Enjoying meals in outdoor settings becomes a nationwide trend on National Eat Outside Day, enhancing food flavors when consumed in the open air.

Celebrating National Eat Outside Day: A Guide to Outdoor Dining

Get ready to embrace the great outdoors and enjoy your meals in unique and vibrant settings as National Eat Outside Day approaches on August 31. This special day encourages Americans to take their meals outdoors, transforming casual plans into shared experiences.

Jennifer Allen, a retired professional chef and long-time writer, is one of the many advocates of outdoor dining. Her culinary creations can be found at Cook What You Love, where she develops recipes and travels the world to discover new flavours. For National Eat Outside Day, Allen recommends preparing proteins ahead by marinating them, chopping vegetables, and packing ingredients to ensure a smooth picnic or outdoor dining experience.

When it comes to selecting the perfect menu for outdoor dining, foods that stay safe and intact without refrigeration or reheating are key. Cold wraps, dense fruits like apples and grapes, grain-based salads with durable ingredients, and grilled corn are ideal choices for beach picnics and backyard barbecues. Grilled corn, in particular, boasts an enhanced sweetness and a char that's hard to match indoors.

The backyard grill anchors the meal on National Eat Outside Day, cooking burgers, hot dogs, sausages, skewered vegetables, and grilled corn. To make the most of your outdoor cooking, using a cooler with frozen water bottles and setting up a prep area can help avoid repeated trips inside. Sand-proof containers, insulated cooler bags, and shade from umbrellas or tents are essential for beach picnics, ensuring your food stays fresh and safe.

For those looking for a more refined outdoor dining experience, restaurants across the country are expanding their patio service. The Oasis on Lake Travis in Austin offers three outdoor decks with stunning views of the lake, serving chef-prepared dishes and a variety of cocktails, including their house favorite, Perfect Margarita. In New York City, the modern outdoor terraces at the New York Marriott Marquis, called Perch Outdoor Terraces, provide interesting views over the city, though currently, they do not accept reservations.

In Washington, D.C., the Morrow Hotel’s rooftop bar "Sly" offers a large restaurant space for up to 300 people, ideal for events and gatherings, with stunning skyline views. For a year-round rooftop dining experience, Terra Plata in Seattle offers a rooftop garden designed for airflow and weather protection, featuring a range of seasonal dishes. Terra Plata's rooftop garden also offers overhead heaters and blankets on request, making it a reliable option even in winter.

When dining at outdoor restaurants, it's essential to make reservations, check store hours, menu options, and weather before heading out. Local listings can help identify outdoor-friendly spots in high-traffic areas for dining at restaurants. Picnics, on the other hand, focus on foods that hold their structure, stay safe without reheating, and deliver variety in a single spread. Wraps, roasted vegetables, grain salads, and baked goods meet the needs for picnics, providing a delightful array of flavours and textures.

So, whether you're planning a beach picnic, a backyard barbecue, or a night out at a rooftop restaurant, National Eat Outside Day is the perfect opportunity to embrace the outdoors and enjoy a meal in a unique setting. Happy National Eat Outside Day!

Enjoying meals in outdoor settings becomes a nationwide trend on National Eat Outside Day, enhancing food flavors when consumed in the open air.