Al Fresca Yum Yum

It's gorgeous out today - hooray! Grab your lunch and head outside. We all need the sun's vitamins after this stretch of gray. Check out the outside dining at these Salem restaurants:

On Washington Street, which is being called "Eat Street" by the locals, you can dine outside at the new tables in front and back of Caffe Graziani. The tables in the back are in a delightful shaded corner of Derby Square. Continue up Washington Street to Rockafellas, and across the street behind the Bewitched Statue, Gulu Gulu Cafe and Upper Crust Pizza each have outdoor dining.

Down on the water, you can sit harborside at Capt.'s, Victoria Station, Finz and the Regatta at the Salem Waterfront Hotel.

On Essex Street you can eat sushi fountainside at Asahi.

And on Front Street in the vicinity of Old Town Hall, you can sit outside at the Lobster Shanty (particularly fun when they have live music in Artists' Row), and you can eat ice cream at Maria's Sweet Somethings.

Don't feel limited by these restaurants that offer table service out of doors. If you're looking for something more casual, grab a dog at Boston Hot Dog or a sandwich at Reds, Brothers, or Essex Pizza and head to the picnic tables at the Salem Maritime National Historic Site or the cafe tables behind Old Town Hall on Front Street.

The steps of Old Town Hall and the Gazebo in Salem Common are also excellent picnic spots, as are the walls of Armory Park adjacent to the Salem Regional Visitor Center.

Bon apetit!