The concept is European, according to Pennsylvania Restaurant CEO Pat Conway, who said it started up in this region with sidewalk cafes in Center City Philadelphia.

In downtown Lancaster, the deck at Marion Court Room got going in 1992, according to co-owner Mike Geesey.

With Memorial Day bringing at last a hint of warm days and warm nights, and with summer officially beginning June 21, we sampled just three of Lancaster County's restaurants that have open- air dining on decks.

This trio was chosen for variety of location and style. They range from the venerable Marion Courtyard tucked into the center of the city, to the sprawling set of decks at T.J. Rockwell's (this western one even has a misty, experimental form of outdoor air conditioning) to an elegant and secluded deck under the broad umbrella of a linden tree in Strasburg at the Netherlands Inn & Spa.

Pennsylvania's climate allows a full six-month season, and sometimes more. Randy Bailey, manager at Rockwell's, remembers one October evening that was warm enough to inspire a costumed Halloween party there.

· Marion Court Room's Geesey has found a way to keep the large, original deck open seven days a week, 12 months of the year. "There's an interesting contrast between summer and winter traffic and you don't need a calendar, you need a thermometer, to know when it's a good day for deck traffic," he said. When there's a freak warm day in February, they open the doors of the glass enclosure that allows one deck to be open all year long.

All in all, Marion Court Room has five decks and one courtyard. On a warm day, said Geesey, who wants to sit inside?

Blair Mohn agrees.

"Food tastes better outside," said Mohn, who eats lunch downtown every day with colleague Jim Burton. "If it's a nice day, we come to Marion Court."

"But only a few months of the year," added Burton as the pair enjoyed an alfresco lunch. "It's like Baby Bear's porridge: Not too hot, not too cold, just right."

During the 1970s, the site was called the Swamp Fox. It attracted lawyers, judges and professionals who appreciated the privacy of an indoor restaurant and bar. The later it gets in the night -- then and now -- more customers moved out onto the concrete.

Now, the daytime crowd is made up by the folks who work in the city and like to sit outside on their lunch hours, a break from the desk and the indoors. The back-home-from-college crowd shows up late at night in the summertime, bringing their latest favorites. Last year, the favorite drink was Southern Comfort and lime, said Geesey.

The supper menu changes with Geesey's travel tastes. He convinced the owner of Faidley's in Baltimore to give him her prize-winning sauce recipe for crab cakes.

After discovering a taste for mufalata in New Orleans, Geesey found the authentic way to re-create the specialty which, he said, is essentially an Italian sub with an olive chutney.

"It's chunky and we keep it pickled ... the real deal," he said. New Orleans, a favorite vacation spot for Geesey, also inspired the jambalaya, red beans and rice and Cajun food on the Marion Court Room menu.

"We've had a full sushi bar since 1996," said Geesey. "It's a big joke every time I go on a vacation. The kitchen wonders what exotic foods they will need to stock after I return."

· The entrance to T.J. Rockwell's (formerly Mookies) looks very traditional and sits along a quiet country road near Elizabethtown. The parking lot is always full, with a big variety of cars, bicycles and motorcycles, because it's a country place, a destination that is one point on a ride through the beautiful countryside of western Lancaster County, near Mount Gretna and midway between Lancaster and Harrisburg cities.

Bursting out the back door, one sees a fish pond, surf board standup bars, and four large decks on staggered levels. Two of the decks are truly open-air, busy even during the afternoon with diners at tables crowned by broad umbrellas. One deck has a thatched tiki roof and another has been fashioned from a 42-foot boat found in a Baltimore salvage yard. Sand still lingers below the boat where once a volleyball court was laid out below the decks. There's a childrens' play yard tucked between the decks, popular with young families.

T.J. Rockwell's service is oversized and -- like the other restaurants' -- comes on plates with real silverware. The owners, Steve and Jeff Heckman, both earned college degrees in restaurant management; there's always something new in this place.

A frozen drink machine creates slushy-style summertime drinks, such as an icy version of mojitos. In first place among the drinks, according to manager Mike Bailey, is the Mai Tai which comes in a tall, distinctive blue glass customers may keep.

Rhino fries top the food popularity list, so much so that several cooks make only rhino fries. Bailey describes the speciality as about a pound of fries with melted cheese and scattered bacon bits, served with a cup of ranch dressing.

· And then, with a view of the open, green, rolling countryside near Strasburg, The Netherlands Spa, formerly Historic Strasburg Inn, is "a linen tablecloth kind of place," according general manager Michael Ritter.

Food and drink are served outdoors in the summer season at seven large wooden tables on a spacious, round deck, under a broad linden tree. Guests and local visitors can grab a cocktail or a beer at the nearby bar and sit outside, where there is space for children to play.

"Nobody seems to bother you here," said Ted Rice, pastor of a church in West Chester. Rice brought his bicycle to Lancaster to ride through Amish farmlands with an old friend and get re-acquainted over a late supper.

"This is the perfect place for that," said Rice. "We've been able to talk without a lot of interruptions. There's enough space between tables for privacy. When we wanted another drink or to order food, we either went inside and got it for ourselves, or we waited a while and someone came around. We don't feel like they are trying to turn the table or push the check. It's leisurely, the mood, under this big tree."

The Netherlands' menu includes small-portion or appetizer choices and a price range from salads at $10 to $30 entrees of steak or salmon.

Indeed, the mood is casual. Ritter describes it as, "Hey, it's a beautiful day. Let's sit outside."

Roberta Strickler's e-mail address is rstrickler@lnpnews.com blog comments powered by Disqus