RICHARD FRISBIE :: Adirondack Picnics

Cranberry Lake was hardly more than a wide spot on the Oswegatchie River before the first dam was built in 1867 to make it easier getting logs to market. What was once a major industry is now relegated to the history books, but the lake lives on. The Cranberry Lake Region is the most sparsely populated section of the Adirondacks, and New York State, for that matter. We rented a pontoon boat for our picnic from the only marina in the tiny town of Cranberry Lake (winter population 216.)
Even though it is the third largest lake in the Adirondack Park, Cranberry Lake is shallow and filled with tree stumps lurking just below the water. A channel, basically following the old river bed, is clearly marked for the speedboats, but the pontoon boat skims over most of the snags, and the others are marked, so we had almost the whole lake to roam. We took a leisurely afternoon cruise on a prime August weekday and saw only five other boats. The isolation was beautiful! I hesitate to mention it because now people will flock there, not just for the great dining, but for the wild beauty of the Northern Adirondacks. Walk gently, please.
Picnic Ingredients: Corona Beer and potato chips (I know, it doesn't sound like much, but we went right after a big lunch and had a huge dinner waiting at Windfall Bar & Grill on our return. It was perfect!)

Windfall Bar and Grill

550 Tooley Pond Road Cranberry Lake NY 12927

(315) 848-3559

Upper Saranac Lake was noisier than I imagined it would be. Maybe it was the micro-burst that felled hundreds of soundproofing trees along the shore last fall, or the fact that Jet skis aren't banned there as they are on Lake Placid. On sunny afternoons the lake literally whined from the boat traffic. Otherwise, our stay at The Point was perfect. The Point is a tiny, but exclusive, Relais & Châteaux bit of perfection. It is the last of the traditional Adirondack "Great Camps", built in the '30s, still all original, and filled with Hudson River School of Art paintings. The Point only deals with superlatives, then builds on the experience from there. With eleven rooms, each guest can be expertly pampered, and they are!

One of the offered amenities is a picnic anywhere you could want, or can imagine. During our stay, meals were served at the lean-to, on an island, and on several of the available boats. Our picnic was on one of the small antique replica electric boats. It was so silent I steered toward a pair of loons, coasting over where they dove to watch them resurface nearby. They seemed startled by the apparition we presented, but stuck around. Even with the busier traffic than Cranberry Lake, the cry of the loons still lulled me to sleep at night.

For our picnic we were given a 2-way radio and told to call in case we needed anything. When I wondered what else we could possibly need I was told, in all seriousness, that if we ran out of champagne they'd be happy to bring out more! It is that kind of place. (BTW - they only serve Taittinger Champagne. I visited that cellar in Reims and wrote about it here. It is excellent!)
Picnic Ingredients: champagne, some savory canapés, sweets and cheese, basically a "tea" because  - again - a fantastic dinner awaited us.

The Point Resort on Saranac Lake

222 Beaverwood Rd. Saranac Lake, NY 12983

(518) 891-5674

Mirror Lake Inn supplied a breakfast picnic and our choice of boats for our third Adirondack picnic. We opted to dine on the float and go boating after, a decision that suited the duck who commandeered our row boat while we ate. This time we were suitably supplied with enough food to bribe our way onto the boat (and the duck off!)

I was sorry to be missing the included-in-our-visit breakfast at Lake Placid Lodge, especially after the dinner the chef prepared the night before, (!!) but the adventure of a dawn canoe ride and picnic breakfast was impossible to resist. The reality was more complicated, so eating first and boating after made the most sense. We sat in Adirondack chairs on the dock and watched the rising sun peek out of the morning mist and cloud cover. The air was cool, the birds singing, and the ducks enough company to suit the stillness of the new day. A cup of coffee would have been perfect, but I don't think those new self-heating beverage containers have been discovered there yet. No matter, the French-brewed coffee I made in the suite at the Lake Placid Lodge gave me the energy to sit and contemplate the tranquil play of kayaks and clouds on the water's surface.
Picnic Ingredients: Orange juice, lemon-poppy seed muffins, tubes of granola, fruit, rolls, jams and butter.

Mirror Lake Inn – on the lake

5 Mirror Lake Inn Drive, Lake Placid NY 12946

(518) 523-2544

Lake Placid Lodge was the scene of our easiest picnic. A complimentary plate of fruit and cheese, some nuts and crackers, and a surprising bottle of Long Island wine was setup on our balcony when we arrived.

With a few hours before dinner would be served, and a hearty appetite only culinary travel can hone, we lay on the chaises and consumed the food & wine while watching the clouds play across Whiteface Mountain. It was a totally decadent experience, as the other picnics were, each serving as an introduction to the fine dining we enjoyed every evening.

Lake Placid Lodge

144 Lodge Way Lake Placid, NY 12946

(877) 523-2700

I planned and provided the makings of the next picnic, no small feat since I was a week from home when it occurred. The kind folks at our first stop in the culinary tour (Cranberry Lake's Windfall Bar & Grill) put my supplies in their walk-in cooler, and I picked them up on the way to Cape Vincent. We stayed in a cabin on Lake Ontario, at the beginning of the Thousand Islands, and shared the company of old college friends over great meals there. After friends and food, the highlight was a boat ride through the Thousand Islands to Boldt Castle.

We were only at the castle for a hour, so I had to rush to prepare and serve lunch, and still leave time to see the sights. There were twelve of us, ten who hadn't heard of any of the food I brought. What fun we had! The castle is an architectural wonder, and the "Millionaire's Row" of great estates on private islands really makes the boat ride a fabulous experience. It was my first time so far North in New York. I'm already planning my return!
Picnic Ingredients: Bottled water, sopressata, jamón serrano, chorizo, manchego cheese and homemade bread & butter pickles, all served on sliced Italian olive baguettes. Simple, but exotic, and very easy to prepare.

A note about photos - I didn't take any of the picnic foods (too busy eating, I guess!) What photos I did take are blurred because of grease on the lens, or include people who wish to remain anonymous. (We were keeping some rarified company in the most exclusive resorts!) Only the duck signed the releases I provided - sorry! And, besides, I was on assignment for Adirondack Life magazine who will be sending around a professional photographer to document my travels!

Richard Frisbie, FOOD Correspondent:

RICHARD FRISBIE is published twice a month to Gather Essentials: Food. It is a food junkie's take on growing, raising, preparing and - above all else - eating food. Together we?ll explore the trends, addictions, equipment and regional specialties that make up the sometimes mundane and sometimes sublime cooking and dining experience. You can keep up with my other postings and Gather activity by joining my Gather network -- I look forward to hearing from you.

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BIO - Richard Frisbie writes culinary travel articles, is a columnist for his local newspapers, and is a regular contributor to the many Hudson Valley, Catskill Mountain and other regional New York publications. Online, he writes frequent articles for EDGE Publications, GoNomad and Travel Lady, as well as Gather.

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