Bars and Cafes in Midtown (Anchorage)

Moose's Tooth Pub and Pizzeria

Start your meal off with a roasted garlic head with beer batter bread served with spreadable gorgonzola cheese. Then press on to the choices of pizza and salads. Try the Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese Pizza, white pizza (Greek style with artichoke hearts, feta and mushrooms) or the Chicken Picante. Drinks feature home brewed root beer for the kids and kid in you, and award winning Ales and Lagers for the adults.

Jens' Restaurant

More than 40 wines are offered by the glass in the fabulous wine bar and restaurant. The dining room is elegant with cream stucco and eclectic artwork evenly spaced on the walls. With French, New American and Scandinavian choices, Alaskan seafood is the steadiest presence on the menu. Entrees like grilled salmon served with a cold horseradish, herb-butter and mahi-mahi topped by a spicy fruit salsa will be matched, at your request, with a wine chosen by the wine expert on staff. Veal, rack of lamb and many other options are available.

Cafe Amsterdam

Quite the popular lunch spot, if you arrive at noon, it will be too late to get a table. The smug expressions of those who are seated will attest to the quality of the food and service that you're missing. Try the Belgium waffles that are fluffy and light, but crispy and topped with fresh berries and hot maple syrup or sample the hot soup of the day and half of a deli sandwich. The coffee is gourmet, freshly ground and delicious.

La Mex

This is the kind of restaurant where the staff sings to you for your birthday. Try the enormous combination platters if you are really hungry or a dinner plate like the Halibut Stuffed Tacos with lime sauce and fresh fruit salsa for. House wine is Gallo and Mexican, domestic and microbrew beer is available. Come and enjoy your evening here!

Romano's

Latticework dividers and streaming silk flowers decorate the walls here. Candles rest in old wine jugs on tables, which, when coupled with the dim lighting at dinner, provides a casual and cozy atmosphere. Appetizers such as Clams Casino ($6.75) and Calamari (6.95) will whet your appetite. Then, choose between regular selections of Homemade Ravioli ($12.95), Fettucine with Scallops and Smoked Salmon ($16.95), New York Steak with Bleu Cheese (18.95) and Broiled Halibut ($17.95). A full bar is attached.

Stuart Anderson's Cattle Company

This is a consistently pleasing midtown steakhouse. Lunch offerings include Fish and Chips, Grilled Chicken Teriyaki, a variety of burgers and deli sandwiches. Dinners include Grilled Prawns, Crab Stuffed Halibut, Baby Back Ribs & Top Sirloin, Cajun T-Bone, London Broil and a Full Rack Baby Back Pork Ribs. This restaurant covers all of a meat lover's needs. Beer, both domestic and microbrews are available, as well as wine from several vineyards and reasonably priced.

Roscoe's

Casual and popular with the local crowd for its tasty large portions of food, newcomers to this restaurant (now located within the midtown Sears Mall), will enjoy the photos of the owner taken with celebrity guests such as Quincy Jones and B.B. King. Whether you choose the Alaskan crab- and prawn-filled Gumbo, the pork rib dinner, or the unbelievably great catfish each is served with a side of dirty rice, Southern-style greens, fried okra or candied yams and more. Still have room for dessert? Try the hot peach cobbler with Alaskan-made ice cream. Beer and wine available.

Sweet Basil Cafe

Near the Anchorage Weekend Market & Festival, pop in for a coffee or picnic lunch to enjoy on the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail (this is the URL you can cut and paste into cityguides and other documents). Local artists' work is displayed in this colorful, up-beat cafe with metallic decor. Breakfasts have terrific options of coffee drinks and scones, Oatmeal with Fresh Berries and Raisins, large waffles or muffins and bagels. Lunches include homemade soups and sandwiches and several daily special entrees, typically a fish with pasta dish. Beverages include wine and beer.

Europa Bakery

This coffee shop and bakery parallels 36th Avenue, directly around the corner from Jen's Restaurant and the Atlasta Deli. Touting the smoothest lattes in town, it serves roasted beans from the Espresso Vivace Roasteria for the java drinks and offers Oregon Chai, fruit juices and herbal leaf teas. The bakery portion of the establishment produces a plethora of steaming loaves of bread in the wee hours of the morning and tops it off with fresh croissants, cinnamon rolls and pastries before it opens.

Alaska Bagel Restaurant

Welcome to an airy, one room restaurant catering to the bagel lover in everyone. Breakfast is served until noon on weekdays and 3pm on weekends. The menu includes Belgian Waffles, a Bagel Cheese Canadian-Bacon Scramble, a Veggie Omelet and Eggs Benedict. For lunch, order from a wide range of pizzettes, bagel sandwiches, soups, pastas, salads and quiche. With over 30 flavors of bagels, you are sure to find one that appeals. Wine and beer is served.

Club Oasis & Oasis Liquor

Dimly lit, with a spacious dance floor and many small two and four top tables, pool, live music and dancing, this place gets rowdy around 10pm every night. Check out the Happy Hour daily from 5pm-7pm. Appetizers include jalapeno poppers, wings, onion rings or a sampler plate. Try the halibut (beer battered, with fries) or shrimp, scallops and chicken tenders. If you are in the mood for pizza, that's on the menu, too. .