By Cate Crawford

Due to COVID-19, life is just a tad more boring. Quarantine meant never leaving the house. It meant that the highlight of my day was dressing up to go to the grocery store. Despite quarantine may be over on a state regulation level, the world is still not the same. There is still no option to be able to go out to friends’ houses and even going out to dinner is restricted depending on seating arrangements.

            In the recent months, I have been exploring some social distance- friendly restaurants. My personal favorite is Sara’s Place, which offers outdoor dining on their patio. It is both close to my house and an easy stop for yummy food, however, COVID had me wishing to find somewhere that could provide something a bit more fun. Life is very restricted relative to going out, so I sought out to find a dining experience that I could consider both “safe” and “fun” for COVID times.

            There is nowhere more exciting to go to dinner than the Flats in Downtown Cleveland. It is my family and I’s favorite spot. Lindey’s Lakehouse is, of course, top of the list. I do not indulge in much meat these days, but, admittedly, I commonly order the delicious Double Smacked Smash Cheeseburger. It makes my mouth water just thinking about it. Not only is the food great, but the experience of sitting safely, socially distanced outside on the water makes the experience so delightful, almost as if you are sitting by the ocean in Florida (or close enough!).

            With the bar for fun being relatively low, just getting out of the house, dining at Lindey’s Lakehouse takes it up a notch with the food, scenery and covid-friendly environment. As the weather turns, it’s time to invest in heavy winter coats and gloves to hold onto this bit of fun. Highly recommended!