Maybe it's because our summer is so short here in Minnesota that as soon as the weather is borderline tolerable, tables, chairs and umbrellas begin to proliferate outside of nearly every dining spot in town. I'm all for outdoor dining, when the venue is nice; the patio at W.A. Frost in St. Paul is spectacular, of course, and Minneapolis' It's Greek to Me is beautiful too. I'm always impressed with the creativity some restaurants use to take what used to be dull or unattractive spots and make them desirable, such as the former-alley-turned-grotto at the Black Forest Inn, or any of the rooftop venues, such as Joe's Garage, Stella's Fish Cafe, Solera, and Brit's Pub (the latter has lawn bowling! How cool is that?).
On the downside are the little outdoor cafes that set up shop on major streets, where you can enjoy your food with a side dish of diesel fumes and deafening traffic noise. I'm not convinced that eating outdoors is worth it when I can't hear my dining companion's conversation and the taste of the food is mixed with the smell of traffic.
To me, the most egregious example of outdoor dining gone wrong has to be with one of my otherwise-favorite restaurants: Origami. Specifically, the Ridgedale location. Imagine--you can enjoy high-quality sushi and delightful sake while sitting outdoors with a view of the Macy's parking lot and the sound of cars and trucks on Highway 394 roaring in the distance. A few wrought-iron trellises does not make up for the dismal view. Better to get the sushi to go and find a park.
Where are the other really good and lovely places to eat outdoors?
Outdoor dining: a blessing or a curse
Sometimes dining outdoors is wonderful. Other times, not so much.
May 13, 2009 at 10:06PM
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amycrea
It’s too soon to tell how much the immigration crackdown is to blame.
