Burger Blog #4

🍔 The Burger Blog Series : Alaska — Hamburger Haven

Welcome to The Search for the BEST Hamburger in Alaska — part travelogue, part taste test, and all heart. It’s an adventure seasoned with laughter, local flavor, and the joy of sharing simple moments that make family and friends smile. Each stop on the burger trail tells a little story — about Alaska, about life, and about finding happiness between the bun and the snow.

“Travel light, laugh loud, and never skip the pickles.”

🍔 Bottom line: It’s officially impossible to find a bad hamburger in Alaska. We’ve been searching hard, purely for scientific reasons, of course.

The Brave Man at Hamburger Jim’s

Robert, a native Alaskan with nerves (and arteries) of steel, nominated Hamburger Jim’s in Palmer. We met him there and he ordered their signature burger: "Jim Burger" that comes with bacon, ham, sautéed onions, mushrooms, jalapeños, cheddar, and house sauce—basically the Mount Denali of burgers. BTW We admired his courage from a safe distance.

Gannon went with the cheeseburger—classic, solid, but still not enough to beat Miller’s Market or Arctic Roadrunner. Robert, meanwhile, was last seen smiling and possibly experiencing mild altitude sickness. Robert is a pilot and offered to fly us over the Palmer Glaciers as soon as the wind dies down. We can't wait.

Humpy’s: Heaven for Teenagers

Next stop: Humpy’s Great Alaskan Alehouse downtown Anchorage. It gets an A+ for atmosphere—twinkling Christmas lights strung across the ceiling like it’s December all year, and about ten giant screens showing ten different games.

If you have even a hint of ADHD, this is sensory overload. But for a fifteen-year-old boy? Pure paradise.

The burger? Top-notch. But Arctic Roadrunner still holds steady at #2 (we “research” there a couple times a week), and Miller’s Market in Houston remains the reigning champ. 👑

Halibut Redemption

Gannon switched gears and ordered Halibut Fish & Chips—Breck’s old favorite from the early 2000s and his mom’s pick when she visited last summer. Humpy's took me straight back to Hot Tuna in Virginia Beach, our go-to for 30 years. Humpy's never disappoints and neither does Hot Tuna.

I stayed loyal to my HCG plan—plain halibut, no oil, veggies with only apple cider vinegar. I call it Discipline on a Plate. Surprisingly delicious, though I did consider stealing one of Gannon’s fries when he wasn’t looking.

Snow, Safety Lights, and Cold Plunges

Snow has started to fall. Tomorrow we’re swapping tires for snow tires before driving north to Talkeetna to test the new cold plunge tub at the Battle Dawgs Wellness Center.

I’m ridiculously excited about it—and about trying our new Alaska Safety Headlights.

They can’t be used in town because they could blind other drivers, but on the Parks Highway after dark? They’re basically guardian angels with halogen bulbs.

Still on the Trail

There are plenty more burger joints between Anchorage and Talkeetna and Fairbanks, so we’ll keep on keeping on until we head to Virginia for Thanksgiving.

Gannon says he’s looking forward to a traditional turkey dinner. No hamburgers that day. (We’ll see how long that lasts.)

🍔 Burger Blog Moral of the Day: In Alaska, even the snowflakes taste like potential burger toppings. Signing off today: Nana Gaga & Gannon

Proof that happiness can, in fact, be ordered medium-rare.