Dining at North Face Lodge, Denali

Our first North Face Lodge “dinner” was actually a picnic buffet, served in about the least optimal conditions imaginable: in a muddy lot on the side of the park road in Denali, during a torrential downpour, beneath a tarp stretched between two buses.

Given how luxurious that turned out to be (homemade smoked salmon and pickled asparagus, quinoa salad, reindeer sausage, and cheese garnished with edible flowers), perhaps it shouldn’t have been surprising that everything else we ate during our stay was absolutely fabulous.

Upon our arrival at the lodge later that evening, we were greeted with warm coffee cake and beautiful fruit platters, along with big mugs of tea or coffee.  You don’t need dessert after a 6 hour bus ride, but let’s face it – cake is always welcome.

Camp Denali and North Face Lodge share a main kitchen up at the camp, which turns out amazing baked goods.  And there’s a greenhouse behind the lodge that produces tomatoes, peas, herbs, and edible flowers.  It’s quite an operation, and with the help of local purveyors, the team creates amazing meals.

Breakfast

Each morning featured a different dish – from poached eggs with greenhouse vegetables to sourdough pancakes.  If you weren’t in the mood for the plated option, there was always hot or cold cereal, yogurt, granola, and fruit.

The pancakes were particularly delicious, with butter and homemade blueberry syrup made from berries picked just outside the lodge.

Lunch

After breakfast was cleared, the team set out a long table with all the fixings to make our own lunches. Each day brought a different sandwich option (my favorite was the grilled chicken with rhubarb jam and spicy mustard), veggies, snack mixes, and a cookie or brownie for dessert.

Dinner

Night one: Steak with beurre maître d’hôtel, garden green beans, and fingerling potatoes.  The steak was marinated in soy sauce among other things – so good.

Night two: Greenhouse salad followed by Alaskan salmon.  Night three: Pork ragu with homemade pasta.

As you might imagine, I was in heaven every night!  And that’s before…

…Dessert

Here’s where North Face Lodge truly won my heart.  Their desserts are homey, elegant, and perfectly delicious.

On the first night, we had almond cake made with amaretto and garnished with pansies.  On the second night it was blueberry rhubarb shortcake filled with whipped cream.  And on the third night, we had individual chocolate tarts with raspberries.

By the end of my stay, I was starting to wonder about the real purpose of the vintage Alaska Rail freight scale outside the dining room!