizza” which includes some salads and sandwiches. Many of your favorite pizza styles are on the menu, but the one that stuck out was the Xaat Kwaani variety, or “Salmon People.” It features smoked salmon, lemon-herb ricotta, fresh dill, capers and other goodies.

Artisan beer

Micro-breweries are new in Ketchikan. Bawden Street Brewing (325 Bawden St.) was the first — it opened a few years ago. Yesterday’s specials included a Cucumber Sea Salt Gose variety, as well as a Spruce Tip Ale called Tip of the Tongass. I opted for a more traditional cream ale called The Lightest Beer. There are a couple of India Pale Ale (IPA) varieties, as well as a Baltic Porter.

The bartender will let you taste the beer before you commit to a full glass. Or, get a flight of four four-ounce pours for $12.

Just about two blocks away is a new micro-brewery that’s tucked into the side of the Local Grounds coffee shop, at 448 Mill St.

Baleen Brewing Company is the “dream come true” of Al MacGillivray. With more than 25 years of brewing experience, MacGillivray also studied his craft at the Doemens Academy outside of Munich.

But for the past 16 years, his “real” job is as a nurse at the local hospital.

“The brewery was supposed to be a retirement project,” he said. “But I’m still doing both.”

Two standout varieties at Baleen Brewing include the Russian Stout and the red “alt” beer. Other varietals include an American Pale Ale, a ginger weissbier, and an oatmeal stout, among others. Again, I recommend getting the flight of four pours so you can taste several of MacGillivray’s craft beers.

A local insider tipped me off about a new distillery that serves up vodka, gin and whiskey cocktails.

Travis Robbins is getting good reviews for cocktails at his Uncharted Alaska Distillery, located in an old fire station at 319 Main St. He’s getting ready to release a kelp vodka.

When I turned up my nose at the idea, he said “Don’t knock it ‘til you try it. It doesn’t taste like kelp.”

It’s true. First, I’ve never tasted kelp. But I was thinking of something that tastes like muddy sea bottom. But Robbins gets his kelp from a local kelp farmer. And the seaweed does, indeed, bring an interesting flavor to the vodka.

Robbins is a former firefighter and one of his partners is a former police chief. In addition to the distillery, the group runs the Alaska Legends Cider and Winery, around the corner at 319 Dock St.

Here, Robbins and his crew work with all manner of Alaska herbs and berries to serve up some interesting creations. They also make wine, although the grapes are imported.

“We add a little something local to all the wines to give them an Alaska touch,” said Robbins.

My favorite feature of the distillery is D’Santa’s Mexican restaurant, which is tucked away on the north side of the tasting room.

On the first night, I got Quesabirrias a la Carta, a selection of cheesy tortillas with rice and beans. It was really good, so I came back for lunch: five street tacos. Everything is $23.95, but you will not walk away hungry.

Partly because of the robust cruise traffic, there’s a big selection of food and beverage selections in Ketchikan to enjoy between your adventures.

Check with the Ketchikan Visitor’s Bureau for ideas on what to see and do. The Bureau also has a web page with information on making donations to support the community in the aftermath of the landslide on Aug. 25.