By ED SALVAS
I’m not used to dining in a bubble. You know, those plastic bubbles or enclosures that have sprouted outside restaurants to extend the outdoor dining season because of restrictions imposed due to the Covid 19 pandemic.
I’ll try anything once, and headed over to the Deal Lake Bar & Co. in Loch Arbour for lunch. I was “zipped” into a bubble with a large picnic table on the deck and checked the menu.
The sun was out and the outside temperature was 46 degrees. Very comfortable. Then the sun disappeared and the wind picked up and the bubble began shaking. We stayed on the ground. The tent is firmly grounded.
Tip No.1 – take a sweater in case the sun isn’t out and you don’t want to eat in a heavy jacket. The extra layer will help. It was also interesting to note that inside the bubble it’s fairly quiet, except for the piped in music that’s not intrusive.
Tip No. 2 – The food is brought out to the bubble hot. It doesn’t stay hot forever so don’t linger. Remember, you’re really eating outside in the middle of winter. Same goes for the coffee. (The food and coffee were very good.) I was alone in my bubble when I sat down, but before long all five of the Deal Lake Bar & Co. tents were filled with other diners.
When you unzip the bubble and step outside, you immediately realize how warm it really is inside the bubble.