Ethnic cuisine in Alaska: for value and heft-it's Mexican.

• Author: Lavrakas, Dimitra
• Position: ALASKA BUSINESS POWER LUNCH

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Over the years, ethnic restaurants have become a feature all over Alaska. Even in Bethel, you find Dimitri's Greek restaurant. How those folks got there must be one interesting story.

In places where people love to eat raw fish, sushi restaurants are a natural, like the Teriyaki House or Osaka's in Barrow.

Chinese is also popular, but by far the most prolific cuisine of all is Mexican. We don't know why, but guess it could be because it's hearty fare suitable for people working in difficult terrain at sub-zero temperatures. And when the plate is set in front of you, it's a heap of rice and beans along with the main dish--most are high-caloric with just about everything being fried. The volume is a good value for the money and you leave feeling sated, perhaps overly so.

Don Jose's, with two locations in Anchorage one on Northern Lights and another on Muldoon, has comfortable booths in a festive atmosphere. There's lots of light bouncing off brightly painted walls filled with Mexican arts and crafts and the distinctive tile work for which Mexico is famous. Don Jose's was born in Homer in 1982 and migrated north.

What tickles us most about Don Jose's is the fresh guacamole made on a cart at your table. This is so reassuring in a state where sometimes "fresh" is a white lie. You get to taste it and have the guacamole person make adjustments to please your taste. This service is available on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Another plus is the basket of tortilla chips that come hot and with a choice of two salsas--mild and fiery. Don Jose's fajitas are wonderful--not too greasy with lots of peppers and onions. Along with the traditional chicken and steak fajitas, there's an Alaska twist--scallops, shrimp or halibut.

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High above the Arctic Circle in Barrow, there's the most unusual of all Mexican restaurants in the state--Pepe's North of the Border, owned and run since 1968 by Fran Tate. Tate, originally an electrical engineer, found working at a desk was not her style and that a restaurant allowed her to be active and indulge in all things Mexican.

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Tate is a legend. She is the longest-running volunteer at local radio station KBRW with her show "Jazz Below Zero;" she's been on the "Johnny Carson Show" (bringing along an oosik); she used to distribute stuffed animals to children in a cancer hospital back East while dressed up as...