Yes, the Norvegian Rat Saloon spells its name with a “v” rather than a “w.” Sometimes. The sign on the low-slung waterfront building uses a “v,” but their menu has both spellings on the cover and we saw an ad with the “w” spelling, so who knows? Sitting just across the road from the Safeway, a local landmark, the Norvegian Rat Saloon offers a casual setting: a walk-up bar, wooden tables for diners, 2 pool tables and shuffle board table, a scruffy outdoor seating area on the water, complete with a WWII bunker, crab pots fire pit and an uninviting little “smoking area” shack.
The selection of draft beers, while not large, is surprisingly good and we were going to stay the minute David saw the taps. Two cold Arrogant Bastards later ($6 each) and we were happily seated next to a shipmate. We hadn’t planned to eat, but were really impressed with her fish and chips ($13) and the huge Hog Island pulled-pork sandwich ($12.50) of the guy sitting next to us. When we heard a fresh batch of off-menu red king crab was in the works, we put in our order. (I believe the crab was a special targeted at the cruise ship crowd. Lucky us!)
In 10 minutes, we had a plate of two large crab legs and a body section, all full of perfectly-cooked, perfectly fresh chunks of meat. The crab was served with nothing but a dipping bowl of small butter and a shell tool. Delicious! Crab: $19.50.
Norvegian Rat Saloon
1906 Airport Bech Rd.
(907) 581-4455
M-Sat. 11am-2am
Sun. 12pm-10pm
The crab looks wonderful!