Palmer Alaska

There is a wide selection of specialty truffles, chocolate covered cookies and pretzels, giant peanut butter cups and more. If you can’t find a treat you fancy, ask and they will make most special requests. The owner Tai Duhamel has developed many unique recipes over the years featuring unusual ingredients like ginger, cayenne, tea, rose, lavender and curry. You will also find the wonderful classics like caramel, nuts, mint, sea salt and much more!

The Hot Hot Chocolate Shoppe also offers a selection of gluten-free products dipped in chocolate. Due to family with food allergies, the owner has made it possible for those with allergies to enjoy the sweetness!

Stop by and purchase some delicious chocolate and don’t forget to take some home to your friends and family!

Check out the Hot Hot Chocolate Shoppe’s Facebook Page!

The Palmer Downtown Deli
Written by Tamara Van Diest and Amber Grissom

There is a new deli in downtown Palmer! It’s located in the Downtown Palmer Plaza, in the same building as Curves, the Hot Hot Chocolate Shoppe and the Shane Lamb Art Gallery. Grand opening was Monday and business traffic seems decent. Hours are 7AM to 7PM.

The open room leaves plenty of space to bring a computer and work all day. With 16 tables and around 50 seats you wont feel crowded here. The menu is wide and offers healthy and fresh options for breakfast, lunch, dinner and in-between! There is also free wi-fi; ask the staff for the password.

Breakfast options range from granola with milk to cinnamon rolls and bagels. For lunch you will find salads, sandwiches, wraps, gourmet pizzas and soups. Other menu delights include espresso beverages, gelato, smoothies and baked desserts. You will also find simple sandwiches for the kiddos that come with chips or fruit.

Amber spent the morning here and Tamara stayed an entire afternoon to get a feel for the atmosphere, food and to work on our laptops. Amber reports that the coffee is delicious and not burnt! Yes, she’s a bit of a coffee snob. There is free lemon water available all day to drink and the staff was very cheerful!

Amber’s lunch choice was the Turkey Panini and the bread was the perfect Panini consistency: crispy outside and chewy inside! Tamara ordered a Chicken Salad sandwich which came with a nice side salad made mostly of spinach greens. The chicken salad was a delectable combination of chicken, cheddar cheese, onion, jalapeño, bacon and sour cream sauce. It was enveloped with lettuce and two thick slices of fresh bread. Yum!

Amber met the owners as they happened to be here most of the day. They are a very pleasant, down-to-earth couple and it was great to meet them.

The rest of the staff is also very cheerful and well-deserving of good tips!

The first thing that strikes you at Turkey Red is the atmosphere. The lighting is very soft and subtle, mostly coming through wide windows encircling the dining area. This creates a relaxing mood and makes Turkey Red feel very open. On the windowsills and scattered throughout the café are a diverse selection of potted plants and herbs. These combined with the light brown tone of the walls adds an earthy comfort to the place. Decorating the walls are pictures and paintings.

Turkey Red offers a selection of 16 different kinds of teas, including varieties of green and black. This delicious tea is only two dollars for a half-pot, which I found equals about a cup and a half. The tea was the undoubtedly the highlight of my dining experience at Turkey Red. I also had their Mediterranean Salad, which was also quite delicious. All of this was supplemented by very friendly service that left me smiling as I walked out the door.

The owner of Turkey Red is Alex Papasavas, who is one-half Greek and one-half French. I talked with the owner’s partner, Franco Magrini, who is one-half Italian and one-half South American. Franco told me that he and Alex wanted the café’s cuisine to represent their various cultural experiences. This idea has certainly come to fruition in the form of a unique and diverse selection offering everything from Spinach Crespelle to Chicken Pizzaiolo.

At Turkey Red, all of the bread is risen naturally, so little yeast is used. The food is prepared entirely at the café. You’re not getting pre-frozen, reheated food. They also try to incorporate as many organic ingredients as possible. In the summer, Turkey Red purchases most of it’s produce from Arctic Organics, a family operated farm near Palmer. This is a great example of businesses in our community supporting each other. Turkey Red’s organic, natural menu is a fantastic alternative to fast food, if you have the time. It’s well worth it. Excellent tea, great food, and a warm atmosphere makes Turkey Red the perfect place for a multi-cultural experience in the town you love.

The Noisy Goose Cafe, also known as the Colony Kitchen, has some of the best food in town. It’s located just before the fairgrounds on the right side of the Glenn Hwy as you head out of town. Customers range in age from Palmer old timers to young couples with children. The prices are similar to the Valley Hotel’s cafe: $8-$13 per person.

There are senior and children menus, seafood and steaks, soups and baked potatoes with all the

toppings, and of course, burgers and breakfast. Yum! The atmosphere is really great; country music plays in the background, the waitresses are cheery and the decor is entertaining.

Overall, this cafe is a great place to take your family, meet your friends or just enjoy a cup of coffee! Come check it out! or call them at 746-4600

Slack’s isn’t like a boring box-store bakery. They use the recipes your grandma used and fry the donuts in peanut oil. After all, don’t fix what ain’t broke, right? Every delicious product is made right there from scratch. You can find old-fashioned donuts, pastries, cookies, breads, pies, cakes, coffee and other beverages, and can order anything on the menu a day in advance. They don’t offer espresso drinks, but you can get them right next door at the locally owned Purple Moose Espresso.

You can order cakes for special occasions for any theme, including weddings. Ms. Slack will trace photos out by hand with frosting, instead of making an ‘edible image’ out of rice paper.