Susan M.
Yelp
Although the Turtle Club is a little off the beaten path, about 10 miles outside of Fairbanks, it's well worth the trip. (And with a slight detour, you can see the Alaska pipeline, a photo op also worth a stop. It was way bigger and more impressive than I expected!)
I highly recommend you make advance reservations for the restaurant, even if you're only a twosome, because our party of 8 went at 5:30 PM on a Sunday in late March, and it got very busy, very quickly.
The decor is rustic, with interesting artifacts, many turtle-related, all around. It's a casual atmosphere, with the entire menu (except the desserts...more on that later...) conveniently printed on the paper placemats, but it also feels warm and intimate because of the low lighting and little white lights tucked in greenery bordering all the walls.
All entrées include a baked potato or rice and the salad bar, which is chock full of fresh everything...way-better-than-iceberg-lettuce greens, sprouts, mushrooms, beets, peas, cucumbers, cheese, chopped eggs, sunflower seeds, croutons, potato and pasta salads, fruit...and just about anything else your heart could desire on a salad bar! There were 6 different dressings, including the usual ranch, Caesar, and creamy Italian, and a couple of surprises, like celery seed. This will sound like an oxymoron, but there was a delicious fruit cocktail unlike any I've ever tasted, that included large chunks of fabulous rosy-red passionfruit and pineapple. But be sure to save room for the entree, especially the prime rib, because it's Alaska-sized!
I ordered the smallest prime rib, the Foxy Cut, 10-12 oz. of 1" thick tender juiciness! That was big enough, but the other cuts were HUGE...almost 2" thick! Even if you think you don't like horseradish, it is wonderful with prime rib, so try it, sparingly, because it packs a punch! All the fixins for your baked potato (which comes with a little cup of swirled sour cream on the side...NOTE: that's NOT butter!) are at the table, including real butter, real bacon, and green onions.
If you've gotten this far and aren't full-to-bursting, it's a miracle! Next comes the dessert tray, laden with deliciousness, so don't avert your eyes! Even if you can't eat another bite, take home a dessert, because the two we tried, the Milky Way and the Chocolate Mousse with a chocolate cake base, were outstanding! For non-chocoholics, try the Dreamsicle (orange/vanilla) or another of their variations on cheesecake.
The Turtle Club should be on the menu for any visit to Fairbanks!
NOTE: For larger parties, be aware that the tip will already be included on your bill, next to the (possibly hand-written) letters "GC," which stands for "gratuity charge." You might want to ask to be sure that that money will go to the wait staff, as there may be some legal issues regarding "involuntary" service charges and who gets them...the management or the staff.