Patiopalooza 2010: Seven open-air eateries near Dickson Street

Did you notice it’s hot this summer? Like record-breaking, hottest-in-our-human-history hot.

This sort of weather often keeps me languid at home, joined to the couch and near the air vent watching as ice crystals burst into steam the moment they hit the air.

Well, gentle reader, on Saturday, July 17, The Food File’s staff of two and several talented drinkers and diners braved an ambitious patio hop from 3 p.m. till 11 p.m. We subjected ourselves to the sun’s harsh caress at seven different patios just for you.

True, no blood was shed during our journey and luckily no tears, but we paid most dearly in honest, shirt-soaking sweat. We also paid by tossing several hundred dollars into the local economy, and that’s never a bad cause.

The rules were simple: We wanted a place to go in the afternoon to eat, drink and be merry.

It must be a place with a wide selection of wine and beer, tasty eats, friendly service, ample people watching, great music and a patio worth remembering.

Many downtown patios didn’t get evaluated. We could only rush so many in one afternoon.

Some patios we considered didn’t serve food – like Kingfish’s patio, which is a recent arrival, and Tables and Ale, which is a perpetual off-Dickson haunt.

Others just didn’t make the cut. We know Jose’s, Hammontree’s, Bordino’s and El Sancho Mexican Grill also offer outdoor dining. There are many others.

In fact, we were kind of shocked by the sheer number of patios on Dickson once we started looking. We tried to choose seven sites that are either new or off the beaten path enough to warrant a look.

Urban Spoons lists 29 Fayetteville restaurants out of 309 with outdoor dining as an option – that’s almost 10 percent of all the city’s restaurants.

While Fayetteville may not be a city with a strong cafe culture, we certainly do dig our patios.

[Mechanics of scoring: Print surveys were distributed at each of the locations. Paloozers were asked to rate the patio from one to five in each of five categories. These were totaled and "How would you rank this patio" was given double weight when averaging the grand total. Comments did not factor into the scoring.]

And now our findings

7. Grub’s

Arrival time: 5 p.m.

Number of reviews: 12

Selected Comments: Ladies’ room is hideous, not shaded well, borrowed view from Walton Arts Center, some of the best bar food in town, a selection of cheap beer, party atmosphere

We were burning up when we arrived at Grub’s.

The walk across the parking lot between Powerhouse and Grub’s was a scorcher.

The staff was quick with the beers, but it just wasn’t enough to combat the hot sun. Many of the Paloozers used their score cards as fans.

Some even rigged a make-shift umbrella shield from the sun.

The consensus was that this patio might rock at night among the college kids, but the absence of music and the surprise of wait staff at our arrival, says this isn’t a mid- to late-afternoon patio.

6. U.S. Pizza

Arrival time: 9:30 p.m.

Number of reviews: 6

Selected Comments: Very basic, no culture, college-ish, good pizza, enclosed patio is bad for people-watching but cozy, bad beer selection

U.S. Pizza was the last bar of the night and likely suffered a hit among reviewers as a result.

Staff was cordial and quick and the food was decent. The consensus among Paloozers was that the privacy niches along the walled-in patio were excellent if you brought your own friends, but don’t lend much to people watching.

5. Powerhouse Seafood & Grill

Arrival time: 4 p.m.

Number of reviews: 13

Selected Comments: Good food, spinach dip, kilowatts, shade, wouldn’t seat us at the nice patio, It’s kind of a Fayetteville landmark, wouldn’t recommend other than the food, people watching is exceptional only during Party on the Patio

The high-octane fruit cocktail called the Kilowatt was a huge hit on the south-side patio of Powerhouse. It was refreshing and the patio had an overhang that kept out the worst of the sun, though being next to the parking lot didn’t provide much of a view.

We were told we could not use the north patio, an outdoor stage famous for the Party on the Patio musical series. So that was a bummer.

A lot of the Paloozers had appetizers and the food was roundly praised.

4. Sassy’s Red House

Arrival time: 3 p.m.

Number of reviews: 8

Selected Comments: In this and previous incarnations, I’ve always identified this place by the patio. It never occurs to me to go to this restaurant except in patio weather. overall – great patio! Love the walls to block college ave traffic. outside bar; no one else here

This is where it all started.

My wife and I arrived and ordered a late lunch. Suddenly, we were surrounded by six others.

It was hot, but under the umbrella’s shade and with some cool Blue Moon beer, it was very tolerable.

This is a well-known patio, I learned from the other Paloozers. It’s really doesn’t matter whether it’s Sassafras or Lulu’s Fish Shack that is in the site, it’s a patio that just works.

The salsa was spicy and tasty and clung to the chips just right.

Our service was excellent without hovering too much. Some outdoor televisions and an outdoor bar are proof positive that this patio sees a lot of action, especially in the fall during football season.

3. Common Grounds

Arrival time: 6 p.m.

Number of reviews: 17

Selected Comments: Wait staff is awesome; Stuck up service; Shade from screens; yummy martinis

The motorized retractable patio roof was a hit with all large group. As the sun moves east to west, it’s much easier to stay out of the hot light.

The waiters scrambled quickly and had drinks for all of us. Some dishes were also eaten. This patio – like all the patios we’d visited so far – was empty aside from our troupe of Paloozers.

Several new people joined us and the population peaked to 17 or so while at Common Grounds.

I had an iced coffee with Bailey’s that hit the spot. It was warm, but this deck seemed to hold up well under the heat.

2. Rogue Pizza Co.

Arrival time: 7 p.m.

Number of reviews: 15

Selected Comments: Better for people watching because of the view of Dickson; burger = good; Weather was better than earlier locations. Sassy’s should get Rogue’s weather; Perfect Dickson St. spot; graffiti in the bathroom; Right on Dickson; seating comfortable

The outdoor couch seating was a big winner at Rogue on Dickson. Beers and other drinks arrived timely and it was repeatedly pointed out how fantastic the view is there.

The large stage also provides a great venue. It’s no longer Froggy’s or even Gypsy’s, but Rogue has put its own distinct and welcome stamp on perhaps the centerpiece patio of Dickson Street.

At least one person ordered a burger and was impressed by the price and heft of the patty.

The sun started to creep past the Dickson Street skyline and the general consensus was that this patio is worth going back to in the future especially during a show.

1. Veranda Wine Bar

Arrival time: 8 p.m.

Number of reviews: 8

Selected Comments: Grown up; view at sunset; chi-chi; My new Fave in Fayetteville; Location, view, atmosphere and wine list; smallest men’s bathroom; elitist Feel; view and ambience, booze and food selection – food they have is above average

Veranda Wine Bar was an unexpected treat.

This rooftop lounge above the Dickson Street Inn offers a fantastic view of Dickson Street that extends all the way to Old Main on campus.

We sampled a meat plate with rich pepperoni, succulent prosciutto and other meats complete with fresh mozzarella, parmesan and sliced bread. I paired this with a white wine from Eureka Springs that was delicious.

We settled in and watched the sun disappear creating a brilliant hue of colors in the sky.

The place filled out quickly once we arrived. The place was hopping when we left about 9:30 p.m. for U.S. Pizza.

The great view, an extra 30 minutes to lounge before leaving and tasty food and drink created a memorable sunset for all of the Paloozers.

Not quite a double rainbow, but the view was stunning high above Dickson.

Check our work. Here’s the Excel spreadsheet.

What’s your favorite deck around Dickson or beyond?