Americans save their foreign vocabulary for the really special stuff, those things with a certain je ne sais quoi that make life worth living: Bon Voyage. A la mode. Dining al fresco. Everything seems to taste better when soaked in the sun’s rays, or the moon’s beams, as the restaurants listed here have discovered. All five of these spots offer unbeatable patios for languid summer dining.
Spirits on the River
The operative word here is river, as in the mighty Swannanoa, which frolics just beyond this Native American restaurant’s back deck. The menu includes gator, elk, buffalo, rattlesnake and trout, so you can have your wilderness and eat it too.
571 Swannanoa River Road, Asheville/299-1404
The Boathouse
Waterfront dining would seem to be a perk reserved for visitors to this south Asheville restaurant’s sister establishment in Charleston, but its owners somehow managed to set up an upscale lakeside patio on the shores of Lake Julian. It’s the perfect place to get a steak and a tan.
65 Long Shoals Road, Asheville/687-4141
Lucky Otter
Located smack in the center of bustling West Asheville, customers at this burrito joint can snag a seat on the covered front porch and watch the traffic go by. It doesn’t sound so alluring till you’ve tasted The Shocka, fat with wasabi mashed sweet potatoes, or The Bloke, a strangely addictive combo of bacon, apples and Cotswold cheese.
630 Haywood Road/253-9595
La Paz
If you’re sitting outside, having a drink on a warm summer evening, money says it’s a margarita in your glass. So you might as well head to a place that knows how to mix them. La Paz, a well-scrubbed Tex-Mex outpost in northeast Biltmore Village, also serves up plates of high-end quesadillas, spinach enchiladas and sizzling fajitas that will have you begging for a doggie bag.
10 Biltmore Plaza, Asheville/277-8779
Thai Basil
The tough streets of New York get tougher for pedestrians every summer as cafés annex their sidewalks for outdoor seating. Downtown Asheville has only a few such spots, including Thai Basil in the historic Grove Arcade. Thai Basil does a fine job with the traditional favorites, which means you can enjoy a good green curry with your people-watching.
11 Page Ave., Asheville/258-0036
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