Sullivan’s is located at 320 W. 5th Ave, Suite 100 Anchorage, Alaska. Call (907) 258-2882 for reservations or for more information.
Food: If you’re in Anchorage, this is the place to go for a great steak in classy surroundings. The food and service here were so good, we cancelled other dinner plans and went twice during our four day Anchorage stay!
We started with a very flavorful appetizer, the Tequilla Lime shrimp w. Pico de Gallo. The shrimp were marinated in a zesty combination of olive oil, red pepper, tequila and lime and then baked. A nice starter!
Included with our meal was a loaf of hot, fresh sourdough bread (of course!), and the steakhouse staple – a crisp iceberg lettuce wedge salad topped with a refreshing dressing of red wine vinaigrette and diced tomatoes.
Along with our entrees, we ordered two sides to share (more than enough for two people). Both were scrumptious! The mushroom caps were perfectly cooked, tender and piping hot served in a tasty, stocky brown sauce. But the true piece-de-resistance was the au gratin potatoes, cubed potatoes smothered in perfectly melted cheddar cheese spiked with green onion slices. A definite must.
We ordered steak for our entrees, a Porterhouse and a small 8 oz. filet mignon, both medium rare. They arrived to our table just-off-the-grill and piping hot (more so on the first visit than on the second). The beef sliced like butter.
The chocolate soufflé which we had for dessert turned out to be the only less than stunning part of the meal. Served with crème fraiche and vanilla ice cream, the soufflé was nice but not chocolately enough for our great expectations.
Sullivan’s is famous for its steak, and that’s what we would seek out again. We were very impressed, and our steak dinner at Sullivan’s was certainly the best beef sampled on our Alaskan trip. However, other offerings are certainly available, notably the thankfully-ubiquitous-in-Alaska seafood fare such as fresh salmon and King crab legs. (Just be sure to order those au gratin potatoes no matter what you choose for your main dish!)
Wine: Duckhorn Cabernet Sauvignon 1999 (with a pleasing richness and berry notes) and Vieux Telegraphe, a beautiful, classic Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Lovely wine list all around!
Exceptional Features: Those au gratin potatoes! You can’t get more comforting than tender, piping hot potatoes smothered in cheddar cheese. Definitely a menu highlight.
Service: We dined twice at Sullivan’s and twice received good, attentive service. Our first server, however, was friendlier and more attentive than the second and our food hotter and slightly more delicious the first time around. This was probably due to the fact that we first dined at Sullivan’s on a slower Wednesday evening compared to the Friday evening when we visited again. Be aware that the restaurant population seems to pick up significantly on weekends.
Both servers showed good knowledge of the menu, and were very conscientious about food allergy concerns.
Décor: The concept is a 1920’s jazz speak-easy. A lounge looking out onto the sidewalk regularly features live jazz ensembles. The dining room, separate from the lounge, is dimly lit with a cozy effect. We particularly liked our booth for its privacy and would recommend requesting a booth for your party; the tables in the center of the room seemed a bit crowded.
Dress Code: Like most Anchorage dining experiences, we noticed that many guests were attired very casually. We were most comfortable in business casual clothing which we felt best suited the restaurant’s hip, chic atmosphere.
Reservations: We dined at Sullivan’s twice, once on a Wednesday evening, once on a Friday. While we probably could have walked in off the street on Wednesday, Friday, as could be expected, was much more bustling. We would recommend reservations.
Overall Dining Experience: Excellent