How to Dine Outdoors This Winter Without Getting Frostbite
There’s nothing quite like dining alfresco in the summertime—warm sun on your neck, a light breeze rustling your menu, condensation beading on your spritz. Dining outside in winter is…different. I’m cold. We’re cold. But with indoor dining not an option in many parts of the country, and many of us eschewing it in places where it is, BA editors are braving the 30-degree temps (or lower) in order to support the restaurants we love. Here are the socks, hand warmers, and flannel-lined Dad jeans that are keeping us toasty all the way through dessert.
“As a chronically cold (yet somehow perpetually sweaty?!) person, an extra base layer just doesn’t cut it. So when I know I’m going to be outside for a long period of time, I fill up a big rubber bottle that keeps water hot for hours. I nestle it between my coat and my sweater when I’m dining outside and, for the whole meal, it’s like I’m being hugged by someone (to clarify: someone I love) who just got out of a hot tub.” —Sarah Jampel, Basically editor
“I used to merely endure winter, hunched over in a thin wool coat and leaping over potentially day-ruining puddles in sneakers, envious of my kids’ full-body snowsuits and boots rated to 0 degrees. This winter, inspired by their obliviousness to cold, I finally got appropriate footwear: These boots are waterproof, warm, and wonderfully grippy, even on solid ice.” —Chris Morocco, Test Kitchen director
“I’m a little wary of what’s in these reusable hand and feet warmers, but what I do know is that they work. Bend them until they snap, and they’ll keep your extremities toasty for at least a drink or two (I keep a couple in my bag for longer excursions). Once they’re spent, boil them for 10 minutes, let them cool, and they’re ready for your next sidewalk meetup.” —Amanda Shapiro, senior editor
“These cashmere gloves fight off wind chill while keeping my fingers free to hold chopsticks, forks, and, when I’m brave, straight-up slices of pizza. I opted for burgundy to keep stains at a minimum, but I’ll take a little marinara splatter over blue fingers any day.” —Aliza Abarbanel, assistant editor
“It’s all about the feet for me—I’ll only last outside as long as my toes are toasty. I purchased my first pair of Smartwool socks when I was working in Alaska (cotton kills), and this winter they’ve made the difference between my being able to spend time outdoors with my friends and sitting inside, alone, withering away into a Miss Havisham–type recluse.” —MacKenzie Chung Fegan, contributing writer
“A Christmas or two ago, my mom gifted my husband and brother pairs of these so-lame-they’re-cool flannel-lined classic fit jeans from L.L. Bean. (I got earrings.) I waited a few months, then systematically stole both pairs from their drawers. They also make a “women’s” version, but what is gender anyway? All you need to know is that I can now sit for hours at an outdoor table with an underperforming heat lamp and my legs stay as toasty as two hot dogs on a grill.” —Hilary Cadigan, culture editor
“These fleece-lined tights feel like an absolute luxury—so warm and comfy but thin enough to layer under jeans without feeling like you can’t bend your knees. I have multiple pairs so I can literally wear them every single time I leave the house in winter.” —Kate Fenoglio, production manager
