Yes. some restaurant patios are safer than others. Here’s what to look for.
Texas restaurants are making you a promise.
It’s safe to dine out, they say. Read all about the “Texas Restaurant Promise” of the industry’s commitment to safety. It’s all at the Texas Restaurant Association website.
I won’t go over it all, but you know the basics. Limit six to a party. Stay 6 feet from anyone else. Wash up. Repeat.
Now, here’s my advice:
Dine on the patio.
The magazine Science quoted a study in Japan saying you’re 19 times less likely to risk infection outdoors than indoors. (Yes, there’s still a risk.)
When Mary Perez opened the new location of Enchiladas Olé, 2418 Forest Park Blvd., a patio wasn’t very important.
It is now. She’s using four sidewalk tables — more restaurants should, although liquor laws can be a hangup — and added five more tables under a shade tree.
“Texas is so hot, people only enjoy it for a few months — however, COVID changed all that,” she wrote.
More customers now dine outside than inside.
Curbside takeout and outdoor dining are “the new model,” she said.
“Customers are so grateful for the ability to eat outdoors,” she said.
The new Enchiladas Olé adds fajitas to Perez’s contest-winning enchiladas in a choice of 10 combinations and sauces, including her signature ancho chili sauce for cheese, beef or brisket enchiladas or Hatch green chile sauce for cheese or chicken enchiladas.
Enchiladas Olé is open for lunch and dinner weekdays and Saturdays, lunch Sundays; 817-984-1360, enchiladasole.com.
A few more patios to try: Ático (rooftop), Bartaco, Branch & Bird (high-rise balcony), HG Sply Co., Joe T. Garcia’s (there’s a bigger menu at lunch and brunch), the Lakehouse, Mesero, Press Cafe, Rogers Roundhouse, the Rooftop Bar at the Sinclair Hotel (yet to reopen), Salsa Limón Rio, Stirr (upstairs balcony), Wishbone & Flynt and Woodshed Smokehouse.
Before you go
▪ If you can, book a reservation. Seating’s limited. If you didn’t book ahead, expect to wait in your car or outside instead of a line.
▪ If you have a sneeze or cough, stay home. (Joe T. Garcia’s, chef Tim Love’s restaurants and many others check your temperature out front.)
▪ Use the restroom at home. Then don’t drink much. If you go to the restroom, wait until it’s completely vacant.
Choosing a patio
▪ Sit somewhere with lots of room. Get a big table and sit as far apart as you can. Stay out of crowds. Make sure to stay at least 6 feet away from anyone else.
▪ Pick somewhere quiet. If it’s noisy or the music’s loud, people have to shout over the noise. That’s one way viruses spread. (No, I’m not kidding.)
▪ Servers should be wearing masks for your safety. That’s not required — it’s not in the “Restaurant Promise.” So if they’re not, don’t argue about their house rules. Just make new rules for where you’ll dine out.
Have a safe dinner
▪ Be picky about your dining partners. Limit it to your household, or your close circle of people you know who are just as picky. It’s risky for those over age 65.
▪ Don’t touch stuff. Use a sleeve to push doors or turn knobs. And wash your hands or use sanitizer when you get there and again when you leave.
▪ Wear a mask or covering when you talk to the host or the server. (If you love our restaurant workers, help keep them safe.)
You’ll still enjoy dinner.
