Hooray for Summer!
By Margit Bisztray, Food Critic

Hooray for summer! Not only is there so much fresh produce right now (if you're lucky, at roadside farmer's markets), but everything tastes better when you get to eat it outside. And that's one of the best things about summer dining: eating outside.

I know you're thinking "but it's too hot to eat outside in New Orleans!" Well, it IS hot there, but those lovely, shaded courtyards? How can you not treat yourself, once that hot sun goes down. Besides, nowhere does an icy-drink-in-the-hand like that city. Grab a seasonal cocktail with seasonal fruit (watermelon martini anyone?) and enjoy the sultry nights.

Atlanta gets pretty sticky in the summer, too, but I love it. And the local farms keep the produce there absolutely unbeatable: worth a little heat. I love it when chefs bring in the baby vegetables, all the varieties of peaches and berries, the tomatoes (I'm still swooning over the ones I had at Watershed) and the fresh herbs, sometimes even mixed into cocktails.

In Key West, sprinkler systems at restaurants like Mangoes keep you cool and crisp as a cucumber in the Publix produce section. Some of my other favorite outdoor spots there are Salute, nine one five, Azur (that fountain is a refreshment in and of itself), Blue Heaven, Louie's Backyard and Hot Tin Roof. Those long lingering sunsets make great theater, too. Dinner and a movie-worthy-sunset.

I'll be up on the Emerald Coast in the peak of summer season there, and can't wait for the barbecued oysters, the margaritas on the Gulf, and all the action on 30A, where it's worth it that you can only drive about 15 miles an hour because the crowds are so much fun. For eating outdoors there, I'm thinking Café Rendez Vous on Seaside's main square, or Bud & Alley's rooftop bar, or Beachwalk Cafe, Crystal Beach in Destin.

Enjoy those patios, those seaside views, that warm air. It won't last forever! And as always, some of the best summer meals are the ones you spend in your own backyard, gathered around your barbecue with friends, shucking corn or sipping a beer as you watch the fireflies come out for the evening.

NOTE: Margit Bisztray has been reviewing restaurants and writing about food for ten years. She has published three editions of The Complete Key West Dining Guide, and her work has appeared in such publications as Vogue, Gourmet, Islands and Metropolitan Home. To read more restaurant reviews, log your own personal opinions, rate your favorite restaurants and watch streaming video archives of these shows and other reviews, visit Margit's Top 5.