So, my neighbour has been nagging me for some time now to call in to "that place with the railcars"…read morejust outside of Soldotna, but I'd not yet been. Though she hadn't mentioned there was a restaurant, she raved about the coffee shop and waffles. So my friend and I were coming to Soldotna last weekend, and me, as usual, am frantically searching Yelp for something with 4/5 stars. Addie Camp came up as a contender, with a solid 4.7 stars, but I hadn't realised it was where the railroad cars are. So we decided to give it a go.
What a beautiful area it is, once you get up into the parking lot! It's very neat and tidy, and all the little railroad cars surround the central parking lot. And there's really massive solar panels to the rear. I liked that. There was not a scrap of trash anywhere. Very inviting. So we head into Addie Camp, and I'm wowed. It's beautiful inside, cosy and welcoming, yet very modern. The staff are lovely. The hostess asked if we had a reservation, but as we didn't she invited us to sit at the bar. No problem! They have tables upstairs, and in a railroad car to the side. It's absolutely beautiful, and features a lot of warm wood, but not old wood, very light modern wood. I tell you, I'm in love with this place. Anyway so we sit at the bar, where Sam was mixing cocktails. Sam is very pleasing on the eye, I might add. He was using Fevertree Tonic in one of the cocktails, and I told him that Fevertree's Elderflower Tonic is one of my fave drinks ever, and he said he loved it too.
Anyway, so upon perusing the menu - it's not a huge menu, but there are plenty of things I'll eat - I ordered the Gold Star Elk Burger with rosemary fries, and my friend got Gambas Al Ajillo (Spanish style wild Patagonia Shrimp in a spicy olive and herb citrus sauce served with fancy bread) and we both opted for a Train Track Tonic Mocktail, mainly because Sam the bartender told me he had elderflower syrup, and it was featured in one of the mocktails, so I was sold.
The napkins are fabric, and the silverware is fancy, heavy, not your usual restaurant fare. I was quite impressed with how quickly we were served, because it was quite busy. The food itself was outstanding. The bacon jam in this burger is EPIC and it's not your usual tiny bacon crumbles, it had chunky bits of bacon, and was sweetly gooey, but savoury too, absolutely the best bacon jam I've had, and it just gave the already amazing burger a boost it didn't even really need. There's no way to eat this burger in a dainty ladylike fashion, it's a beast, and the bacon jam is messy, but I went with it, and Sam got us some extra napkins. About 3/4 of the way through, I had to go knife and fork on the burger. I wasn't leaving any of that thing. The fries were good, the burger good, the mocktail good, excellent service, very attentive. This is unquestionably THE best restaurant on the Kenai Peninsula, and I can't wait to come back with my husband, next time we're down there. And, I did see regulars come in and be treated like they were old friends. After my experience there, I can see why people would keep coming back, it's THAT good!
