We found the Safeway grocery store to be the largest grocery store we’ve seen since leaving home. They have a large selection including their deli and bakery areas. Produce and meat selections were good. There is at least one other smaller grocery store which we did not check out.
One morning, we tried to find a bakery but did not have the best luck. Based on several guide books, we tried The Ranting Raven, but were informed that they stopped carrying baked items about two years ago. They recommended Sea Bean Cafe across the street or Zudi’s Cafe next to the Alaska Sea Life Center. At Sea Bean, Karla got a good latte and we got some Nutella Bread to try later, as it was too messy to eat in the car. The Nutella Bread was kind of weird. It tasted like a biscuit or irish soda bread layered with Nutella. It was gluten and dairy free. It was heavy and sat in our stomachs like a brick. We also went to Zudi’s where Karla got a “Duffin” and Mike got a chocolate chip cookie. Both were pretty good. The “Duffin” is the latest in the string of combining two items (think cronut- the croissant doughnut), in this case the muffin and a donut. Shaped like a muffin with a bit of a crispy outside but tender & light on the inside. It was dipped in a cinnamon sugar similar to a snickerdoodle. We had also peeked in the Lighthouse Bakery at the harbor, but were not inspired. We decided the Safeway had a better selection.
We also had a lunch in Seward. We went to a joint called “The Smoke Shack” which seemed hopeful based on Yelp reviews, rating score of 4 and the 3rd highest rated in Seward. It is located in a railroad car near the harbor. Mike ordered the small rack of ribs and Karla ordered a pull pork sandwich. The place was very busy and had one waitress. She was doing her best to keep up with a steady flow of diners. Both meals were “tepid and uninspiring” per Mike. The meats were dry and Mike’s ribs were not even warm. They came with beans and cole slaw, which were ok. For diet cokes, we were served cans with straws. The sauces at the table were not a very wide in selection. When Karla used the restroom she had to ram the door with her shoulder to get it to open. We noticed the “For Sale by Owner” sign a little to late. We do not recommend this joint, but nothing else seemed very promising either. One of the higher rated places served halibut & chips, but given our recent large haul of halibut, we were not interested. We chose to eat the rest of our meals in our RV.
