Juneau Food

It was a great day to head to Sitka, so off I went. It was a long swim, and a nice town to walk around. Eventually, I got hungry. It was Red Hat's lucky day! Suddenly appeared the Secret Squirrel to make everything okay. His cache? A little bistro called Ludwigs, at 256 Katlian Avenue in case you are ever down that way. Secret Squirrel gives this place two claws up! I'm turning this one over to our special guest reviewer for the most part so that I can just enjoy the meal...

"Well, I'm quite tentative when it comes to small grub joints... one time in Idaho I ate white hashbowns at a diner. Ludvig's was not a white hash brown moment. Restruants that are humble gems hidden in inocent charming towns like Sitka have one trait in common... an ambiance where you discover new little details of the place each time you visit. Translation: they've put some thought into the feel of the place... they know that the essence of a restruant is an important element to a fine dining experience. A first impression like this calms my anxious negative approach to life."

You know it's got to be right on when there's a sign in the front window advertising the lunch special, organic elk burgers at a price that would not shock most Southeast sensibilities at all. Walk in and the place is full, indeed of the same satisfied diners who made it necessary to have reservations on a Monday evening even when there was no cruise ship in sight. But cozy full, of people wearing all kinds of fancy footwear. (This is Secret Squirrel's 'shoe check' test, shared with Red Hat by special arrangement.) The intimate bar seats perhaps seven sipping wine and beer, no hard liquor here, and the six tables are taken. Turn right upon entering to find a jar of Ludvig's specialty dog biscuits, so european, almost as though you could really bring your best friend here. Ah, back to the Secret Squirrel....

"I was feeling a bit on the wild side (it is Sitka after all), so I shot from the hip and sampled the Wild Mushroom Ragu. The dish is an adventerous mix of sauteed Portabella, Cremini, and Porcini mushrooms. I don't know bout' you, but when Secret Squirrel reads 'drizzled in truffle oil', he make a tiny gleeful grunting and squeaking noise. I washed this all down with a nice glass of Chianti. For those wine buffs out there the wine list will not disappoint. The Chianti was recomended with the meal and it is not a bad choice, but I would've gone with a someting a little more daring like a Shiraz or a Pinot. Recomending wine on the menu is really not good practice either. If someone needs helps choosing wine... they simply ask for help. When a menu recomends one particular wine... it is pretty much stating this is the standard wine you should choose with this food. There is a delicate variance of choosing a wine to compliment your meal and that is part of the fun of dining out. To phrase it more pertly, 'take off the training wheels.' The waitstaff at Ludvig's definately seemed quite adept at being able to enlighten a curious customer."

Meanwhile Red Hat was not backpedaling on a clam chowder unlike anything enjoyed before, and yet another version of the favored calamari. The chowder... had all the elements of authenticity with a twist or two. Jamon provided a sturdy foundation for clams, cream, requisite potato, onion, herbs, a mysterious something tangy, fresh sweet basil floating on top and surprise! a couple kinds of pepper for incredible depth and warmth. Spicy. Chowder. Imagine...In keeping with the rest of the menu, downright Iberian. The calamari was marinated 'til tender in lemon, cilantro, loads of fresh garlic, with an unusual vegetal element provided by a base of lettuce chiffonade which steeped into the broth. Minus just a spoonful or two of liquid, it was all gone. If the bread (baked on premises) was maybe just a little fresher or more interesting, even the dregs would have been mopped up with enthusiasm.

The dessert menu was interesting, offering walnut pistachio baklava, lemon pinenut cheesecake, something really chocolaty. It might have been the perfect way to top off a meal, but it was time to head out into the evening, swining from treetop to treetop trying to keep up with Secret Squirrel. But next time Red Hat revisits Sitka, Ludvig's will be on the top of the list.

You can check the place out online too. They cater!