outside dining – Page 2

The Sunday porch: conditori

May 29, 2016August 20, 2017 Cindy at enclos*ure2 Comments

“Outdoor Restaurant,” Copenhagen, ca. 1915, via Oregon State University Special Collections & Archives on flickr. The image is from a collection of lantern slides of the “Visual Instruction Department.”

The accompanying bit of the class lecture observed that “[European] eating places have less of the haste and nervous tension which characterize cafeterias and cafes in American cities. In Copenhagen it is common for tables to be set out under an awning on the broad sidewalk. Here folk can eat leisurely and watch the happenings in the neighborhood.”

In the lettering above the tables, “og Conditori” means “and cake/pastry shop.” There’s another cake shop with nice outdoor seating (in Sweden) here.

I used to mock my father and his chums
for getting up early on Sunday morning
and drinking coffee at a local spot
but now I’m one of those chumps.

— Edward Hirsch, from “Early Sunday Morning“

The Sunday porch: Trondheim, Norway

April 12, 2015April 9, 2015 Cindy at enclos*ureLeave a comment

Fossestuen Hotel, Trondhjem, Norway, between ca. 1890 and ca. 1900, a photochrom by Detroit Publishing Co., via Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

Click on the photo to get a better look at the building’s green roof and outdoor restaurant seating divided by planters and latticework.

Nestled in the mountains near the lower tier of the Lienfoss waterfalls, the Fossestuen Hotel drew many foreigners to this picturesque region of Norway. Built in 1892, the hotel was actually a restaurant that served dinner and refreshments to tourists. The building reflects the traditional wooden architecture of Norway, with the sod roof a source of insulation against the harsh winter cold.

— from the image’s page on World Digital Library, a project of the Library of Congress.

On the patio, please

July 17, 2011April 13, 2016 Cindy at enclos*ure2 Comments

Washington, D.C., has been enjoying a few days with temperatures only in the mid 80’s and the humidity just below 50%.

For us, this is good. Our summer days usually begin with humidity at more than 80%. There’s an old story that, until air conditioning, the British government considered Washington a tropical hardship post and authorized its diplomats to wear Burmuda shorts. This is probably a myth, but everyone here finds it entirely plausible.

So to take full advantage of the current break, in the last few evenings we have looked for restaurants with outside tables. We chose two with very different patios: The Tabard Inn, with red brick, lush green vines, sculptures, and antique urns; and Two Amys, minimalist in comparison, but projecting some Italian chic with its yellow brick, modern red-orange chairs, and pretty glassware.

I’ll enjoy looking at these pictures again at mid-week, when the temperatures are predicted to be back up near 100°.

Click on any thumbnail in the gallery to enlarge.