"The Pump House started its life in 1933 as an industrial water pumping station that sent water from the Chena River to gold dredging operations in the nearby town of Ester. In 1978 it was refurbished into a fine dining restaurant featuring upscale Victorian gold rush décor. The bar is one of the best in town for both food and cocktails; it’s full of dark wood, polished brass, and antique furniture and pool tables from the 1890s, and is a great place for a quiet, intimate conversation over a whiskey. The corrugated tin walls add to the ambiance, but it’s the outdoor deck facing the river that really makes the place. It’s a perfect spot on a sunny summer afternoon to drink and eat and watch the water roll by. The deep-fried halibut cheeks appetizer is a must, and the mains are just as good. Their 16-ounce ribeye steak is reliably perfectly cooked, and the bacon-wrapped Alaska scallops are nothing short of divine. You definitely won’t go away hungry." - Kris Farmen
