Noshing with Sandi: Gold Creek Salmon Bake

By Sandi Masori

JUNEAU, Alaska — We went on a family cruise to Alaska and stopped off in the capital city.  While there we worked up quite an appetite rafting on the Mendenhall River under the auspices of Alaska Travel Adventures, so we were really happy to go for dinner afterwards at the Gold Creek Salmon Bake.

I thought that a salmon bake meant that, bear like, we were going to fish for salmon and then cook it up, but what it really meant was that they were grilling it on a double sided grill. It was delicious!  I had three pieces of salmon. They brushed a brown sugar glaze on it and all I can say is yum!  It was sweet, and properly flaky with no fishy after taste- the mark of a good piece of fish.

The buffet offered such side dishes as couscous salad; salmon caesar salad, cole slaw; Alyeska cheesy au gratin potatoes, Tongass wild-rice pilaff; chilkoot baked beans with reindeer sausage, and cornbread.

I learned from the folks at Alaska Travel Adventures that ‘Alyeska’ is an archaic spelling of the Aleut word ‘Alaska’ which means ‘mainland’ or ‘great land;’  that ‘Tongass’ is the name of a Tlingit tribe living in the region; and that ‘Chilkoot” is the name of another tribe of Tlingit.  A chicken dish is named ‘Cheechako’ which was the name given to beginners in Alaska’s mining districts.

The seasonal Gold Creek Salmon Bake is located on an old homestead and mining property, so after eating we walked to a nearby waterfall and tried our luck at panning for some gold.

The setting was gorgeous and the food delish!

They are only open for 5 months for the cruise season, and in that time they buy $250k worth of coho salmon (otherwise known as silver salmon)and serve 55k-75k meals over the season.  The salmon is locally caught and sold by a commercial fishery.

I give them a solid 9.25.  If I come back to Juneau, I would definitely  want to check it out again!

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Sandi Masori is the restaurant and food reviewer for San Diego Jewish World.  When she’s not traveling with her family or eating yummy food, she helps people self publish their memoirs or business authority books.  If you want to talk to her either about a restaurant review, or a book, you can reach her at sandimasori@gmail.com