A stunningly beautiful property all around, the hotel's poolside dining area at night is the perfect place to unwind after a day on the golf course. Do so with cocktails and a feast of grilled seafood dishes lavished with Hawaiian flavors and spices.

For more information: Four Seasons

Nestled in the heart of Napa Valley, Auberge du Soleil has been its premier resort since 1985. And to dine on its terrace overlooking the vineyards is sheer heaven, especially when Chef Robert Curry does such sublime dishes as simply seared sea scallops with white corn, braised onions, peas, and a vanilla nage, and a splendid roast chicken splashed with sherry vinaigrette.

For more information: Auberge du Soleil

Michael McCarty's bellwether restaurant has long epitomized California cuisine in and out of doors, with a patio full of big white umbrellas, garden flowers, and fine art work. The cooking, by Chef Michael Stern, is as fresh as the seasons, with a Mediterranean-French twist on great California ingredients.

For more information: Michael's

Nicely secluded away from the tourist-driven main drag, Louie's Backyard is always packed with people who want to sit on the deck, sip piña coladas, and enjoy Chef John Shoop's exceptional "Flor-ribean" Cuisine, which draws largely from the bounty of the sea and tropics.

For more information: Louie's Backyard

Don't even try to pronounce it—especially after a tropical cocktail here—but it's the name of the state fish. It's also one of the most enchanting outdoor venues to dine in on Maui. On a small raft, the restaurant offers a menu with flair and color. And then there's always the sunset.

For more information: The Grand Wailea Resort Hotel & Spa

Every famous music personage of the last century has dined at Barbetta, from Caruso to Toscanini, and to do so in the gorgeous, quiet courtyard here is to claim some of the most sought-after tables in New York. The Piemontese cuisine is full of agnolotti pasta and beef braised in red wine, and Barbetta stocks one of the country's best Italian winelists.

For more information: Barbetta

Miel is committed to organic ingredients of the kind farmed and found wild in the south of France, and they all find their way onto Chef Didier Montarou's menu. And if the Boston weather is good, by all means take a harborside table al fresco where you can feast on restorative pistou soup teeming with basil and garlic, a foie gras terrine with honey and Port gelée, and a seared filet mignon with truffled béarnaise sauce and crisp, golden pommes frites.

For more information: Intercontinental Boston

Possibly the toughest reservation to get in tony Aspen is for one of the few outdoor tables at D19, Dena Marino's delightful, casually chic trattoria. The food is gutsy—braised pork ossobuco with corn cooked three ways, excellent pastas, and charred octopus with chilled vegetables atop smoky bruschetta lavished with chili salsa.

If you love the look of John Ford's cavalry movies, you'll love the historic Gage Hotel, near Big Bend National Forest. Here, at the outdoor café, Chef Paul Petersen cooks food that reflects both his own classical training and the food of Texas, including a great buffalo burger and chicken fried venison sandwich, along with lobster mac-and-cheese with butter-roasted monkfish, and pepper-crusted elk medallions with a potato gratin and truffled mushroom demi-glace.

For more information: Gage Hotel

Since 1946, people have been coming to Brennan's for the grillades and grits, the rich turtle soup, and the signature bananas Foster, flamed in rum and banana liqueur at your table. Its large courtyard is one of the loveliest in the city and a very popular place for a party.

For more information: Brennan's