The Best in DFW

Café Modern 

Located at the Tadao Ando-designed Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, the restaurant's patio overlooks a calming reflecting pool, itself an artwork. The architect wouldn't allow any cooling mechanisms on the patio such as fans or misters, but it's certainly beautiful. Executive chef Dena Peterson offers a succinct menu of salads, sandwiches and New American entrees for lunch and brunch.

3200 Darnell St., Fort Worth. 817-840-2157. www.themodern.org. $$.

Dakota's 

The glamorous, windowed elevator shaft that carries guests to the restaurant's subterranean location provides a glimpse of the patio framed by a waterfall. It's one of the most romantic, clandestine settings in the city. Steaks are Dakota's strong suit, as are crab cakes and a Valrhona chocolate cake. Fans (and the waterfall) help keep things cool.

600 N. Akard St. 214-740-4001. www.dakotasrestaurant.com. $$$$.

Dream Cafe 

Tables on the sunken patio at the restaurant's Uptown location nestle up to a grassy field where kids can have the run of the lawn, and this is definitely a family destination on weekends. The patio has fans. Breakfast at Dream Cafe is ambrosial: Try the huevos rancheros and the ricotta-enriched Cloud Cakes.

2800 Routh St. 214-954-0486. www.thedreamcafe.com. $$.

Fearing's in the Ritz-Carlton Dallas 

If you're feeling both ritzy and outdoorsy, you can start the evening with a drink at the open-air Live Oak Bar and then sup on the Ocaso patio, laid out among blue-tiled fountains and precisely shorn topiary. It's a particularly lovely spot for solo dining. No fans or misters. This is, of course, the culinary domain of Dean Fearing and his plucky menu of upscale Southwestern-New American-Asian offerings.

2121 McKinney Ave. 214-922-4848. www.fearingsrestaurant.com. $$$$.

Joe T. Garcia's 

Joe T.'s is the granddaddy of all patios in the Dallas-Fort Worth area: The "fiesta gardens" of this Fort Worth institution have grown over the years to now accommodate more than 1,000 customers. There are fans under some pavilions. The cuisine is all Tex-Mex, all the time, though customers tend to linger over the righteous margaritas.

2201 N. Commerce St., Fort Worth. 817-626-4356. www.joets.com. Cash only. $.

Kalachandji's Restaurant and Palace 

An open courtyard with covered booths and open-air tables circling a gnarled tree and a modest fountain make this one of the most peaceful spots in Dallas for an alfresco meal. There are fans above the booths. The restaurant is in a Hare Krishna temple on an East Dallas street lined with charming prairie-style houses. The cuisine is buffet-style vegetarian, which includes Indian sweets for dessert.

5430 Gurley Ave. 214-821-1048. www.kalachandjis.com. $.

Mansion Restaurant 

Part of the recent renovation of the Mansion Restaurant at Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek included lowering a wall around the property, so the patio now opens to gorgeous, pastoral views. No cooling devices yet; the company is currently making decisions in that department. Sit on comfortable furniture and watch the sky slowly dim as you savor John Tesar's five- star New American cuisine and sommelier Michael Flynn's astute wine pairings.

2821 Turtle Creek Blvd. 214-443-4747. www.mansiononturtlecreek.com. $$$$.

Ozona Grill and Bar 

No current star rating.

The sprawling, multilevel complex of dining rooms and bars includes a patio so shaded with leaves you feel as if you're dining in an enormous treehouse. Although serene for dates, Ozona's atmosphere ultimately is that of a college bar, with a young, sometimes brash waitstaff. The patio has fans. The easygoing Tex-Mex-themed menu includes a much-praised chicken-fried steak.

4615 Greenville Ave. 214-265-9105. www.ozonagrill.com. $$.