Wings 'n Things expands to Wasilla

FEBRUARY 2, 2010 - 1:07 PM

A batch of wings from Wings 'n Things: Photo by Bill Roth / Anchorage Daily NewsPopular Alaska restaurant Wings ‘n Things is opening up in Wasilla at 238 North Boundary (previously Great Bear Brew). A grand opening is planned for this Saturday to coincide with the first year anniversary of the location on the corner of 36th Avenue and Arctic Boulevard. Both the 36th Avenue and Wasilla location are managed by Tracy Olsen, the downtown location is franchised to Daryl Hunter.

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Kilcher plays Hawaiian princess

JANUARY 27, 2010 - 12:32 PM

Q’orianka Kilcher, of Homer Kilcher lineage, has the lead role of Hawaiian Princess Ka’iulana in the new film "Barbarian Princess." It’s billed as "The true story of a Hawaiian princess’ attempts to maintain the independence of the island against the threat of American colonization" and includes, in the big cast, well-known actors like Barry Pepper ("Saving Pivate Ryan," "The Green Mile," "We were Soldiers," "The Dale Earnhardt Story").

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Lofty meals

JANUARY 22, 2010 - 9:20 PM

Cheddar-ale soup Photo by Gretchen WeissAmongst the industrial clutter where Dimond meets Abbott is The Loft at the Midnight Sun Brewing Company. The large logo on the garage door served as a beacon through the maze of warehouses, yet when I arrived I was still not sure I had found the right place. Large signs indicating that the “Loft is Open” were posted and I followed the written reassurance past the beer counter, open manager’s office and up a utility staircase. Bright winter sunlight and a welcoming open space greeted my efforts as the Loft features large windows with mountain views.

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Mall meals

JANUARY 20, 2010 - 11:17 AM

The Dimond Center has two new options for shoppers looking for something to snack or sip on. The downstairs food court now features an L&L Hawaiian Barbecue and Tully’s Coffee.

L&L bills itself as “The Original Hawaiian Barbecue” and is part of a national chain that started in Hawaii and now has locations in several western states, New York, New Zealand and American Samoa. The Dimond Mall restaurant opened at the end of November.

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Korn concert announced

JANUARY 18, 2010 - 11:12 AM

Korn: Photo by Sébastien Paquet
Big concert news this morning from AK Soul and the Moose Tooth / Bear Tooth.

Korn is playing the Denai’na Center Saturday, March 27.

It’s an all-ages concert and will also have a full bar for attendees with proper ID.

Tickets are $45 plus outlet fees and go on sale this Friday at 9 a.m. at all Ticketmaster outlets.

Are you going to the concert? Tell us why or why not in the comments below.

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Chef for One

JANUARY 15, 2010 - 1:16 PM

Courtesy of Dana StabenowAlaska Author Dana Stabenow has recently started a cooking blog to take the mystery out of cooking for yourself and only yourself. As she states on the Mom’s Beans recipe post it is “Not really Mom's Beans, of course, because Mom made a pot big enough to feed a squad of Marines, and this is a blog about cooking for one.”
Each post includes tasteful photos of the ingredients and the final product as well as suggestions for alternative ways to prepare the recipe.

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Behind the scenes of "Debutante Balls"

JANUARY 14, 2010 - 4:58 PM

Scott Turner Schofield: Photo by Gretchen Weiss / Anchorage Daily NewsAs my audio recorder quit again and again, Scott Turner Schofield took it all in stride. He sat relaxed and amiably smiled as I held back curses. After the disruptions he would immediately return to what we had been discussing, good natured and open.

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Beer Week

JANUARY 7, 2010 - 5:23 PM

Photo by Bob Hallinen / Anchorage Daily News
Beer Week is almost upon us and local venues have been polishing up and getting ready to glory in Alaska brews. Look for more information on the Beer & Barley Wine festival in the Jan. 15 edition of Play.

Here's a calendar of some events worth checking out.

Tuesday, Jan. 12

5:30 p.m. Midnight Sun Brewing Co. (8111 Dimond Hook Drive) will host its first ever beer dinner, featuring six of its 2009 “Crew Brew” series. Each beer will be paired with a food course. $65 per person and reservations are required (344-1188).

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Sick Puppies show rescheduled

JANUARY 7, 2010 - 10:01 AM

A savvy reader sent us a note on Twitter alerting us that the The Sick Puppies concert originally set for this Friday was now showing up for Jan. 22 on Ticketmaster.

An update on an Alcatraz record’s MySpace page confirms the date change and lists the openers as Lives of Famous Men, Dave Velasquez, Saturday Sleeper & 1Enemy3!.

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Neil Young croons through Emergency Action test

JANUARY 6, 2010 - 10:48 AM

The first ever test of a new nationwide system to alert citizens to a major emergency took place in Alaska on Wednesday morning. In theory, the three minute test of the Emergency Action Notification system was supposed to go over every radio and television station in the state at the same time.

Button punching shortly after 10 a.m., when the test began, showed that not every Anchorage radio station made the gate. Progressive talk station KUDO, at 1080 AM, had only dead air while other stations were broadcasting the alert message more or less simultaneously. Classical FM station KLEF did the same.

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Anchorage Museum's Star Wars commercials

JANUARY 5, 2010 - 5:39 PM

The Anchorage Museum has released two commercials in support of its upcoming Star Wars exhibit. The exhibit will run Feb. 10 through April 25.

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Seth Boyer's top 5 of '09

JANUARY 4, 2010 - 4:06 PM

[Ed. Note: This list is part of Play's roundup of the best of '09. Check here to read more of our picks. We actually received Seth's list back in December, but it got buried and lost in our in box - sorry dude.]

1. "Scott Pilgrim vs. The Universe" - Bryan Lee O'Malley

The fifth installment in the endlessly entertaining Scott Pilgrim comic series is “The Empire Strikes Back” of the saga. Check out this book, if only to brag that you were into Scott Pilgrim before the Edgar Wright adaptation starring Michael Cera hits theaters this Spring.

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Fragmented First Friday

DECEMBER 31, 2009 - 12:30 PM

Killing Cute By Craig Updegrove on display through January at Snow City Cafe

New Year’s Day kicks off on a Friday, the First Friday of the month and 2010. For any other month the usual art walk would be kicking, but for this first of the firsts the festivities will be limited. This January the art walk is going to be split among the Fridays in the month or the art walk will simply be postponed until February.

Alaska Native Arts Foundation Gallery, 500 W. Sixth Ave. Doug Inga, “A Story” Multimedia including sculpture and paintings. Runs Through February.

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David Harper's top comics of '09

DECEMBER 23, 2009 - 2:04 PM

[Ed. Note: This list is part of Play's roundup of the best of '09. Checkout Play online and in print this Friday to read more of our picks.]

For all types of fans of the comic book medium, 2009 was a big year. Whether you're a fan of the more thought provoking corners of sequential art or someone who looks to comics as a form of escapism, you've been provided a creative boon this year. The following five titles are all far different from one another, but all are perfect examples of how great a time it is for comic fans. Here are my top five comics of the year.

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David Harper's top CDs of '09

DECEMBER 23, 2009 - 1:57 PM

Passion Pit: Courtesy Elizabeth Weinberg / myspace.com/passionpitjams
[Ed. Note: This list is part of Play's roundup of the best of '09. Checkout Play online and in print this Friday to read more of our picks.]

The further we move into the digital age, the more creative and accessible music is getting. With the close of the decade upon us we're being left with an upswing in terms of innovation and pure musicality, and fans of all genres are reaping the benefits. It doesn't matter what you listen to - hip hop, indie, electronic music, reggae groups fronted by fictional cartoon Jamaican soldiers, whatever - 2009 had something for you. Here are my top five albums of the year.

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Spenard Spice

DECEMBER 22, 2009 - 5:52 PM

Kebab and Curry's 'Open soon' sign went up before the snow started falling: By Gretchen Weiss / Anchorage Daily NewsIt took a while to open, but a new contemporary Indian restaurant is finally spicing up Spenard. Chef Manish Chawla of Kabab & Curry (3801 Lois Drive) is a Texas transplant who is truly happy to be serving up kosher, vegetarian and vegan cuisine to the Anchorage area.

Chawla said he a hard time finding the correct spices for his dishes in Alaska, but he refuses to use pre-ground ingredients. Instead, he creates sauces with a mix of seasonings he grinds fresh each day. The offerings include tandoori-cooked meats, vegetarian entrees and a range of curries. See a full menu here. Chawla has also put together a wide assortment of naans, kulcha and rotis (unleavened breads) seasoned to accompany various dishes.

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Toben Shelby's top video games of '09

DECEMBER 22, 2009 - 2:54 PM

[Ed. Note: This list is part of Play's roundup of the best of '09. Checkout Play online and in print this Friday to read more of our picks.]

2009 was good year for gamers. Throughout the year there seemed to be a rather steady stream of quality titles that appealed to all types of players. There were sequels, reboots and annual sports titles galore, as well as some new properties. The year ended strongly with Assassin’s Creed 2, Left 4 Dead 2 and the blockbuster Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, a title which may have ended up overshadowing many of the strong entries that hit the market earlier in the year. In no particular order, here are the five video games I enjoyed playing the most in 2009.

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Ludacris photo gallery

DECEMBER 21, 2009 - 9:19 AM

Ludacris performing at the Sullivan Arena: Photo by Marc Lester / Anchorage Daily News
ADN photog Marc Lester put together this photo gallery from Saturday's Ludacris concert at the Sullivan Arena. Did you see the show? Tell us what you thought by posting your comments below.

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Hooray for cake

DECEMBER 18, 2009 - 4:59 PM

Codi Brink shows off a chocolate buttercream cake: Photo by Spencer Shroyer / Anchorage Daily News
Downtown Anchorage has a new destination for sweets lovers – the Cake Studio Bakery and Boutique. Owners Vanessa and Will McDonald have sold wholesale desserts to local restaurants for the last three years and decided to expand their operation. The shop is located next to the Fourth Avenue Theatre and had a soft opening this week.

The bakery sells everything from scones ($2.50) to whole cakes ($25-60).

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Reindeer dogs on foodie blog

DECEMBER 18, 2009 - 12:21 PM

By Hawk Krall for seriouseats.com
An Alaska summer staple that's often alien to Lower 48ers, reindeer dogs are the subject of a new post on Serious Eats. Tapped as the blog’s hot dog of the week is the reindeer dog, and the top pick is an offering from the Fourth Avenue institution M.A.'s Dogs.

The post describes the reindeer dog’s flavor profile as "similar to venison sausage but slightly less gamey." They also note the crucial component of an Anchorage sidewalk dog – onions caramelized after dipping in a Coca-Cola bath.

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