Local restaurants provide outdoor dining

By Caitlin Fitzpatrick
With the summer approaching some local restaurants have been opening their outdoor dining areas for those who want to enjoy the weather while eating.
The Naked Turtle, a restaurant known for having outdoor dining, has just recently opened its doors again to the public. The restaurant opened for the summer on Thursday, April 29.
The Naked Turtle is located on Lake Champlain and offers casual meals, such as burgers, and more upscale meals, such as pasta and steak, at reasonable prices. The restaurant is also open late on the weekends as a bar for those who want a night out on the town.
Katie Rogers goes to the restaurant for a good meal and also a fun time on the weekends.
“The Turtle is such a good atmosphere because it’s right on the lake,” she said.
Rogers adds that the restaurant is fun on the weekends because of happy hour specials and the bands that they offer on a weekly basis and it also offers a good choice for food.
Olive Ridleys, located in downtown Plattsburgh, is another restaurant that offers outdoor dining to its patrons. The restaurant is open year round and also has a bar that is open late night on weekends as well.
Like the Naked Turtle, Olive Ridleys offers casual and upscale meals at decent prices. For students at SUNY Plattsburgh, it also accepts cardinal cash for food.
The restaurant is known for offering a large stage where it hosts comedians and bands.
Although most of the restaurant and bar is inside, at a common council meeting on Thursday, April 15, the common council approved Olive Ridleys for an outdoor table license in which the restaurant requested that some of their outdoor parking spaces be used for outdoor dining starting on May 11.
Lauren Parthemore, a former waitress at the restaurant, believes that having outdoor dining will increase the number of patrons that come into the restaurant to eat.
Parthemore believes that outdoor dining is appealing to some because people enjoy combining the nice weather and atmosphere with food.
Geoffreys Pub and Restaurant, also located downtown on the corner of Peru and Broad streets, offers a casual atmosphere and traditional pub food along with more casual, modern meals.
The meals are also priced reasonably and Geoffreys accepts cardinal cash accommodating students at SUNY Plattsburgh and has happy hour specials every day.
For outdoor dining, the restaurant and pub has a large patio located in the back top level of the restaurant where customers can enjoy both food and the summer weather.
Adriana Sibrizzi, a student at SUNY Plattsburgh, says the restaurant appeals to her because of the cardinal cash aspect and also because of the outdoor patio which allows her to soak in the sun while eating her favorite foods.
“I really like how there’s a patio; it definitely gives the restaurant a feel of summer,” she says.
The restaurants patio has been open for a few weeks now, and based on the weather the restaurant will serve its customers outdoors.
The Bistro, also located on Lake Champlain at the Treadwell Bay Marina and Resort, is a restaurant that is only open for the summer and opened its doors to the public on May 1of this past weekend.
For those who enjoy outdoor dining in the summer, there is a patio overlooking the marina.
The restaurant offers casual breakfasts and lunches and more upscale dinners.
Gerilynn Crandall, is a customer that often frequents The Bistro and specifically came to the restaurant for its opening when visiting this past weekend.
Crandall says that the outdoor dining and the view of the water keep her coming back to the restaurant when she’s in the area.
She also adds that The Bistro offers great seafood and fish.
For those who enjoy sailing or own a boat, people who become a member of the Treadwell Bay Marina and Resort get a 10 percent discount on food at The Bistro and also at Geoffreys Pub and Restaurant.
Bistro customers also get free docking at the marina while dining.
With summer approaching diners can be sure that the Plattsburgh area offers many choices for those who want a taste of warm weather with their meals.