Lake Placid, Easter weekend

[MelissaH]

We'll be spending Easter weekend in Lake Placid this year, watching some good college hockey. Our hotel room is three blocks from the ice arena, and we plan to park the car when we arrive on Friday and not move it again until we head out on Monday.

Where's good to eat these days? Our tastes definitely tend towards the less-expensive, non-upscale, non-chain, down-to-earth, good food, good to sit and talk with friends places. We haven't been graduate students for quite a while, but think about eating like a grad student and you'll get the general drift. We won't be bringing any clothing more formal than cargo pants and a hockey sweater, so anywhere that would require fancy dress is out. We'll probably be spending a fair amount of time enjoying outdoor activities when we're not at games, so we'll probably get good and hungry.

Is there anywhere we should be sure not to miss? And are we likely to encounter closed restaurants due to the holiday?

MelissaH

[coquus]

This really threw me, I was thinking you were going to be into Fine Dining because of easter, and thought for sure you'd be up there skiing because Easter is so early this year, so here I was thinking The Lodge, The Point, and maybe thinking you might need to bring some nicer clothes, and you come with the hockey and the sweaters. I used to go up there a bit, there is a ton of options in you demographic, but unfortunately everything I know about it is not relevant to the 2000's and strictly in the summer time. I usually eat outside of Placid as well, due to the large amount of tourist traps that used to populate the strip. The local scene has changed a lot since then however, the last time I was up there I was looking at one of those pamphlets that you pick up here and there, that they would have at the chamber or whatever, and it had the menus of about a dozen restaurants, about half of which were really pretty exciting. I just remember the one Greek place which was in Placid I think. The family retired up there from Buffalo to open a fine dining restaurant(I think it was named Mikanos but that could have been their old place or an Island I know somehow, either way there weren't any Greek places a while back, and doubt there are any others now). Great story, probably a solid bet for value and really good food, my sister used to love the Buffalo spot and she's lived in Greece. When I used to visit, we used to go to the pizza place down east a ways past the rink, in front of a dance club I think, that could be more of what you are looking for, pizza and pitcher beer? Another place I have always wanted to go is the Hotel Saranac, about 15 min. down the road in Saranac Lake, the restaurant is Paul Smiths Culinary's training restaurant, I bet they do a mean Easter dinner. Good luck, hope I helped, and report back on what you find.

[jfd666]

You might run into the closed problem - just call to make sure where you're going will be open.

I really like the Carribean Cowboy up there. Lisa G's is also good. I think both of these fit your qualifications (they are relatively chill).

There is also a decent Greek place, Mykonos...

edit: Tip~a~Canoe in Keene is good too (10 minute drive)

Edited March 4, 2008 by jfd666 (log)

[Robin Meredith]

Sorry in advance for answering a request for recommendations with a rant, but we had a positively miserable dinner at the Great Adirondack Steak and Seafood Company last fall, and I would hate to see anyone else repeat our mistake, so I couldn't resist passing that along.

So there.

[MelissaH]

What we found: a bunch of places were closed on Easter Sunday.

We brought sandwich fixings with us, and made some very good sandwiches. As far as meals out, we did a lunch and a dinner at the Lake Placid Brewing Company. The food was uneven; I'd recommend going for lunch and sticking with sandwich-type items. The beer was good.

MelissaH