Captain Pattie's Fish House

     Ask anyone in Homer about dining out for fresh Alaskan King Crab and unless you are aboard a crab boat in the middle of the Bering Sea the answer is always the same:  "Captain Pattie's Fish House".   It is located on the spit right in the center of everything that is happening.  As you can see from the picture they serve a wide variety of seafood; all local and very fresh.



     Don't fool yourselves, King Crab is as expensive here as it is in the 'Lower 48'.  The difference is here it IS FRESH, but nearly always frozen when shipped out unless you dine in restaurants that I don't often frequent.  Even in the fresh fish markets we visited, as well as the local Safeway store it was $31.99 a pound!  Barb and I are pretty frugal when it comes to traveling, but suffice it to say this is the most I have ever spent on a meal in my life.  But, like Barb and I decided long before we began this adventure, "You only live once and we may never get back this way again.  Get what you want while you can!"
     On advice from a fellow traveler we made our reservations a day in advance and requested a window table from which to view the bay.  It was well worth it.  Any weekend in Homer this time of year is pretty busy and today was no exception.  We were taken right to our table and once the waitress answered a few of my questions, we began with a very nice salad and sourdough bread.  This is where I should have skimped. 

 



     Once the crab arrived, I knew I might be overmatched.  Red King Crab legs are pretty big, the size of a baguette in some cases.  It is easier to get the meat out of the shell than other crab I have eaten and it was good.  I must admit I do like Dungeness Crab better for it's sweetness.  I got a baked potato, broccoli, and butter for the beast.  The trouble began when I realized towards the beginning of my last leg that I was starting to get full.  Barb ordered the same thing and couldn't finish hers either.  I wasn't about to let any go to waste so I forged on, finishing both plates.  I would pay for this later.
     Captain Pattie's is a very good seafood restaurant and offers more than just crab.  They have a nightly special, clams, oysters, prawns, huge scallops, salmon, a Captain's Platter as well as a full line up of steaks and chicken. The food is delicious.  Our hostess was very friendly, but our waitress I would only rate average.  On a tab approaching $16,982 I found it hard to justify her 15%.  I am just kidding about the total, but it wasn't two figures either.  Hey, you only live once.