The diner in winter: nothing like a hot lunch to shoo the blues.

• Author: Lavrakas, Dimitra
• Position: Alaska Business Power Lunch

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This month, we bravely face the rounds of holiday cheer in all its forms, though they be mostly fattening tidbits far too close to our desks. But it's also a time to coddle and treat ourselves to a lunch in a cozy atmosphere with exemplary food. This combination can be found in diverse locations.

This summer, we made pilgrimages to Whittier to the Swiftwater Cafe for the best fish and chips we've ever downed. When we heard it was closing for the winter, we hustled in on the next-to-the-last day, braving classic Whittier weather of high winds and sideways rain.

Think how wild we were with pleasure when we discovered that the owner of Swiftwater, Sherri Warnke, who also runs our favorite burger place, The White Spot on Fourth Avenue in Anchorage. And happy day, she also owns Captain Chuck's Fish and Chips in the old Pizza Hut in the parking lot of Northway Mall. While we mourn the loss of Roscoe's that also inhabited the same spot, Captain Chuck's now fills our hearts with the promise of a winter filled with fried fish. It no longer looks so dark.

You have a choice of fish to be fried--halibut, rockfish or cod. If you order a fish sandwich, any of those fish, plus salmon, can come as fried, flame-grilled or sauteed.

And for the, hopefully, hordes of TransCanada workers moving here, there are "chips," Brit-slang for french fries, served with malt vinegar. You'll feel right at home.

The prices are reasonable, the decor a little stark, but much lighter and brighter than in the Pizza Hut days.

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"People are surprised how nice it is inside because the outside," Warnke said, as she held up a huge onion she was preparing for the fryer.

The wait staff is efficient, caring and kind. Naturally, because it's in a parking lot, there's lots of parking. And a fireplace sits in the middle of the room, which we hope will be in operation during those minus-degree days.

Again, if you're hosting a client from Outside and want to expose them to authentic Alaska seafood, this is a great place to go. Warnke, after 20 years in business, knows her seafood and offers an all-Alaska product, save the oysters, which come from Washington.

GOING UPTOWN

More upscale is Orso's on Fifth Avenue. Sink back and enjoy the warmth of the fireplace while being waited on by the attentive staff in a contemporary Italian bistro atmosphere.

Presto Lunch at a mere $9.95 includes coffee, tea or soda and bite-size sweet treat, and is offered Monday through Friday. You can substitute a "buzzless" cocktail for an additional $1.00.

Orso makes lunch choices easy and memorable.

From its Web site, the meals promise a satisfied palate: Presto Salad--fall mix of spinach, arugula, cilantro, parsley, basil and mint tossed with coconut-orange blossom dressing, finished with fresh pomegranate and citrus segments, and for an additional cost, shrimp, chicken or scallops; Presto Pasta--house-made butternut squash, mascarpone, and molasses-filled ravioli, tossed with browned butter and fresh sage, finished with hazelnuts and a light dusting of bittersweet chocolate, with halibut, shrimp or scallops at an additional cost; a cup of signature house-made smoked-salmon and clam chowder, or fresh soup of the day, with choice of...