Smoking should not be allowed anywhere where there are others around who don't smoke. Period. Case closed.
Why should these smokers be allowed to pollute the air while you are trying to eat, much less eat?

I have seen Donna's staff (on St. Pauls) ask their dinners to stop smoking. Will check next time I am there if this is their policy or not.

(Unfortunately they can't ask the smokers next door at Berts and CVP to stop when they come out of the smoke free bar.)

Plus, if you sit around the corner on 31st you can't tell if people are smoking outside the bars or not.

I don't think smoking at outdoor dining tables should be banned. I just can't stand smoke. Period. If there are places that have smoke free outdoor dining I will patronize those establishments. Otherwise I'll stick eating indoors. It is hard to argue that smoking outside will cause second hand smoke induced illnesses. But like I said I just can't stand it. My wife and I attended many outdoor festivals and fairs when we first moved here but have pretty much given up going to them because of the smoke.

i am a smoker and i do enjoy a nice after dinner al fresco cigarette where appropriate. as a smoker, i took the liberty to change your entry to something that annoys me:

fat people should not be allowed anywhere where there are others around who aren't fat. Period. Case closed.
Why should these fat people be allowed to pollute the scenery while you are trying to eat, much less eat?

also, the end of your entry makes no sense.

first it was a problem with smoking indoors, now it's a problem smoking outdoors. we understand you don't like it, go get it banned outside then.

Outdoor seating at Cinghiale is smoke-free.

What about flaming desserts? Are they ok, or might a cherries jubilee give someone a second hand sugar rush.

I'm not totally clear on the specifics, but smoking is banned at all public places (inside & out) in Howard County. I would assume that would make all restaurants with outdoor seating smoke-free,

Donna's generally prohibits smoking on their outdoor patios. But it's not strictly enforced, if there's only one person out their etc.

As a non-smoker who is allergic to smoke (I get headaches, cough, and so on and did not go to bars for a while because of it), I would prefer if people didn't smoke outside, since I too like eating out their.

Essentially a fat person doesn't prevent you from eating and enjoying your meal. If someone at the table next to me is smoking, even outdoors, I will not physically be able to enjoy my meal. There are also asthmatics out their who have similar issues.

That being said I'm not totally anit-smokers, I would be in favor of a licensing system which allowed a few bars to be smoker bars etc. I just don't thikn it has a role in restaurants.

EL, you should have continued to ignore Mark, who appears to just want a forum to complain about smokers. He doesn't seem like he would add much fun to an outdoor festival anyway.

Oh, harsh. The poor guy just wants suggestions for a place to eat outdoors where no one is smoking. I didn't mean for this to turn into an indictment of a) smokers, b) nonsmokers, or c) fat people. EL

Smoking is banned indoors because of the health effects of second-hand smoke on those who work in the establishment, not the patrons who come there willingly. Of course, a private restaurant or bar has the right to ban smoking if it chooses, but as you see from the owners' attempts to defeat the ban, most do not so choose. Outside, the same concerns about second hand smoke do not apply; the smoke dissipated very quickly. As such, smokers aren't "poisoning" the air any more than drivers or construction workers laying blacktop. If you don't like smoke outside, vote with your feet and wallet. There's always social pressure too. Just don't be a jerk. For my part, I don't think its that bad.

Bill... apparently you are narrow minded as well as narrow waisted.

If the sight of a fat person is annoying to you I honestly hope you are athletic, have even blood pressure, and no heart disease or other maladies.

You are insulting to correlate the vision of an overweight person with the stench of a smoker.

The only person a fat person is hurting is possibly themselves. They are in now way endangering your health by sitting near you in a restaurant.

Whereas you apparently aren't getting enough oxygen to your small brain.

OK, I think there have been enough personal attacks with this one. Let's move on, unless anyone has anything new to bring to the table. New would be, for instance, the names of restaurants that either do or don't allow smoking on their patios. EL

I agree EL, lets move on.

I posted earlier that Au Bon Pain's courtyard next to the former Alex. Brown Building was good for lunch. Smokers were allowed in there, but they sat away from the dining area on benches. So for the diners, it wasn't bad and the smokers could enjoy the outdoors as well.

As a former smoker, I don't want to be around smoke, but I know that smokers have their rights as well.

Speaking of former smokers, where oh where is Piano Rob???

gertrude's - you can't smoke on their outdoor patio

haha. i was just trying to make a point that the relentless hate towards smokers could just as easily be directed at other groups of people. i figured it would stir the pot a bit.

Moving on now. EL

I used to work at Paolos in Towson, even before the smoking ban and while we had a smoking section near the bar, the patio was non-smoking. That was the managements decision because while we couldnt control people on the street etc, we diidnt think it was fair to not provide outside dining to people who didnt want the smoke. Smokers could easily get up and smoke even a few feet away friom the table, but non-smokers coulndt move their meal away.

Needless to say, some people didnt like that rule much. Explaining the reasoning didnt work, and I had peoiple who would literally lean over the rail so they'd be smoking "off the patio."

Interesting though that people didnt have a problem with it this summer now that the whole place is smoke-free. Maybe theyre just more used to it on the whole.

Skin is correct. I contribute no fun to places I go. Having fun is against my religion. I don't like smoke and therefore avoid places I would have to breath it. For now on if I want to know about smoking policies I will call the restaurant. Skin is also correct about who EL should ignore. I have continued to bring up this issue with the hope that EL would comment on smoking policies in her reviews where she mentions outdoor dining.

http://www.reason.tv/video/show/466.html
Some thoughts on banning things, including smoking.