COVID, colder weather, the holidays, heated tents — when considering outdoor dining, Westporters have lots to think about.
The other day Rowena Weems asked Bartaco about their tent. News reports said that outdoor tents with no open panels are no different than being indoors.
Chris Messina — Bartaco’s regional director — replied:
“We purchased a heated tent with 3 motors. This circulates air more than 3 times the amount of inside. These motors pump heated fresh air at all times.
“In addition, the tent is not perfectly sealed, so ventilation is actually even better than the already great specifications we have.
“The small tents in New York City with no heated units or ventilation are worse than indoors. That’s not what we and most restaurants are investing in.
“We’ve spent a large amount of money to ensure our guests are safe and we can all get through this together.”
“Here are Bartaco’s specs:
- Total tent area: 33,972 cubic feet.
- Heating system CFH (cubic feet per hour of fresh, hot air): 288,000 cfh
- Air changes per hour: 8.5
“In a normal insulated building with HVAC, there might be 3-6 changes per hour (on the high side).”
Sure, Thanksgiving is around the corner. We’ve already had our first frost.
But the recent weather revived thoughts of summer. Well, at least for this one guy at Compo Beach on Friday.

(Photo/Sheri Valente)
Thanksgiving is Thursday. Which means it’s time for … Christmas lights!
Andrew Colabella spotted these — the first of the season? — on Edgewater Hillside.
The hell with the turkey. Get out there and decorate!

(Photo/Andrew Colabella)
And finally … on this day in 1963, President John F. Kennedy was murdered in Dallas. There have been a number of turning points in American history. This was one of the most crucial.