Open & Shut: Anchorage adds a candle studio, a new Alaska Airlines Lounge, a Korean BBQ diner and the long-awaited Eye Tooth restaurant – Anchorage Daily News
Open & Shut is an ongoing series looking at the comings and goings of businesses in Southcentral Alaska. If you know of a business opening or closing in the area, send a note to reporter Alex DeMarban at alex@adn.com with “Open & Shut” in the subject line.
Open
Eye Tooth Tavern & Eatery: The long-awaited third Tooth restaurant opened its doors on Thursday.
A line of 75 or so people stretched outside just before the opening, said Rod Hancock, a founder of the company.
Rod Hancock is a founder of the Moose’s Tooth, Bear Tooth and Eye Tooth family of restaurants. Eye Tooth Tavern and Eatery opened on February 13, 2025, at 8330 King Street in South Anchorage. (Marc Lester / ADN)
“We feel blessed and fortunate that people are excited to want to come and see what our new endeavor is,” he said.
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The Eye Tooth is named after a climbing area in the Alaska Range like its predecessors, the original Moose’s Tooth Pub and Pizzeria and the Bear Tooth Theatrepub and Grill. It’s the only Tooth restaurant located in South Anchorage, at 8330 King St.
Customers line up before the doors of Eye Tooth open for business. Eye Tooth Tavern and Eatery opened on February 13, 2025, at 8330 King Street in South Anchorage. (Marc Lester / ADN)
The new location will still focus on pizza, but with alternative varieties, said Hancock, a climber and self-described pizza lover.
It will be “its own unique collection of food, decor and concepts,” he said.
For now the Eye Tooth is starting with limited hours and a limited menu that includes many of the well-known pizzas served at the Moose’s Tooth, he said. But the menu will grow in the future, with new dishes released almost weekly, he said.
“We’ll be doing Detroit pizzas, tavern pizzas, Neapolitan pizzas, as well as the classic Moose’s Tooth pies,” he said. “So we’ve introduced some of those, but not all. There’s a lot more, culinarily, that we’re excited to do as we get situated and going.”
Staff members prepare for business in the kitchen. Eye Tooth Tavern and Eatery opened on February 13, 2025, at 8330 King Street in South Anchorage. (Marc Lester / ADN)
Already, the Eye Tooth is offering tavern pizzas with crispy, house-made sourdough crust, such as the Cup n’ Curl pepperoni with marinara and multiple cheeses. There’s also the Backcountry with goat cheese and other cheeses, yellow squash, mushrooms, red peppers and other ingredients. The New Haven includes sopressata, hot honey, cheeses, peppadew peppers and chives.
Chefs will also be able to make limited-batch dishes in a special “kitchen within our kitchen,” including seafood items and other plates, Hancock said.
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The menu also includes hamburgers, sandwiches, fries and chicken wings, plus beers on tap, cocktails and a liquor menu that’s more whiskey-based than the other Tooth diners, he said.
Staff prepare for an opening in the bar and dining area of Eye Tooth. Eye Tooth Tavern and Eatery opened on February 13, 2025, at 8330 King Street in South Anchorage. (Marc Lester / ADN)
The bar area features about 90 seats for dining or drinking, with a small stage for live music. Large glass doors open onto an outdoor beer garden.
A huge, gas-fed fire pit on the patio is made from the old the bull wheel from the former Chair 1 ski lift at the Alyeska Resort in Girdwood, he said.
A separate dining area, still being completed, will have an outdoor eating area.
The company purchased the building four years ago. Hancock initially hoped for a quick opening.
But the pandemic slowed plans. Hurdles included supply-chain issues, adding delays and cost.
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“Doors were taking nine months to arrive, and then they’d come and be wrong,” he said. “There was also a fair amount of inflation in building materials. And so all the quotes were changing, and so we were re-crunching numbers and making sure that the project still penciled and made sense.”
The pandemic-era labor shortage also added serious concerns, he said. But that’s largely been alleviated. The Eye Tooth has hired around 50 people so far. That number could exceed 150 as the operation expands, he said.
The tavern is currently open 4-10 p.m. from Thursday to Saturday. Those hours will grow steadily starting soon, he said. The Eye Tooth should be fully operating by summer, he said.
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Gogi Korean BBQ: Helena Yun ran a hairdressing salon in the Dimond Center for decades.
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But she recently started her first restaurant, to share the social experience of eating traditional Korean food around a table grill.
Gogi Korean BBQ co-owner Helena Yun cuts prime beef short ribs (Kalbi) into strips at the recently opened restaurant. (Bill Roth/ ADN)
“I always liked to cook and share with friends and that is my nature in my life,” Yun said. “And we (were) missing something like this restaurant in Alaska. So one day I decided this is going to be good for the community.”
At Gogi Korean BBQ, guests or staff can grill high-quality meats such as wagyu ribeye, prime beef kalbi, marinated pork short ribs, bulgogi or fire meat. Sprawling combo plates come with several shareable appetizers, such as soybean stew, steamed egg casserole, and banchan, or side dish, with its array of items like kimchi, caramelized potatoes, pickled daikon radish and green onion salad.
One unique feature at Gogi are overhead table lamps with vents that draw smoke upward through the food, adding to the flavor, Yun said. Wet- and dry-aging fridges also tenderize and flavor the meat.
Surrounded by traditional Korean banchan side dishes, clockwise from top, marinated kalbi prime beef short ribs, wagyu beef brisket and wagyu ribeye sizzle on a grill at Gogi Korean BBQ. (Bill Roth/ ADN)
Launching the restaurant took time, she said. “Every corner I touched with my soul,” she said.
Yun refused to open until she found the best meat through suppliers, she said. She designed every aspect of Gogi herself, down to the clean, black-and-white decor. Tables come with call buttons to summon staff, and “Korean 101″ sheets with expressions, like “annyeonghasaeyo” for “hello.”
Yun grew up in Korea, but moved to Alaska as a young woman close to four decades ago.
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People say she’s “crazy” for opening a restaurant at an age when many are thinking about retirement, she said.
“But I always wanted to see this kind of restaurant in Anchorage,” she said one day last week, as customers began flowing in for dinner.
Gogi Korean BBQ. (Bill Roth/ ADN)
Gogi is located at 7780 Old Seward Highway. It’s open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and on weekends, 11-11.
Get Scent Studio: Chester Mainot starting making candles as a pandemic hobby and selling them at markets.
Online sales soared after a friend with a social media following pitched his products on YouTube.
Late last year he opened Get Scent studio in Midtown Anchorage. And this month he went all in, quitting his job as a GCI network engineer for full-time entrepreneurship.
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Chester Mainot recently opened Get Scent Studio, where he makes scented all natural soy wax candles like his Pilipino Collection. (Bill Roth/ ADN)
“It’s terrifying,” he said. “But I’m excited about being my own boss and doing what I love to do.”
Get Scent is located at 5121 Arctic Blvd., unit F, just down from Alaskan Burger & Brew.
It’s part gift shop and part studio, with classes for candle-making and succulent gardening. There’s also jewelry crafting with an Alaska Native artist who works with natural items like porcupine quills, sweetgrass and moose antlers.
Mainot’s candles are made with natural ingredients like soy wax. Scents can be traditional, like vanilla or lavender. The Alaskan collection includes wildberry, forget-me-not, and mountain trail, with forest fragrances like pine.
Another line focuses on the Philippines where Mainot grew up before moving to Alaska with his parents at age 20.
The Sampaguita, named for the Philippines’ national flower, reminds him of the floral smells drifting from his family garden at sunset. Halo-Halo, translated to mix-mix, smells like the dessert of the same name, made with shaved ice, tropical fruit and other ingredients. Ube is named after the country’s purple yam.
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Fresh Cut Roses scented all natural soy wax candles at Get Scent Studio. (Bill Roth/ ADN)
“Its nostalgia to me, my Filipino collection,” Mainot said.
Get Scent also sells gifts like locally made jewelry, fragrant wax melts and sprays, and beard balm.
It’s open Thursday to Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• • •
Alaska Airlines lounge: The Alaska-born airline expanded its lounge at the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport this month, following a short closure for construction.
The upgrade doubles seating to 140. It adds cozy chairs, modern charging stations and small computer tables.
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More windows overlook the tarmac, brightening the room and expanding the view of taxiing planes beneath mountains.
Seating at the newly expanded Alaska Airlines Lounge at the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. (Loren Holmes / ADN)
There’s several new pieces of Indigenous artwork from across Alaska, too, curated by the Alaska Native Heritage Center. They come with QR codes to explain the work.
“Each one of the pieces represents one of the major cultural regions,” said Kelsey Ciugun Wallace, a vice president at the heritage center, during a recent tour of the lounge. “The diversity is important because a lot of people mistakenly think about Alaska Native peoples as a monolith.”
The lounge features several new pieces of indigenous artwork, curated by the Alaska Native Heritage Center. (Loren Holmes / ADN)
The lounge hadn’t been revamped in years, said Marilyn Romano, vice president of the Alaska region for the airline.
Access is available through a membership or day pass. It offers a buffet of locally made, seasonal foods, hand-crafted espresso drinks using Kaladi Brothers beans, as well as wines, craft brews, cocktails and mocktails. It’s open daily almost around the clock, from 5 a.m. until 1 a.m.
The changes are part the airlines’ $60 million plan to improve terminals and other facilities around the state, including in communities such as Bethel and Kodiak. The lounge is the most visible of the upgrades in Alaska so far, Romano said.
The lounge was the company’s first to open in 1979. Up to 1,000 travelers use it daily. It’s the airline’s third-busiest lounge of nine — behind two in Seattle.
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SHUT
Moose A’La Mode: The cafe and sandwich shop closed in downtown Anchorage in December, after about two decades in business, said co-owner Brandi Rathbun.
She and her husband, Marty, purchased it during the pandemic. But a thinned-out downtown due to remote working, and struggles dealing with the homeless population, were factors in the closure, Brandi Rathbun said.
The couple still operates their Tiki Pete’s food trailers serving hot dogs, hamburgers and other fare. One will serve food at the the Last Frontier Pond Hockey Classic in Big Lake. The Feb. 21-23 event raises funds for the Scotty Gomez Foundation.
They also provide all the food concessions at the Sullivan Arena after it began doing public events last years, after its service as a low-barrier homeless shelter for much of the pandemic. That includes the baked potato bar, Pete’s Penalty Box with fare like chili dogs and mac n’ cheese dogs, and the Center Ice and Glacier grill with the Bobster burger with bacon and fried egg and the BrockStar burger with jalapenos and bacon.
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Walgreens: The Walgreens store in northeast Anchorage at 7600 DeBarr Rd. closed in December, reducing the chain’s pharmacies in Alaska, among other services.
The retailer continues to operate eight stores in Alaska — six in Anchorage and one each in Wasilla and Eagle River, according to the company.
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Party City: The party and costume supply store is closing its sole Alaska location on Feb. 26, a store representative said.
The national retailer announced in December it was shutting down. It has blamed competition from e-commerce and brick-and-mortar rivals, as well as inflation that forced its costs higher and slowed business.
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The store is located in the Glenn Square in Northeast Anchorage, 3090 Mountain View Drive, No. 120.
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Joann: The crafts retailer is closing two stores in Alaska, but it isn’t leaving the state entirely.
The chain’s lone location in Anchorage will close, at 3801 Old Seward Highway. The store in Juneau will also close, according to a recent closure list. No date has been announced yet, an Anchorage employee said Friday.
Joann stores in Fairbanks, Soldotna and Wasilla were not listed for closure.
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The shutdowns stem from a bankruptcy restructuring plan, the result of competition from e-commerce and rivals like Walmart.
Joann recently listed 533 stores for closure across nearly all U.S. states. It operates more than 800 stores.
The Alaska Senate Finance committee advanced a draft capital budget on Tuesday that would put nearly $250 million toward state facilities and maintenance projects next year.
The draft budget adds $88 million to Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s proposed capital budget of $159 million, with the largest additions going toward K-12 schools and university facilities maintenance.
That was a focused effort by the finance committee, said co-chair Sen. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, who called funding for education facilities maintenance a “heavy concentration” on Wednesday.
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Earlier this year, students and school officials testified to lawmakers that decades of deferred maintenance has reached crisis levels — with many rural school districts in particular grappling with deteriorating facilities, failing water and sewer systems — which they say is degrading student and staff morale. Lawmakers have expressed support and increased funding in recent years, but point to Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s history of vetoes as a roadblock for funding education.
The Senate draft includes $57.8 million in additional funding toward K-12 school maintenance through the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development and $17 million toward the University of Alaska. It also includes $5.7 million for the Alaska Court System’s facilities and $8 million for community infrastructure and workforce development programs through the Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development.
The Legislature relies on state ranked lists to prioritize where to direct funding to capital projects for K-12 schools, the university system and the court system.
For K-12 schools, the state’s current major maintenance list totals over $400 million needed for 103 school projects and repairs. Stedman said he recognized this year’s capital budget will only fund a fraction of those.
“Hopefully we get a quarter of it done, or something like that, but it’d be nice to retire the entire list,” Stedman said.
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The draft budget would fund the top 15 school projects on the list, plus funds for three other schools in need of emergency fuel tank repairs. The top projects range from roof and boiler replacements to septic systems, fire suppression and safety upgrades in schools from Fairbanks to the Aleutian Islands.
In order to distribute funds more widely, members of the finance committee reduced funding for one project in Galena, in the Western Interior of Alaska, from roughly $35 million to $5 million for renovations to the Sydney C. Huntington Elementary and High Schools. They also allocated $17 million towards rebuilding the school in Stebbins in Western Alaska, after it burned down in 2024.
The Senate draft also adds nearly $14 million in funding for the state-run Mt. Edgecumbe High School, which has been the focus of public attention and concern after a quarter of students disenrolled this year. The additional facilities dollars include $10 million to remodel the dining hall, $3.1 million to replace dorm windows, $460,000 to replace dorm furniture, $50,000 to replace mattresses and $125,000 to replace aging laundry machines.
Finance members added $17 million to fund the top nine projects across the University of Alaska system — three projects each within the three major campuses.
Sen. Jesse Kiehl, D-Juneau, serves on the finance committee and his district includes University of Alaska Southeast. He described the proposed funds as a “nickel” compared to the “colossal” deferred maintenance needs of the university system.
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“That’s been built by Legislatures and Boards of Regents for 40 years,” he said on Wednesday, adding that it is a shared responsibility to put funding towards repairs and upgrades.
“The Constitution makes them a separate body within the executive branch that puts a lot of responsibility on them, too, more than the general state government,” he said “So university major maintenance is its own huge problem.”
The draft budget also includes $5.7 million for upgrades to state court facilities, mostly targeted to Anchorage and Sitka. It contains nearly $10 million for workforce development programs geared at the construction and oil and gas sectors, including for the Fairbanks Pipeline Training Center and Alaska Vocational Technical Center in Seward.
An amendment to add $25 million to the draft budget for the Port of Anchorage, sponsored by Sen. Kelly Merrick, R-Eagle River, was voted down on Tuesday by a 5 to 2 vote.
Before voting against the proposal, finance co-chair Sen. Lyman Hoffman, D-Bethel, said during committee deliberations the priority this year is to fund as many school maintenance projects on the list as possible, saying “schools are falling apart” and must be maintained to prevent further deterioration.
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“Students that are trying to learn deserve better,” Hoffman said. “And if we are not able to provide this major maintenance, we are going to see these schools continue to crumble, and the financial burden to the state of Alaska will be hundreds of millions of dollars to rebuild schools.”
More funding for school maintenance and other capital projects could be added by the Alaska House of Representatives, who will take up the draft budget bill after it’s approved by the Senate in the coming weeks.
Two US soldiers were wounded by a brown bear during a training exercise in Alaska on Thursday, the US Army stated.
Anchorage Daily News reported that the soldiers were from the 11th Airborne Division, and that the exercise had been a “land navigation training event” near Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
State wildlife officials said that the bear attack seemed to be a defensive one, from a bear which had recently emerged from its den. Staff members from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game collected evidence at the scene in an attempt to learn more about the bear, such as its species and gender.
“The incident is currently under investigation, and we are working closely with installation authorities and local wildlife officials to gather all relevant information and ensure the safety of all personnel in the area,” the 11th Airborne Division said in a statement, reported ABC News.
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ABC News also cited an 11th Airborne Division spokesperson, Lt.-Col. Jo Nederhoed, who said that the two soldiers had been seriously wounded, but were receiving care at a hospital in Anchorage, and had shown improvement by Saturday morning.
“We hope both individuals have a full and quick recovery, and our thoughts are with them during this time,” Fish and Game Regional Supervisor Cyndi Wardlow said in a statement reported by Anchorage Daily News. “In this case, having bear spray with them in the field may have saved their lives.”
Both of the soldiers reportedly had and used bear spray during the attack.
The bear’s condition and whereabouts are currently unknown.
Up, up and away … that’s where most travel prices are going.
It’s true. Not only are our nation’s geopolitical thrusts in the Mideast affecting the cost of your fill-ups, every component of your trip from airfares to car rentals and hotel stays are subject to price hikes.
Imagine filling up a jetliner with jet fuel that’s doubled in price. It’s enough to melt your credit card, regardless of the number of points you get for every dollar spent!
Because the price of oil affects everything, higher prices are eating away at your travel budget in many ways.
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Bag fees
There’s lots of press on this. All airlines are increasing their checked-bag fees because of the jump in fuel prices.
Back in 2009, Alaska Airlines instituted a $15 fee for the first checked bag and $25 for the second bag. At the time, there was no charge for the first bag and a second bag was $25.
Last week, Alaska Airlines, along with other major airlines, increased its fees to $45 for the first checked bag and $55 for the second bag. Delta Air Lines charges the same.
Even if the cost of oil comes down, I don’t expect bag fees will ever be reduced.
Travelers who live in Alaska are somewhat insulated from the new hikes because both Delta and Alaska Airlines offer two free checked bags, with conditions:
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1. Alaska offers two free checked bags for travelers flying to or from Alaska who are enrolled in Club 49. This does not affect other flights on Alaska. Separately, ATMOS credit card holders can get a free checked bag. Also, elite members of the ATMOS scheme get one or two free checked bags systemwide.
2. Delta offers two free checked bags for travelers flying to or from Alaska who are SkyMiles members who live in Alaska. Again, this does not apply to other Delta flights. Separately, Delta American Express cardholders can get a free checked bag.
3. Elite-level travelers with the oneworld airline cartel, including Alaska Airlines, can get one or two checked bags on American, British Airways, Japan Airlines, Qantas or other oneworld carriers.
[Anchorage’s international airport rolls out self-driving wheelchairs]
Main Cabin vs. Basic Economy
The spread between the lowest available price, Basic Economy, and a more flexible ticket, Main Cabin, has increased. While the difference used to be $20-$30 each way when the Basic Economy scheme was introduced in 2018, the round-trip upcharge now can exceed $100.
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For example, the lowest Basic fare to Portland is $337 round-trip on Alaska Airlines. The upcharge to Main Cabin, with full loyalty points, pre-assigned seats and more flexibility on changes and cancellations, is $447, a 33% upcharge.
This trend is not specifically attributable to the new Iran War. It’s just a cost that continues to rise.
New fees
I’m impressed at the creativity of airline people who dream up new fees. Here are some of my favorites from Alaska Airlines:
1. Phone reservations: $15
2. Partner award booking fee: $12.50
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3. Pet travel fee: $100 in the cabin, $200 in the baggage compartment with a kennel
4. Left on board item return fee: $20
On Condor Airlines, operating the only nonstop service from Anchorage to Europe, travelers can choose from four different bundles in economy class. The least-expensive, Economy Zero, from $840 round-trip, features fees for travelers:
1. Carry-on bag fee, up to 8kg: $35; a small bag like a purse always is included for free
2. Checked bag: $75
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3. Airport check-in: $30
All three of these fees are included in the next-highest fare bucket, Economy Classic, from $900 round-trip. It’s cheaper to buy the bundle than it is to buy the components a la carte. Seat assignments are additional, from $25 for economy.
Airfares on the rise
There are a few good deals available for travel to select West Coast/Intermountain destinations in May, including:
1. Anchorage-San Francisco on Alaska Airlines, from $307 round-trip. Fly May 15-28 only. Add $90 round-trip for Main cabin.
2. Anchorage-Los Angeles on Alaska Airlines, from $317 round-trip. May 15-25 only. Add $90 round-trip for Main.
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3. Anchorage-Phoenix on United, Delta or Alaska, from $267-$287 round-trip. Fly May 8-June 9 only. Add $90-$100 for Main.
4. Anchorage-Denver $357 round-trip on Delta. Fly May 8-June 9 only. Add $90 round-trip for Main.
For travel to other destinations, or later in the summer, be prepared to pay more.
Flying to Hawaii? Alaska Air’s nonstop prices out at $706 round-trip between May 30 and June 6. Add $110 round-trip for Main.
Nonstop flights from Anchorage to Salt Lake City start at $669 round-trip with Delta on May 17. That’s $100 more than the cost for the same flights last month. Add $90 more for Main.
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Hotel costs continue to rise, accompanied by pesky resort fees.
The Outrigger on the Beach in Waikiki is a very nice beachfront hotel. It’s not plush, or the nicest property. But it’s solid. The cost is $334 per night.
But there’s more: a $50 per night resort fee, plus a variety of taxes and charges, totaling $112.55 per night.
Down in Seattle, the Sound Hotel in the Belltown neighborhood is marketed by Hilton. The discounted rate for “Honors” members — it’s free to join — is $313.34 per night for a king room in late May. Taxes and fees add an extra $56.40 per night.
There’s no appreciable bump yet for hotel rates as a result of the oil price surge. Yet. But if these hotel rates seem high, they’re in line with hotel rates in Anchorage this summer. At the Sheraton in Anchorage in June, it’s $450 per night, plus $54 in taxes and fees, when booked at Expedia.
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Car rentals are not cheap
My go-to site for car rentals is the Costco site, which compares major brands and automatically includes Costco discounts.
In Las Vegas, for a one-day rental in May, Budget charges $67 per day, which includes taxes and fees of $22.77. In Anchorage, the same kind of car, medium SUV, costs $92.97 with Alamo.
The biggest differences so far in car rental rates seems to be the bill you’ll pay when you fill up the tank before returning. There’s no appreciable jump in prices because of the new war.
When it comes to making travel arrangements for the spring and summer, it’s more risky making completely non-refundable arrangements.
I made the decision to purchase most of my summer travel plans in advance, but only after determining I would not need to change the dates. Particularly with airline tickets, it’s expensive to change your dates.
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There’s lots of uncertainty regarding travel arrangements, particularly international travel. As fuel prices go up due to oil shortages, travel companies will look for ways to recoup the increased costs. In most cases, those higher costs will be borne by travelers.
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