Thursday, December 08, 2005 

New bagel shop in Fairbanks

On Tuesday, LuLu's Bagels opened its doors in the Chena Pump Plaza. Up until now, Fairbanks hasn't had a real bagel shop, so I've been making do with bagels from the coffee huts. However, there's a certain appeal to getting out of the car and going inside for your food, and LuLu's might just win me over.

For a start, they make all their bagels fresh. They offer standards such a onion, sesame and everything, slightly more exotic fare such as asiago cheese and specials. The day I stopped by the special bagel was cinnamon-sugar. Where they might fall short is their toppings. Right now, they only have a few, and they are mostly run-of-the-mill. I sampled the chive and herb cream cheese, which was quite tasty. I was also tempted by the goat cheese. The other options are quite standard. They should consider a few more flavored cream cheeses, such as olive or salsa. Hummus would also be a nice option.

LuLu's also offers a wide selection of coffee drinks. Since I don't drink coffee, I'll leave it to someone else to comment on those.

Overall, I think LuLu's is a welcome addition to my breakfast options. The restaurant is warm and inviting, and the smell of freshly baked bread is enough to drive a hungry patron crazy. I can easily see myself stopping by in the afternoon and relaxing with a newspaper or magazine as I enjoy a light snack.