As our neighboring town of Saranac Lake prepares for it's 115th annual (really!) Winter Carnival next week, one of the greatly anticipated preparations to watch is the construction of the ice palace. The warmer than normal temperatures this winter had led some to fear there wouldn't be ice thick enough for building. Not so. Last Friday, while passing by the site on Lake Flower, lo and behold, there were the first few courses of ice in place! We stopped and I snapped some pictures of the crew in action.

 

It's always a fascinating process to observe and amazing how quickly the palace goes UP once they start working. Dean Baker is in charge of construction this year since the passing of Don Duso, long time palace construction "super". The carnival runs from February 3 - 12 this year, with the lighting of the palace with fireworks scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 4 at 7 pm.

 

 

Now it was time to get DOWN to the business of lunch at the DOWNhill Grill, just a hop, skip and jump from the ice palace. Last year the popular Downhill Grill in Lake Placid moved to a new location on Main Street in Saranac Lake. It's located in the former Meyer's Drug building. Owner, Joe Lawless, has made a dramatic transformation of the former drug store. It's a very large room, but he's done a great job breaking it up and making it cozy and inviting.

The room sports one of the original brick walls from the original early 20th century building. We sat at the long bar and ordered lunch, entertained by bartender Keegan Riley, Saranac Lake native, and every bit as good a raconteur as his author father, Howard. The restaurant is adorned with lots of Adirondack and local memorabilia and a beautiful antique back bar. I ordered a chipotle chicken sandwich which was exceptional and had just the right amount of spicy flavor in the accompanying sauce. My husband, Glen, ordered a burger and declared it excellent as well (he's a very critical critic of burgers, so passing this test is not easy). Our time spent at lunch was most enjoyable thanks to the staff and great food. Do try it when you're attending the Winter Carnival or any other time. Lunch and dinner are served daily. Check out all the area dining options here.

There is still time to make a reservation and attend any of the numerous events at the Winter Carnival. Just do it!