We were boondocking locally, and it's Memorial Day, and there didn't appear to be anywhere open in Girdwood, so husband suggested that Alyeska Resort definitely would have some available options. We decided to go to Forte, I've lived in Anchorage 14 years, and never tried it. It's a beautiful, sophisticated dining room, the booths are gorgeous, and the colour scheme is classy. The silverware is heavyweight - to me that matters, because I am silently judging you on your cutlery. The heavier, the better. And there are fabric napkins, which is also a point in their favour. There are gigantic picture windows looking out over a little pond with ducks, and lots of gigantic firs. I imagine it's a spectacular winter view too. Anyway, it's breakfast time, we were presented with menus promptly, and our server also mentioned a breakfast buffet, which isn't shown on the menu. I told husband to go and inspect it, to see if it would meet my (stringent) standards. If it was a continental buffet I'd have gone for something from the menu, however, husband returned and pronounced that I'd be happy with the offerings. So we go and choose some items, there are little crustless quiche egg bites, sausage patties, reindeer sausage, scrambled egg, pancakes, home fries, however the bacon was empty. So those were the hot dishes. There was lox, and some cheese and cold meats. Obviously cereals, and oatmeal, fruits, salad, and bread items such as bagels, three types of bread to toast, waffles, donuts, croissants, bear claws and Danish. Really, quite a good selection. We both got coffee, some people might say that the coffee isn't quite hot enough, but for myself, I like to guzzle it down in one go, so the temperature was perfect for me. It was good coffee. The food was very good, it was just such a pleasant experience - beautiful sunny morning, perfect views, nice food, and our server was fun, and chatted with me, I did not feel at all like she wanted to rush and serve someone else, and believe me, I'm a talker. She was from Arkansas, and I didn't see her name, but excellent service. I definitely felt like I was in a upper class establishment, it was a most pleasurable experience, and I'd love to go back again. read more

Forte Alaska - Stunning views - Italian Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

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Really disappointing food and service for the price. Under-seasoned steak. Requested medium rare, received medium. Rosemary butter undetectable. Was offered salt, pepper, and garlic salt 20 min after we asked for a remedy. Over-salted arugula on the prosciutto and melon appetizer. Panzanella salad was okay; more burrata would have been nice. Mushroom-less mushroom pasta. There were a few tiny pieces, but if you are ordering this dish because you love mushrooms, would not recommend. Server forgot about us a couple of times. The saving grace was the quality of the raw ingredients. You could taste that the steak was a nice cut, and that the veggies were fresh. I really tried to like this place. What a let down. read more

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Not a bad breakfast buffet... just not great. Employees were working so hard... we appreciated their good service.

We came here for breakfast and lunch and honestly, we're disappointed both times. It's relatively obvious that they take advantage of being the only sit down restaurant open for those mealtimes at Alyeska. For breakfast, we waited for a waiter to come to our table and bring us waters for almost 15 minutes after being seated. It was only then we were told there was a breakfast buffet, and the cost of it, which was mentioned nowhere on the breakfast menu we were provided when we were sat. The breakfast food itself was good, we all did the buffet and had no complaints. We had to repeatedly get up to get water containers, however, because our server was nowhere to be found. When we came for lunch the place was mostly empty. We needed a quick lunch, so four of us ordered the burger and one ordered the pesto gnocchi. Two of us ordered the burger with salad and two with fries. The pesto gnocchi was overcooked and hard to chew. When the burger came out, the waitress just said "they all have fries except one" with no explanation as to why - we then realized it's because they forgot to put in one of the burgers altogether. We were all done with our meals by the time his burger then came out. The only upside was the lovely (bartender?) whose name escaped me, who apologized for the mix up and comped a drink (and the burger) for the one who had to wait. read more

Had a wonderful breakfast and great service before going to the spa! Had a spicy bloody Mary and the smoked salmon omelette, it was the perfect combination of flavors and an explosive savory breakfast! The service was wonderful, hand grind black pepper on a bloody Mary? Never heard of it but holy smokes. It was a perfect touch. I really liked the vibe in the morning, I've never been there for breakfast, but it was really relaxing way to start the morning! read more

2.75 stars. Some highs, some lows. Jumping right in. Decor and general ambiance is great with the natural lighting, huge windows and views of the mountain, the pond and the tram. Quality made non-wobbly tables were nice, comfortable and have pillows for back support. Coffee wasn't exactly piping hot, although the food seemed decent and was plated with intent. Menu choices are creative with good variety. Prices are high, but it is a ski resort. Service is fair, perhaps even poor. There was a sense of non-structured, unprofessional confusion when it came to the staff. It occurred to me these folks maybe had never worked in restaurant service before. Linda came off as piqued or peeved when we didn't want the breakfast buffet. It was frustrating placing an order with her, it felt like she didn't want to spend more than a handful of seconds with us, before she started drifting. I had to call out the last part of our order as she was literally walking away. Parting thoughts: I think with a better trained, more pleasant staff this could be a more satisfying experience. I also think Forte should offer a brunch drink menu, with items like mimosas and Bloody Mary's. Definitely has potential. We love this resort and will be back to try again in the future. read more

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Waited at the host stand for 10 minutes hoping someone would show up and seat me no one came so I gave up and got dinner somewhere else. Also to any waiters that work here the host made you loose out on a 100% tip that I ended up giving to my waiter at the restaurant I after leaving this one. read more

I was in Anchorage on business and Mrs. E was with me of course so we stayed at the Alyeska Resort and Forte is one of the several restaurants there. So we started with the Buffet a breakfast which was actually very good. A couple of things were not to my liking when it came to service but maybe it's a cultural thing. Let me get this out of the way. First they bring coffee, but no spoon, hmm interesting but when we asked for spoons they were delivered. Next they couldn't wait to take the check. Where we come from they usually let you finish, leave and then scoop of the check. Maybe another cultural think. Now on this day, the food was in point. Loved it. That night we had dinner there and this service was perfect, food, not memorable. On our last day we opted for the buffet breakfast again. This time service was off and food as well. How do you reconcile this? You know, we won't be back read more

The place is quite beautiful and the service was very quick and friendly. Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures. We arrived right after they had finished the breakfast service so we had the lunch menu instead. We had the vegan lentil soup, the kids cheese pizza, sides of fries, and the cheese and pesto panini. Everything was absolutely delicious. The fries were amazing. I only wish they had more vegetarian/vegan options. We had a nice view of people arriving at the end of the slopes. read more

Gluten Free- yes, but item specific Casein Free-yes , but item specific Needing to find safe gluten free options can be challenging on a good day, but especially in Alaska your options are even smaller. Thankfully Forte offered up a safe dining experience. Highlights: + Located on the second level of the Alyeska Resort, which is nice if you happen to be staying on property + Gluten free options are marked on the menu (pizzas and pastas) as well as some of the other items, could have been modified as well + Local Alaskan ingredients were used, so the fish was fresh, as well as the local fruit and veggies. One such dessert that was offered and hard to describe the flavor of was the fireweed ice cream. If you get a chance, it is definitely worth it. +Prices seem fair and within reason for all of the other meals that I paid for in Alaska. While it maybe a sticker shock to some, the price/portion for GF pasta and the pizza seemed inline with many places in the lower 48. +They did a really good job handling the GF order. I didn't have any issues with the pasta. For the pizza, I would verify how it is cooked (i.e. do they place it on a separate pan when it goes into the oven) +The service was friendly, though it seemed like a small about of servers were working versus the number of tables (this seemed to be the norm in Anchorage and surrounding towns). They did a good job handling the flow and the crowd + The restaurant seating was split with the bar at the top level, with a few tables on the sides , and two rows of tables looking out a large window out on a lawn and water area read more

Though the elegance and intrigue of this granduer hotel brought us in, the restaurant unfortunately left me wanting more. The interior of the restaurant was very clean, and I definitely enjoyed the openness that allowed you to look outside at the mountaintop behind the restaurant. There was plenty of open seating in both a table style and booth style but no outdoor options. The server we had was incredibly nice and on top of making sure we all had our meals in a timely manner as well. Unfortunately, that's where the compliments end. The actual dish was lacking some flavor. Several others at my table also ordered the Halibut, and all of us had to add a good amount of salt and pepper. Despite adding this, the fish and orzo pasta underneath was still on the rather bland side. The amount of fish was also, in my opinion, rather small. 3 of us at the table were still hungry after eating the fish. I feel that for the price we are paying, the portion should definitely have been more. All in all, it was an elegant restaurant that lures you in with its accompanying beauty, but your meal is far from beautiful. read more

Forte Alaska - The Grilled Alaskan Halibut - Italian Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

Alyeska resort is upscale and Forte is no exception. After an easy drive down from Anchorage, sitting in a comfortable booth with a nice view of the lake we enjoyed a (largely) relaxing end to our Alaska trip. Good coffee was promptly served. The breakfast menu provides multiple clearly marked vegetarian options; we ordered the Caprese Benedict and Huevos Rancheros. Which is where service fell apart. Getting refills on the coffee took effort. I received my order, partner received Avocado Toast. The order was re-submitted. I ended up finishing my order before the Huevos Rancheros were served. There was no apology or offer to provide complementary anything to acknowledge the mistake. There are worse things in life; both meals were enjoyed, as well as the coffee (when our cups contained coffee). We turned it into a nice start to a great day, walking the fairly easy, very enjoyable, Winner Creek trail to the defunct handcar. Yes, we would return. read more

We drove down from Anchorage for lunch on a sunny Monday; a routinely beautiful drive. Even though I've lived in Anchorage for a long time, I've never been to Forte. The good: We were greeted pleasantly by the receptionist who seated us at a table next to one of the large windows with a spectacular view. Our waiter came quickly, was polite, gave us the simple menu, gave us water, and asked if we wanted to order anything to drink suggesting one of the local IPA's. Asked if we needed time to order, yes, and he came back presently. He was pleasant and thorough. He did a good job. The Bad: I ordered the Caesar salad, which was mediocre at best; small, kinda wilty Romaine lettuce, dressing was ok (but I had to ask for more dressing as it was not "dressed", basic croutons you could've gotten from Safeway. $17 The Ugly: I asked what chardonnay I could order by the glass. The waiter named a brand I'd never heard of and said it was their only one by the glass, but OK, I'll have a glass. Waiter asked "6 ounce or 9"? I got the 9 ounce. It tasted almost/kinda like a pinot grigio, so I asked. He said it was the chardonnay; he knew because he poured it himself. A Kirkland box chardonnay would have been an upgrade. The waiter asked if he should take it away and replace it with something else; extra points for the waiter. No thanks. That was my mistake; my other mistake was not looking at the "beer and wine" menu. $21 Seat #2 had the "Alyeska Burger" and reported it was great. On balance I'd give the lunch for both of us 3 stars, seating 5 stars, waiter 4 stars. However, because the Caesar was not good and chardonnay was no bueno (and both were expensive), I'd give the food experience 1 star, but the service, decor, and view were very good. But after all, I was there for the food. read more

Came in with my family to have an early dinner was greeted promptly. Our server was great very attentive and helpful. Food is where it goes wrong. We waited over 45 mins from order and it wasn't even busy. Then when the food came out everything was cold. Lamb was cold and sauce was gritty and couldn't finish it. Lasagna was too acidic for me and it landed flat on the pallet. Pizza was good but other than it was cold and soggy. Would I try this place again. Maybe once the weather clears up. read more

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The cocktails were dynamite. The service was ok. Food left a good bit to be desired. I had one of the sbagliato spritzes and it was so good. Our server, Chase, did a fine job and was attentive. Food came out a bit slow, but it wasn't anything extreme. Here's where the sticking point comes in: the Halibut was pan seared, broiled, then put in a broth. The broth gave it flavor, but unfortunately the cooking technique gave the fish a papery/cardboard texture that then became soggy. It was an interesting choice. We liked the fish itself, just not the outside. The mushroom risotto was really good, but the portion felt like it was on the smaller side. read more

Forte Alaska - Cocktails - Italian Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

We really enjoyed Forte. The service was excellent. Our server was nice and attentive. We got: Arancini - It wasn't the best we've had, but it was really good. I would get it again. Ceasar Salad - Very good. My wife and I split it. It was the perfect size. I would get it again. Rigatoni - This was excellent. I highly recommend it. I wish it came with a few pieces of bread to sop up the meat sauce. Kids pasta - Looked good. My daughter liked it. read more

Forte Alaska - Rigatoni - Italian Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

I'm not sure why this place gets a bad rap. All things considered, it was a decent meal for me. The service is good, though they could probably use aditional help. Place was clean and good view out the window. The sea bass I ordered was prime. Other than the price, I really don't see why this place gets such low ratings... read more

Forte Alaska - Branzino (sea bass) - Italian Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

Cold meatballs, returned them and they sent out the meatballs (cut in half) They cook them in the Microwave!! Applebees on the mountain. Margherita Pizza was horribly undercooked, they wouldn't take it off the bill because we ate some of it. Not culinary excellence.. Should be a lot better for the price. read more

First time here and ordered King Crab Tagliolini and this needs more sauce very dry and the king crab is crumbled up into pieces .. so I won't ever get it again !! read more

Food and Service were just north of good. Being a resort restaurant, they rely on seasonal staff from all over the globe. Our server was kind, knowledgeable but a little scruffy. I felt my bowl of pasta for $36 was a little much, Especially since the halibut was only a few more dollars. Good place if you're entertaining clients or looking for a place to grab a drink. read more

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It's on the pricier side for the portion size you get but the ambiance is nice and it's located in a great hotel! Salmon carpaccio was tasty. Chicken saltimbocca was surprisingly not dry and good flavor! Wish they added more of the fig sauce! read more

Forte Alaska - Salmon - Italian Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

Super friendly service who was helpful to understand vegan options and trying to accommodate. We had tofu scramble and avocado toast for breakfast which was excellent. The vegan pizza and risotto were also great. Very nice ambiance. Highly recommended for anyone who is vegan. read more

Awesome food. Had the crab pasta and halibut. Both options were amazing! Had a nice Mountain View.

The service here was extremely slow. It took over 25 minutes for our server to come to our table once we were seated. It took almost an hour for us to get our food once we ordered it. The menu described something that was completely different than what we were delivered at our table. My meal said it was a wild rice and mustard greens vegetarian bowl. When it arrived it was Arugula with black rice (which is not the same as wild rice). There were no mustard greens or wild rice anywhere in the dish. The server never mentioned that the ingredients would be different then listed on the menu. Our server had a hard time describing the dessert that was listed as a pear tart. We decided to chance it and it was very disappointing. There were only a couple bits of pear inside of a playdoh like texture with a very mild flavor in a crust. It was so blah I didn't even eat it. My friend had the pizza which was actually very tasty. We also ordered an appetizer when the server first came over because we were starving and they brought the appetizer out at the same time as the meal which we had to wait an hour for so we sent it back as it was no longer an appetizer. I would not return here. read more

Oh man. Forte is a rough place to get food on so many levels. Gorgeous natural lighting and nearly floor-to-ceiling windows, and that's about where the pleasantness stops. Major attitude from the hostess when seating us; it's very difficult to feel welcome here. Food was horrendous - super dry fish, wilted salads, strangely itty bitty portions. Absolutely painfully slooooooooow service: we waited well over an hour for our dinner. Another hour for the check while random people came by to keep refilling our waters (despite the water being one of those self serve bottles on the table - kinda awkward to have staff do that when it's right there and you just want your food, and then the check). Mixed up appetizers and another table's order brought to ours. At the end of the night the waiter said that he gave us the "employee discount" because of the absurdly long wait for everything and for our disappointment with the food. Dude, we should've had like at least half the bill comped. Avoid, avoid, avoid. read more

Tried Forte for the first time tonight. Friendly staff, terrible food. Unfortunately, myself and my dinner mate both ordered the recommended rigatoni. For a nearly empty restaurant, the wait time was extremely long. When the food came out, it was disappointing. It was sloppily dumped into a bowl with a spoonful of ricotta to top it off. It tasted as if it was a deconstructed can of chef boyardee with undercooked noodles (al dente would be perfect!). read more

Forte Alaska - Rigatoni - Italian Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

Visiting the area on a tour bus. Loved the open, clean look. We did not get near a window, but nice and quiet. Goku was our waiter and so nice and kind and upbeat. He gave us recommendations. We had Burrata that came with Prosciutto and we ordered a side order of toasted bread. Tasted good and seasoned well. The meatballs were delicious, arugula salad and Diavola Pizza. The waiter took our suggestions with such an open mind. Less spicy peppers on the pizza and warmer meatballs. Definitely would recommend the restaurant and our waiter Goku. read more

We have been coming to Alyeska for years. The remodel to what used to be "The Pond" and is now Forte is beautiful. We are excited to finally see some investment and badly needed updates come to Alyeska in general. That's about where the positive experience stops with this restaurant. We had lunch here on a Saturday. The waiter was friendly and attentive but it was silent in the restaurant. We have kids so some background music goes a long way to make people feel like they need to be silent. Then we got to the food.... My wife's pasta was alright but it was pretty simple. The kids shell pasta with marinara was pretty undercooked to the point where my 2 year old had trouble eating it. I ordered a meatball sandwich and a house salad with the honey vinaigrette. The bread was so burnt on the sandwich that it was charred and I could not eat any of it. The meatballs were dry and hard. They tasted like they warmed up the leftovers from a few days ago in the microwave. I had a few bites and moved onto the salad. How bad could that be right? It was the most flavorless salad dressing I have ever had. Needless to say we quickly got our check and went to subway because we were starving from our inedible meal. read more

Had a party of 16. They handled fantastically and served well. Highlights I personally sampled: Reindeer Bolognese -. Al Dente, perfect combo of meat, sauce and homemade pasta. 4.5 stars since it could have used a touch more olive oil. Papardelle - 5 stars. Meat was incredible. Noodle was homemade and perfectly cooked. Pizzas- 4.5 stars. Had the Funghi and Americano. Both great. I don't think they were woodfired but excellent quality. Porchetta on Focaccia- 4 stars.. just a little too much bread and not enough meat. Great meat... Just wanted more. Desert - Creme Brulee- 5 star. Get it! Bombolini - 3 star. Not bad but not great. Cheesecake - 3.5 star. Loved the blueberry basil compote, but the cheesecake wasn't amazing Saw other great dishes in our party. Highly recommend this place!! Sorry forgot to take pix. read more

Dinner: 5 Breakfast: minus 4 cold underwhelming choices same servers and hosts as the dinner??? Did they even rest between shifts??? What the heck is going on here at Forte? The staffing feels off for sure. We went to other restaurants in town and looks like they have a poor reputation in town. I hope they get their act together. read more

After sitting for about 30 min being the only ones at the bar the bartender who should not be a bartender bothered pouring a draft beer. He made a point of telling people what place they were inline like we were in kindergarten and needed to wait our turn. He was not even remotely kind either. He seemed bothered to even be there he couldn't find thibgs and make drinks or multi task. I was so put off we decided to not have dinner here. We walked out. read more

Lovely atmosphere with great view. Great food. We had meatballs to start and everything else was delicious. Great drinks. Austin in the bar was super attentive and nice. read more

Would give it a higher rating, but the pasta I ordered was so horribly salty it was overwhelming.

Had a breakfast buffet here and lunch the next day. The buffet was wonderful and I don't usually give reviews about it because I am not impressed. But the bacon was delicious and the pancakes pretty good. The pastries were really good and the fruit plates and granola was all delicious. Today I am getting minestrone and pizza. read more

For the price that you pay this place is not worth it. 2 of the the 3 things that we wanted we not available. The food was just ok at best. Keg overall read more

Very nice ambiance, food was delicious and nice friendly staff. I had the Halibut. Their pizza was amazing too. read more

Forte Alaska - Tiramisu - Italian Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

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We spent a week in Girdwood and tried most of the restaurants in town. Forte was our favorite, and the one we went back to on the last day. The burgers were outstanding. Drinks were great. Atmosphere and views are unbelievable. Staff was really nice and attentive. I would honestly consider staying at the resort just to be close to Forte if I go back. read more

Went there for breakfast, food was just okay and overpriced. I got the ricotta blueberry pancakes and they were not completely mixed before being cooked; I had multiple parts of my pancakes that were powdery. I also saw someone else who ordered the same meal that had a blueberry syrup/glaze that was not on mine. For $34, I expect better quality. We also got the salmon lox sandwich. This was just okay and the "seasonal fruit" was terrible. Wait staff were okay; they seemed undertrained and overwhelmed. You're better off going to Spoonline (which has amazing food) or another restaurant in downtown Girdwood. read more

This place has a really nice vibe-the decor is amazing and the staff is really caring-My mother had an arugula salad with halibut-amazing-my brother had a pizza bianco-amazing- their bar has some real crafty cocktails-Alaska beers on tap were a bonus-highly recommend, but I would get reservations next time read more

Food was cold and flavorless. Hostess sat my party of 7 add a table for six. Food didn't show up all together and we ate in shifted. Gosh was sent back overcooked and brought back raw. Bread was brought to the table burnt. We send it back and bread came back a 2nd time Burt black. Horrible and overpriced. read more