Eat ADK: Restaurant Week 2016
“Celebrating Good Eats in the Adirondacks”
Food, glorious food! In recent years, restaurant weeks have boomed and turned into popular events in locations near and far. Restaurant weeks give food aficionados a chance to discover and enjoy local restaurants, providing patrons with the opportunity to sample a variety of dishes from prix fixe menus at reasonable prices. In Lake Placid, the first restaurant week will be held for ten days this coming May, from Friday, the 13th through Sunday, the 22nd. With an overall goal of introducing the Adirondack community to new or special menu items at local restaurants, dining experiences will be available at pricing options of $15, $25, $35, or $55, depending on the number of courses and type of food.
EAT ADK Restaurant Week has roots that can be traced back to Paul Smith’s College. With well-recognized programs in the culinary arts and hospitality, innovation and commitment to the local community are founding pillars of the Paul Smith’s experience. In 2015, students in the Field Studies in Hospitality class, led by Professor Kelly Cerialo and fully supported by Professor Joe Conto (Director of the Hotel, Resort, and Tourism Management Program), studied restaurant weeks in other communities in order to develop a model that would allow implementation of the exciting event in Lake Placid. While the event this year is based solely in Lake Placid, the students created the Eat ADK model to allow for future growth, hoping that other towns in the Adirondacks will pick up on the event and organize an “EAT ADK” week in their community. As a proud sponsor of this year’s EAT ADK Restaurant Week, Paul Smith’s College students and faculty continue to be involved with the event, working with the organizing committee.
Photo Credit: Nichole Richardson
This year’s participants include: Aki Sushi, Caffe Rustica, the Cottage, ‘Dack Shack, Dancing Bears, Delta Blue, Desperados, Fireside Steak House, Generations, Great Adirondack Steak & Seafood, the Interlaken, Lake Placid Club Boat House, Kanu @ The Whiteface Lodge, Lake Placid Pub & Brewery, Liquids and Solids at The Handlebar, Lisa G's, Nicola’s, Players, Redneck Bistro, Taste Bistro, Top of the Park, The View, WiseGuys, and Wyatt's.
As the event draws near, menus and specials for each restaurant will be made available on the EAT ADK website (EATADK.com). On top of specials at the local restaurants, several lodging options in the Lake Placid region have decided to provide special packages to entice those visiting the area for the restaurant week to extend their stay and take advantage of everything that Lake Placid has to offer. From the Whiteface Lodge to the Pines Inn, hotels are offering rate discounts for rooms and/or specials on the dinners being served as part of the event.
The EAT ADK Restaurant Week has been a labor of love for all of those involved, and event coordinators, volunteers, and participants are excited to see their plans come to life. Dining and relaxation have always drawn visitors and locals alike to Lake Placid, but the restaurant week experience will help highlight the features that make Lake Placid unique and hopefully help to create some lasting bonds with new visitors to the region.
