Lake revival
New owners bring century-old Sans Souci back after closure, and the results are creating a buzz
It would be reasonable to ask why anyone beyond regulars would make the trip to Sans Souci. Located in Cleverdale, a hamlet on a skinny peninsula in southeast Lake George, it’s unassuming and landlocked, packed with chattering locals and vacationing families. Without boat access or a lake view, the long, seven-day-a-week hours (1 a.m. nightly, midnight on Sundays) suggest neighborhood reliance on the bar. And, to some degree, that’s so. Repeatedly described as “the Cheers of Lake George,” Sans Souci has some residents stopping by in golf carts or on bikes. Parking is tight so patrons park two to three deep and leave their name and plate number with the host.
But Sans Souci — nicknamed The Sans — gets a whole lot more interesting when you factor in its 104-year history as a dance hall, erstwhile meeting space (including daytime prayers for earlyrising Catholics and later-praising Protestants) and a tavern. Or the claim that it operated continuously throughout Prohibition in part because alcohol could be brought from Canada across the frozen lake, in part because it was so far in the boonies the authorities didn’t bother to check. Fittingly, Sans Souci means “without worry” in French.
A slow decline led to sudden closure last summer, when the building and business were saved from residential redevelopment by a band of affluent lake property owners who recognized its local importance and unique grandfathered-in status. Connecting with chef and restaurateur Mike Cirelli, who closed his South Glens Falls bistro last year, was good timing, the May reopening a phoenix-like rebirth.
Would you make the trip? You really might. Unlike some points on the lake with lengthy, complicated drives — not all roads run neatly east and west around the lake — Sans Souci is just 15 minutes from Lake George Village, 24 from Glens Falls or an easy hour from downtown Albany. Cirelli’s revamped menu boasts handmade beef-and-pork Italian meatballs in his rich and not overly sweet marinara sauce, hand-packed beef burgers named for nearby bays, and an in-house pizzeria turning out hand-wrought pies. Throw in the convivial neighborhood vibe, locally made drafts and spirits, retro arcade games and a solid mix of pub food and Italian classics, and it’s a crowd-pleaser for that carload of grandparents and children or those visiting European friends.
The latter is pertinent if, like many, you find yourself repeatedly escorting out-of-town guests to the Adirondacks, onto steamboats or to Fort William Henry in Lake George Village. No matter how much boardwalk ice cream your group ingests, the day will end with the debate over where to eat. Slim pickings in the village prompt a drive north to Bolton Landing or south to Glens Falls — except now you know of Sans Souci.
Once there (it’s so residential outside you might waver), someone should get the excellent, rare filet mignon sliders, topped in horseradish and caramelized onions, and paired with three petite drafts from a rotation of upstate breweries (Adirondack, Mean Max, Druthers). The jumbo shrimp and lump crab meat cocktail is commendably fresh, naturally sweet and unabashedly old school; greens and beans are a rich, soupy bowl falling shy on garlic, and an apocryphal French onion soup is American-style, dark and brothy and capped in a welt of provolone, Swiss and parmesan cheese.
We plump for slick sauteed calamari in a heady garlic-butteroregano sauce; breaded and paired with marinara is another option. Charcuterie boards in three sizes offer a purveyor’s selection of soppressata, salami and Nettle Meadow cheese; a burrata salad is a benign assembly: balsamicdripped boule, wedge-cut beef tomatoes, spring leaves, toast.
You’re not expecting homemade pastas and breads here, though a ravioli special is house-made, and the pizza oven is put to work baking garlic-cheese bread. Pastas from pappardelle to penne are cooked al dente. So far, so good.
Chicken Tuscana, loaded with button mushroom slices, lemon and white wine, could use more prosciutto to cut sweetness with needed salt, but my guest was pleased. A seafood pescatore, smothered in marinara, is a stewy pasta mountain cascading shrimp and shellfish that retain juicy, plump shape.
Servers deliver pizzas crisp and blistered from the oven (available as small, large and gluten-free) and elevate hot trays on wire table crowns. With children in tow, we stick to traditional cheese, though the ricottabased bianco or mamma’s meatball sound ideal. “Mr. Brian” — the pizza guy — is tight-lipped on ingredients; the sauce recipe is his, the dough made daily.
If you need more proof of the nightcap crowd, a late-night menu, including wings, lobster rolls, lobster mac and cheese, and the beef and brew slider board, starts at 10 p.m. and runs to close.
This is no pinnacle of fine dining, but Cirelli capably plays to broad tastes with dishes spanning humble to upscale. Casual service could get spottier in the off-season as the Eastern European summer workers leave, though a number of part-time local staff have worked at The Sans from 12 to 27 years. Partner Larry Davis, the long-term owner of Mcgeary’s in downtown Albany, tells me summer business tripled projections, word of mouth is pulling people in from Vermont and counties south, and Cirelli, working toward partnership, is motivated: His catering wing is booking Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas gigs; the pizzeria is offering 20-mile delivery, and there are plans for meals-to-go.
Sans Souci’s revival this summer was a flying start for a hidden centenarian that burned down three times and survived closure; off-season plans are a blueprint for survival. If you find yourself heading north for leaf-peeping hikes or skiing, perhaps you’ll go.
Dinner for two including two appetizers, two burger or pasta mains, and two pints will run close to $75 before tip.