Patio Dining: The best of the rest for your fall enjoyment
Aimee BlumeEVANSVILLE, Ind. — A meal somehow just tastes better outdoors in the fresh air. Beginning in the spring, we’ve been looking all over the area for the most comfortable and beautiful patios for outside dining. We’ve already explored Newburgh, Main Street, Franklin Street and Haynie’s Corner. So now we’ve rounded up the best of the rest for you to enjoy while fall weather remains.
DiLegge’s
One of Evansville’s most beloved and long-standing Italian eateries, DiLegge’s, also has one of the most meticulously landscaped patios. It’s a hidden gem, tucked away in a completely private area behind the restaurant. In addition to ornamental flowers, diners may enjoy the fragrance of herbs growing in raised beds near the dining area.
On the menu, find all your Italian-American favorites, made with recipes handed down through generations of the DiLegge family: crab-stuffed mushrooms in cream sauce, big hearty grinder sandwiches, chicken piccata, veal parmesan, shrimp scampi and a wide choice of pasta from linguine with clam sauce to baked ziti in DiLegge’s sweet tomato sauce.
If you go
DiLegge’s is located at 607 N. Main St.
Phone: 812-428-3004
Hours:
Monday – Thursday 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
Friday 11 a.m.- closing (time varies depending on business)
Saturday 4 p.m. - closing (time varies depending on business)
Sunday closed
Patio dining guides
Where to find pretty Downtown Evansville patio dining
Beautiful Patio dining on Haynie's corner
Guide to dining al-fresco on Evansville's Franklin Street
Four fabulous spots for outdoor dining in Newburgh
The Farmer and Frenchman
In the rich Kentucky countryside just south of Henderson, the Farmer and Frenchman winery, vineyard and restaurant offers some of the prettiest scenery around. The events venue is housed in a rebuilt antique barn, while the restaurant is in a brand-new rustic-styled building. The wooden deck overlooks the vineyard and miles of fertile fields. It catches morning and lunchtime sun, but by evening is shaded and cool.
The menu at the Farmer and Frenchman is influenced by the European heritage of Hubert Mussat, who owns the business with wife Katy.
For an appetizer, try the olive and sundried tomato tapenade with toasted bread; a charcuterie or cheese platter with cured meats and cheeses from Kentucky and Europe; or meatballs with the house tomato sauce. Entrees include Chicken Scapariello in white wine sauce with sausage, olives and peppers; spaghetti or ziti with a choice of sauces; and a very authentic lasagna Bolognese with layers of meat sauce and creamy bechamel.
The Farmer and Frenchman is also the only place you can enjoy Farmer and Frenchman wines.
If you go
Farmer & Frenchman Winery is located at 12522 U.S. 41 South in Henderson
Phone: 270-748-1856 (reservations recommended)
Hours: Tuesday – Saturday noon-9 p.m.
Sunday – Monday closed
The Hornet’s Nest
Located just north of McCutchanville, the Hornet’s Nest is another restaurant that’s been serving area patrons for many decades. It’s a comfortable neighborhood watering hole with comfortable old-time Indiana favorites and pub grub — have fried chicken livers or gizzards, fried green tomatoes, hot wings, burgers, fried chicken or chili.
But the Hornet’s Nest offers many more upscale items as well, from steaks and prime rib to grilled Scottish salmon and pecan Bourbon chicken.
Brunch is offered on the weekends with a list of featured early-day cocktails.
The deck faces west, so it’s nice to sit outside on a cool evening to catch a pretty sunset over the wooded hills off Boonville New Harmony Road.
If you go
The Hornet’s Nest is located at 11845 Petersburg Road
Phone: 812-867-2386
Hours:
Monday – Thursday 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m.
Friday 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m.
Saturday 9 a.m.-10 p.m.
Sunday - 9 a.m.-9 p.m.
The Hornet’s Nest reports that it is handicapped accessible
Rafferty’s
This all-American restaurant has been feeding diners in Evansville’s east side shopping district for 25 years. Despite its location next to a busy shopping center, Rafferty’s manages to sustain a very nice patio, tucked into a corner of the wooden building, that gives a sense of privacy and elegance.
Rafferty’s is known for solid 20th century favorites — why fix what’s not broken? The house loaded potato soup is a perennial favorite, as is the salad with fluffy orange dressing, which, like all Rafferty’s dressings, is made from scratch. We’re big fans of anything that comes off the hickory-fired grill, from the burgers to the pineapple-marinated ribeye. The hand-cut fries are excellent with a sandwich or slow-roasted Jackson Hole Filet.
For dessert, try fresh-baked croissants drizzled with honey butter and sprinkled with candied pecans.
If you go
Rafferty’s is located at 1400 N. Green River Road
Phone: 812-471-0024
Hours:
Sunday - Thursday 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Bar 10:30 p.m.
Friday - Saturday 11a.m.-11 p.m. Bar 11:30 p.m.
The Red Geranium
A drive to beautiful New Harmony is only enhanced by a meal on the shady patio of the Red Geranium restaurant. The brick patio is outfitted with sturdy furniture and surrounded with large shade trees. A look in any direction finds something interesting — on one side the quaint New Harmony Inn, on another a hillock of pine trees and fields sloping down to the Wabash, across the street the Roofless Church.
The menu is elegant. At lunch enjoy French onion soup, Panzanella salad, a house-cured salmon BLT or a petite filet with blue cheese butter.
At night, the menu is more creative and upscale. Have bruschetta with cream-filled burrata cheese; coriander-crusted scallops with pea and ginger risotto; seared duck breast with cherry mole; or braised lamb with gnocchi, olives and roasted tomatoes among many other entrees.
If you go
The Red Geranium is located at 520 North St. in New Harmony
Phone: 812-682-4431
Hours:
Tuesday – Thursday 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
Friday 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
Saturday 8 a.m.-9 p.m.
Sunday 8 a.m.-7 p.m.
The Red Geranium reports that it is handicapped accessible
