A moveable feast: take a railcar or a boat for a business lunch breather.

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

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Business lunch can become a knee-jerk situation: gourmet meal in a high-class restaurant. But if you want to sell a client on Alaska, use Alaska to nail that deal. Go outside and hop on a train or boat. Wow them with the grandeur and sweep of its landscape and wildlife.

And give them a taste of that wildlife.

TAKE THE A TRAIN

The Alaska Railroad offers trips north or south of Anchorage with an elevated bar car--the Tiki Bar on the Seward run, complete with palm trees and a grass-covered front. The white linen-covered tables of the dining car offer a fare reflective of the great land -smoked salmon corn chowder, reindeer and beef Kodiak stew, Healy's miner lunch, engineer's special of a slow-cooked beef pot roast with mashed potatoes and vegetable, or the Bartlett's saute of vegetables in a Pomodoro sauce over penne and topped with Parmesan cheese.

The train winds its way to Seward along Turnagain Arm, which is spectacular any time of the year, but in summer's light the fireweed blazes an almost surreal magenta. For Alaskans, your quick eyes can point out the fleeting red shapes of wriggling and thrashing spawning salmon along the way.

The train is a great way to introduce business colleagues and clients to the state in a relaxed atmosphere. More than a lunch, this is a journey giving you the time and space to really get to know each other.

SHIP OUT

Traveling by train to Seward lands you in the best spot to explore further into Alaska on a tour boat. Cook Inlet Regional Corp.'s Kenai Fjords Tours can take out onto Resurrection Bay for four to none hours, with time to...