A basket of jalapeño-cheddar rolls is a fine way to begin an evening at Double Musky Inn. Warm, savory and a little more interesting than the usual bread service, they set the tone for a meal that does not seem interested in playing it safe.
On the outskirts of Girdwood, this longtime Alaska dining destination brings Cajun cooking, steakhouse-sized entrées and an unapologetically individual setting under one roof. People come in from Anchorage and around the area for dinner, while local regulars help keep the room from feeling like a stop made only for visitors.
The formula is unusually effective: a plate of shrimp and grits can be followed by a serious steak, and a Sazerac is as at home here as a glass from a deep wine list. It is a restaurant built for settling in rather than rushing through.
The steak that gets the attention
French Pepper Steak is the house order with a reputation of its own. Also described as a pepper-sauce strip steak, it puts the restaurant’s Cajun sensibility right beside its steakhouse ambitions: a substantial cut of beef, a notable sauce and plenty of reason to linger over the plate.
For diners who prefer a different cut, filet, prime rib and steak tips give the menu a broad beefy backbone. The prime rib, in particular, is known for arriving in a dramatically large portion. This is not a menu that treats steak as an afterthought between Louisiana-style dishes.
A group with different appetites can order in several directions without anyone seeming to have settled. One person can make a night of French Pepper Steak while another goes for seafood, and the table still makes sense.
Cajun dishes with some range
Shrimp and grits is among the recurring favorites, including appearances as a special. It is the sort of dish that helps explain why the restaurant’s Cajun identity is more than a decorative flourish on a steak menu.
Shrimp étouffée brings a roux with a moderate level of spice, while jambalaya gives diners another classic direction. The cooking offers recognizable Cajun touchstones without requiring every plate at the table to follow the same route.
Seafood has room to stretch out here, too. Salmon has been a particularly well-regarded choice, useful for the diner who wants fish but not necessarily a heavily spiced entrée.
Start at the bar or take your time with appetizers
The bar is a workable place to begin the evening with drinks and appetizers, and some of those starters are substantial enough to approach light-meal territory. That can be handy on a walk-in night, when dinner may begin with a pause before a table opens.
Crawfish dip and scallop-stuffed mushrooms offer two very different ways into the menu. One is built for sharing and dipping; the other gives the table a more old-school steakhouse appetizer, dressed in seafood form.
For cocktails, the menu includes both a Sazerac and an Old Fashioned. The Sazerac is a particularly fitting choice beside the Cajun side of the kitchen, though a glass of wine can take the meal in an entirely different direction.
Wine with personality
The wine list was personally assembled by the owner and runs from accessible bottles to vintage French selections. That spread lets a couple order something uncomplicated with a steak or gives a wine-minded table room to take dinner more seriously.
The wine-room display has its own bit of personality: an LP sound system. It is one small example of how Double Musky avoids a standardized steakhouse look. The details around the meal have their own point of view.
An inn dining room with its own collection of curiosities
Double Musky Inn has indoor tables, booths and a bar area, with patio seating also available. The dining room is warm, busy and decidedly eclectic rather than sleek or spare.
The décor gives the place much of its identity. It is welcoming without being generic, and the room has enough visual material to keep a diner looking around between courses. Even the men’s bathroom has a Marilyn portrait.
The crowd can include Girdwood-area residents and travelers on the same night. The room can get lively, sometimes loud, but conversation remains possible across the table. It has energy without requiring everyone to shout through dinner.
The dessert tray is worth saving room for
Dessert arrives not merely as a list but on a tray, so diners can look over the choices before committing. It is a pleasantly theatrical little ritual, especially after a rich dinner, and it makes comparison much easier than trying to decode a printed description.
Carrot cake has earned particular praise and is a natural choice for anyone who regards dinner dessert as nonnegotiable. Strawberry lemonade offers a lighter, cheerful note earlier in the meal or alongside something spicy.
A few useful things to know
Double Musky Inn does not take reservations; dinner is walk-in only. Lines can form before opening, while other arrivals may find a table immediately, so waits can vary considerably from one evening to another.
There is a free parking lot, generally described as plentiful. The restaurant is a higher-priced dinner, with typical spending often landing around $50 to more than $100 per person depending on drinks, appetizers, steak selections and dessert.
Casual attire fits comfortably. The welcome is attentive and friendly, and the occasion can be as simple as a drink and a bowl of crawfish dip or as expansive as cocktails, wine, French Pepper Steak and a slow study of the dessert tray.