Dining al fresco for dummies

By Devora Rogers - Europeans Do it Better series

Donibane IX - ilunabarra (Mimentza/Flickr)With longer days and summer approaching, there's nothing that I miss more than Europe 's sprawling terraces and outdoor cafes. While in Spain last year, I experienced their "terraza culture" which, if you're not familiar is a fanaticism for outdoor bar and dining terraces. Madrid 's become famous for these spaces, perched atop buildings in the downtown area. While we may not have the table-lined streets of Paris or the terrazas of Spain , we do have tables, we do have food and we can bring them both outside.

Here's my guide to dining al fresco:

1. Rule # 1: If it's warm, you should be eating outside, all summer long. Period.
2. Lighting is everything. If you plan on creating a permanent area dedicated to outdoor dining, consider buying light cubes or these super neat glowing spheres. Otherwise, some candle set-ups are a must have. If you're in an area with bugs, the mosquito-repellant Cintronnella variety is a good addition.
3. Serve food that doesn't necessarily need to be kept warm, i.e. fresh crusty baguettes, cheese platters, pasta that can be served at room temperature. Quiche is another excellent choice for the outdoor meal.
4. If you're using the barbeque, I suggest eating food right off the grill-serve your guests up steaks (or sigh, burgers) as soon as they are ready and encourage them to dig in while it's hot and the flavor is fresh-that's what makes outdoor eating fun, it's a little less formal and everything tastes a little sweeter.
5. Keep the wine and platters outside with you so you don't have to trek in and out of the house to get what you need.
6. Cool table cloths. I mentioned French table linens in my Mother's Day blog and these are definitely they way to go and rock out Euro style. They are charming and ensure you're eating off a clean, appetizing surface.

Final rule: Stay outside as long and as late as you can. In Europe they bring their tables right out from their apartment onto the sidewalk and don't move till the early hours of morning. I can't think of a better way to enjoy the summer!