By Robin Rosemond
Turnagain Times Correspondent
Ken Smith/Turnagain Times
Jonathan White, owner and president of Steam Dot, and roast master and operations manager, Troy Evarts, stand behind the Sivetz Fluid Bed roaster. White was part owner of Kaladi Brothers before starting Steam Dot, a modern, spacious café that had a quiet opening a few weeks ago. It is located in the up and coming new retail and office center in south Anchorage at the corner of O'Malley and the Old Seward Highway across from Lowe's.
Happy 4th of July! Here are a few choices for your holiday fun.
Bernie's Bungalow is having two days (July 3 and 4) of local, live music for Fourth Fest this year. The line up is impressive and includes Jared Wood, Matt Hopper, The Smile Ease and The Elly Maze. Frank and Kamala Steiner are organizing the annual event this year, and what better place to be than Bernie's outdoor courtyard in downtown Anchorage. Bernie's Bungalow, 626 D Street. For more information: 276-8808
Anchorage 4th Celebration and Parade shouldn't be missed and is fun for the entire family. Now in its 10th year, the Celebration continues to be the largest one-day event in Alaska with more than 1,000 active participants and more than 25,000 attendees. This traditional celebration offers a 8 a.m. Pancake Breakfast, 11 a.m. Parade, Noon to 6 p.m. Family Picnic,
1 p.m. Reading of Declaration of Independence, festivities all topped off with a fireworks finally. All of this will be happening in Town Square in downtown Anchorage. For more information: 279-7500
If you are getting out of town on the 4th and you happen to be in Seward, there is the Mount Marathon Race that has been held annually since 1915. The famous race started among friends that wagered Mt. Marathon could not be tackled in less than an hour. The foot race is a climb and descent on Mt. Marathon - a mile and a half up and a mile and a half down, complete with cliffs, loose rock fields, waterfalls, and a spectacular view. This annual event draws runners from around the world. For more information: 224-8051.
You dance lovers can participate or observe, So You Think You Can Dance downtown dance competitions, shows and demonstrations July 10. All dancers, dance teams, dance studios, dance couples and groups are welcome. The grand prize is a free VIP pass to the Alaska Salsa Festival where Liz Lira, the ESPN Salsa Dance Champion and a choreographer for the famous television show “So You Think You Can Dance” will be performing. The dance event is scheduled for July 12, from Noon – 4 p.m. on 4th Avenue in Downtown Anchorage. For more information: 336-0333
My restaurant feature is Steam Dot, a new coffee cafe in south Anchorage. Coffee roaster Jonathan White has a passion for little beans. In the two years since he left Kaladi Brothers as co-owner and vice president, he's been working on bringing back the great coffee house. He believes that coffee doesn't need too much sweetener and milk. His coffee stands alone and Jonathan is convinced his Caldera and Guatemalan coffees are unique and the best in Anchorage.
Well, Jonathan made me a perfect cappuccino, and I did not add sugar. He told me that they only have five syrup flavors and do not serve anything larger than 20 oz. drinks.
Steam Dot's cafe is spacious and very clean with modern, sleek furniture and some limited track lighting along with large oval lights hanging high from the ceiling.
The entire café is well lit from natural lighting as well with large windows taking up most of two walls main sitting area of the café.
White broke new ground at Steam Dot for décor and seating in an espresso café, moving away from the familiar soft, dimly lit, large couches and cramped seating decor of most coffee houses, to a minimalist approach, using the high ceilings and large open space available to create a social environment but room to be left alone and ponder as you slowly sip your cup of coffee. Even the counters are spacious with an exceptionally large area for returning used cups and four seats at the counter by the espresso machines.
For Internet users, there are also padded booths and tables on the left wall as you enter the café with no windows and the preferred area for the WiFi clientele.
As for the coffee, the beans are roasted right on the premises. You can see the Sivetz Fluid Bed roaster working away through a large ten-foot high window separating the roasting machine from the café.
Michael Sivetz designed the roaster and is the world's foremost coffee scientist. He wrote the first book on coffee technology in 1963, invented and patented fluid bed roasting, and the roaster comes all the way from Corvallis, Oregon.
The end result is some of the finest coffee in Anchorage. Try the latte and see if it's not the richest most full-bodied cup you've ever had. Also, every latte comes with two shots whether a 12 ounce or 16 ounce cup. That's why the price difference is only 50 cents.
Steam Dot is in the new shopping center at the corner of O'Malley and the Old Seward Highway across from Loews where the Firetap Alehouse restaurant is located and doing quite well. Open daily from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Steam Dot Coffee, 10950 O'Malley Center, Suite E. 344-4422.
Write to me: rosebud61155@mac.com or check out my blog at www.rosemondpost.com.
