Tracy's King Crab Shack

Traveling to different places in the world not only allows us to learn about history and various cultures, it affords us the opportunity to eat!  Yes, that is probably more important than the other stuff...  LOL...  However, when we find something really tasty, it can often be a blessing and a curse at the same time.  You see, the chances of returning for a second taste are pretty remote, especially when the destination isn't exactly close and/or easy to get to.  So imagine the anticipation when I knew I would be going back to Juneau and yes, Tracy's King Crab Shack!  Well, it isn't really a shack anymore as it has moved into a B&M location close to where it was before.

Yes, the highlight of our visit to Juneau was heading over to Tracy's...  Well, since Viv wasn't overly enthused about another cruise to Alaska (#firstworldproblems), she was game for the Crab Shack Combo featuring a little of everything including their Famous King Crab Bisque served with Garlic Rolls.  I've had the bisque before and for me, this has to be one of the better ones I've had anywhere.  Usually, a bisque can be rather heavy where finishing the whole thing is a chore.  Although this version was still rich, it was thin enough to be eaten easily.  It was purposefully salty with plenty of sweet bininess.  The side of garlic rolls was great for dipping into the bisque as well as into the clarified butter.  They were soft and aromatic.

Also included was their excellent Crab Cakes that look more like chicken nuggets.  That was a good thing as they were little bite-sized crispy bundles of fluffy joy.  I swear I could've eaten a dozen of these by myself.  I didn't because we had more food aboard the ship later!  Alright, onto the main event with the King Crab Leg.  I noticed that the ones served with the combos were slightly smaller than the ones ordered a la carte.  No matter, it was still plenty big while being fluffy with an appealing rebound.  There was the natural sweetness accented by the salt water it was cooked in.  Yes, we dipped it into the clarified butter.  Yummy.  I can't wait to come back again.  Well, that is probably when I'm much older and retired.  Viv swore to never go on another Alaskan cruise.  We'll see about that.

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Love the location and vibe
- Reasonably-priced IMO

The Bad:
- Unfortunately, no more AYCE crab legs

Tracy's King Crab Shack

*Moved into a B&M location nearby*

I gotta be honest here.  I thought long and hard whether I should do a post on Tracy's King Crab Shack.  Why?  Well first of all, it's in Juneau, Alaska.  I'm not sure how this post would be relevant to most people. After all, there are no roads that lead into Juneau.  You can only get there by boat or plane. Secondly, the place is closed for the season.  Yes, they are only open when cruise ships visit, which goes for most of the tourist shops as well (go figure right?). Lastly, I didn't even try the King Crab!  For the few times in my life, I was too full to eat any!  Yet, at the end of the day, at the urging of some friends, I decided to blog about it.  Hey, just in case you're ever plan to pay Sarah Palin a visit...

So what did I have anyways you might wonder...  Other than the King Crab, they are famous for their King Crab Bisque. And on a rainy day (which is 75% of the time there), this really hit the spot.  It was creamy, rich and full of crab flavour (and chunks of crab).  We liked how they didn't rely on sodium to flavour the bisque.  Surprisingly good from a shack no less.  Of course we couldn't just have a bisque and call it a day...  So I also got an order of their King Crab Cakes. Although there was a good amount of filler in these miniature morsels, it really didn't matter because they were fried up beautifully.  When I mean beautiful, it was a golden brown, crispy and light.  The cake itself was fluffy inside and despite the lack of crab, we still liked them.  What really brought it all together was the fabulous spicy sauce.  It was savory, sweet, spicy and zesty.  Yes, it is a "tourist" food cart in Alaska.  And yes, I'm pretty sure it is inaccessible to many, yet, if you happen to be on a cruise or fly in, check it out.  It's surprisingly good despite "tourist trap" written all over it.

The Good:
- Nicely prepared items
- Cool eating out on the dock (literally cold)

The Bad:
- How many of you will actually visit the place?
- Expensive