Power lunch: fast, hot and built for speed: get down to brass tacks at these power lunch spots.

• Author: Lavrakas, Dimitra
• Position: This Month's Featured Eateries

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There are all kinds of impressions you can make on potential clients or business partners just by varying where you take them for a meal. It really is as simple as that.

Want to give the impression you're a down-home Alaskan and proud of it? Then head to Alaska Bagel on Northern Lights in Anchorage's Midtown.

Spacious, but surprisingly not noisy, this bagel bistro serves 36 kinds of bagels and 25 shmears--that's cream cheese with anything from fruits to nuts to herbs to vegetables added.

Everything is made onsite from scratch, said Sun Kim who became the third owner eight months ago. She believes her homemade bagels are healthier than regular sandwich bread.

"Bagels don't have trans-fats, no butter, not much salt or sugar," Kim said. Since taking ownership, Kim has replaced the carpet and artwork, something she said regulars have noted, appreciated and complimented her on.

The bagel sandwiches are appropriately Alaska-themed and Last Frontier-sized. Among them are the Brooks Range with herbs, spinach, cream cheese, tomatoes, sprouts, cucumbers and onions; The Pipeline--roast beef, turkey, lox, cheddar and Swiss cheese, cream cheese, olives, pickles, tomatoes and two bagels; and the Mount McKinley--cream cheese, avocado, tomato, onion, and sprouts.

Loyal customers come there sometimes twice a day and groups also hold weekly meetings, said longtime waitress of 14 years Christina Steward. She pointed to a table being cleared as one just occupied by a familiar contingent of FBI agents and police investigators.

Service here is fast and friendly. The wait staff is perky, efficient, but not intrusive--perfect for a luncheon meeting where you have to talk business in a limited amount of time and don't want constant interruptions with questions.

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Along with the bagels there's also homemade soups prepared with the best ingredients that Kim can buy.

"I shop for vegetables every day," she said. "The best quality makes the difference."

With the price of ingredients rising because of shipping costs, Kim is concerned about maintaining low prices.

"I'd like this place to be people's favorite place to come to have a conversation and to have food at a reasonable price," Kim said.

The restaurant also caters and offers different sizes of bagels if asked. For in-office meetings, which Kim also caters, she says bagels are a more productive source of energy than donuts.

A REPUTATION FUELED BY SOLID CUISINE

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