The Gold Room at the Baranof Hotel has to be the most beautiful dining room in Juneau. This dark paneled room is crowned with a huge art deco glass ceiling. Large oil paintings depict important events in Alaskan history. Much of the fate of Alaska itself has been debated within the Gold Room. This has been a favorite haunt for state politicians since it's opening in 1939. I overheard a local official describing an overnight visit to the White House. It sounded like an interesting, but very rigidly scheduled experience.

The cuisine is called contemporary Alaskan. I call it gourmet quality surf and turf with a few pasta dishes. It fits in the fine dining category. The macadamia encrusted halibut was very good, and the large t-bone was also quite tasty. We had two drinks each from the bar, two entrees, and two salads. The bill totaled $84

Favorite Dish
Macadamia encrusted halibut, a sizable piece of fresh halibut coated in macadamia and herbs and pan fried in olive oil. Simple but very tasty.

We came here for a Thanksgiving dinner and reservations were required for this holiday because the restaurant was fully booked. We had made reservations, but they couldn't find our name. Apparently, we weren't the only ones, as there were others in the same situation after us. But the maître d' accommodated us graciously.

My partner ordered the traditional turkey dinner. I, however, didn't want a traditional turkey or ham, as most people would want. They had duck à l'orange on the menu, which I was very interested in, so I ordered it. The duck was excellent and the service was very good. The dessert selections were very good too.