Off to Manhattan this summer? Eat out on a roof deck or a garden
Compiled by Viola Fort
Miracle Grill
112 First Avenue
001 212 254 2353
The Miracle, it seems, is the expansive garden providing an urban oasis in downtown Manhattan. Southwestern food like catfish tacos and grilled pork chops are reasonably priced and, with the pound so strong, many mains will cost little more than a fiver. The service is attentive and friendly and the bar serves a mean blood-orange margarita.
Dinner from $25 per head.
Bottino
246 Tenth Ave
001 212 206 6766
An art-world favourite in the middle of Chelsea's gallery district. The simple Italian menu pulls no surprises but is hearty and well executed; grilled aubergine, spaghetti with clams and roast rack of lamb all feature. To the back of the whitewashed dining room lies a sheltered ivy-clad garden, favoured for romantic meals. A bar at the front serves up-market cocktails to the local art glitterati. Be warned, the service is often snooty.
Dinner from $32.50 per head.
Sushi Samba 7
87 Seventh Avenue North
001 212 691 7885; www.sushisamba.com
On sunny days Latin and jazz bands play on the outdoor roof deck of this buzzy West Village hotspot. Latin-Japanese fusion cuisine means great ceviches and beef maki rolls, as well as an inventive cocktail list. Regular DJs and a lounge bar ensure a young crowd and a party atmosphere.
Dinner from $30 per head.
Home
20 Cornelia St
001 212 243 9579
A cosy (read small) restaurant in the West Village. Home serves good simple food worthy of its name, like roast chicken with fried onion rings and fantastic chocolate pud. There is a lovely garden at the back that's in use well in to the autumn thanks to outdoor heaters. Many of the ingredients are local to New York State and the wine list has a number of selections from Long Island.
Dinner from $35 per head.
Blue Water Grill
31 Union Square W
001 212 675 9500
This is a huge venue, (a former bank) and its 500 capacity is filled most nights. It's divided into three dining areas with the ground floor offering outdoor seating and a busy oyster bar. Primarily a seafood restaurant, expect lobster and shrimp spring rolls, grilled octopus and peppercorn crusted yellow-fin tuna. The (once-smoky) jazz basement pulls in the cocktail crowd and provides a lively bar scene.
Dinner from $35 per head.
Our expert gourmet traveller reveals his favourite places to stay and eat alfresco in France, Spain and Italy
Chosen by Alastair Sawday
France
Hostellerie Bérard
Rue Gabriel Péri, 83740 La Cadière d'Azur, Cote D'Azur,00 33 4 94 90 11 43; www.hotel-berard.com
Fine food and cookery classes, and a building constructed from an 11th-century monastery, an old bastide and the 'painter's house'. Danièle and Michel Bérard , who grew up in this ancient village, have lovingly restored the place; each bedroom is a surprise. Green shutters open onto olive-covered hills, blue shutters open to the pool. Michel, a Maître Cuisinier de France, cooks Provençal food which is eaten, in the Summer, on a vine-covered terrace.
Double room from €81, set menu €44 .
Les Florets
Route des Dentelles, 84190 Gigondas, Provence
00 33 490 65 85 01
The setting is magical, the food imaginative, the greeting from the Bernard family is warm. Les Florets sits just below a small range of mountains in the middle of Côtes du Rhône country. Eat on the splendid terrace under the branches of plane, chestnut, maple, and acacia trees; the low stone walls are dressed with impatiens and hydrangeas (and the peonies were blooming in March). Don't miss the chance to sample the wines that this family has been producing since the 1880s. Book well ahead - people return year after year. Rooms from €85 , set menu €24-60 .
Villa Morélia
Vallée de l'Ubaye, 04850 Jausiers, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
0033 492 84 67 78; www.villa-morelia.com
In a village deep in the Alps, Villa Morélia - designed by renowned Marseilles architect Eugène Marx - stands out with its asymmetric facades and coloured chimneys. Robert and Marie-Christine have opened it as a hotel and also established an award-winning restaurant, headed by the chef from the Eden Roc in Antibes. Lunch and dinner in summer are eaten on a wonderful terrace with a view to the mountains. This charming couple know quite a bit about cuisine, music, dogs and a relaxed style of living. Rooms from €85, set menus from €45.
Le Chteau de Mazan
Place Napoleon, 84380 Mazan, Provence
00 33 490 69 62 61; www.chateaudemazan.fr
The father and uncle of the Marquis de Sade were born here and the Marquis often stayed at Mazan. The chteau is in a charming village at the foot of Mont Ventoux. Outside there are palms and secluded spots in the garden - perfect for dozing in the shade of the mulberry trees. There's also a rotunda and a pool, and a large terrace for dinner. The young chef has worked in Michelin-starred restaurants and is keen to win his own.
Rooms from €120, set menus from €35 .
Michel Chabran
29 avenue du 45 Parallèle, 26600 Pont de l'Isère, Drome, Rhone Alpes
00 33 475 84 60 09 ; www.michelchabran.fr
Michel Chabran is a prince among restaurateurs, and his sophisticated little hotel, 50 miles south of Lyon, is in France's gastronomic heart. Guests can sample potato purée with Sevruga caviar, poularde de Bresse, souffle of Grand Marnier, served on Limoges china, which has won the restaurant two Michelin stars. The à la carte menu stretches to four pages and you can eat in the garden or on the terrace. Rooms from €230, set menus from €45.
Spain
Hurricane Hotel
Carretera de Málaga a Cádiz
11380 Tarifa
Cádiz, Andalucia
00 34 956 684919
The best waves in Europe pound down just yards from the restaurant and despite echoes of old Spain, this place is anchored in surf culture. The food is an interesting mix of America, Spain and the East, plus fish of the day, home-made pasta and herbs from the garden. Rooms from €97, dinner €25 per head.
La Torre del Visco
Apartado 15, 44580 Valderrobres,
Teruel, Aragon
00 34 978 769015; www.torredelvisco.com
Bajo Aragón is one of Spain's best-kept secrets: beautiful, wild and unspoilt, and at this renovated farmhouse you can feast on their produce (olive oil, cured ham) accompanied by a fine selection of wines, on the the wonderful terrace. Room and dinner for two €210.
Italy
Relais San Pietro in Polvano
Loc. Polvano 3, 52043 Castiglion,
Fiorentino AR, Tuscany
00 39 0575 650100 ; www.polvano.com
Paradise high in the hills. The pool, on the terrace, must have one of the best views in Tuscany. The restaurant serves delicious, local food and their own olive oil; bread comes fresh from the oven. In summer you dine at beautifully dressed tables on a terrace overlooking the valley - the 18th-century estate is surrounded by olive groves.
Rooms from €130, meals from €30.
Masseria San Domenico
Savelletri di Fasano
72010 Brindisi, Puglia,
00 39 080 4827769 ; www.masseriasandomenico.com
Palms, ancient olives, oleanders, plus white walls and a bunch of tall palm trees lend this 15th-century masseria a Moorish air. The food is excellent - Puglian with an emphasis on fresh fish - and the wines equally good. Diners are served out on the terrace overlooking the seawater pool, which is landscaped to look like a cove, and is an entrancing place to swim... but San Domenico has its own small, sandy beach, too. Unadulterated indulgence.
Rooms from €209, dinner from €40.
Villa Cheta Elite
Via Nazionale, 85941 Acquafredda di Maratea, Basilicata
0039 0973 878 134 ; www.villacheta.it
Villa Cheta Elite, an Art Nouveau villa set back from the coast road, has a terraced tropical garden of winding paths and amazing views. Stefania and Piero are lovely hosts who seem to inspire the staff. Their five chefs conjure up delicious food, which is served on the upper terrace in summer with views of the sea. It's a hugely romantic spot; you may even hear nightingales sing. Rooms from €120, dinner from €30.
· To order Alastair Sawday's Special Places to Stay: Spain (£13.99) for £11.99; Special Places to Stay: French Hotels Chateaux and Inns (£13.99) for £11.99 or Special Places to Stay: Italy £12.99 for £10.99 (all published by Alastair Sawday Publishing) plus UK p&p, call the Observer Book Service on 0870 836 0885.
