Freep 5: Beautiful fine-dining patios

Whether were having ribs in the back yard, sandwiches at a sidewalk caf or seafood on the patio at an upscale restaurant, Michiganders love dining alfresco in summer.

Once, restaurant patios were rare, but today hundreds of metro Detroit dining places have them including the special places where we celebrate birthdays, anniversaries or landing that first real job.

To mark important events like those, you want not only excellent food and fine service but a patio setting thats stylish, memorable and softened by greenery and flowers.

Here are five of metro Detroits most beautiful fine-dining patios, all in Oakland County. (Well feature beautiful patios in Detroit/Wayne County and Macomb County in future Freep Fives.)

The Tonon familys 37-year-old fine-dining Italian restaurant in Farmington Hills is often listed as one of metro Detroits most romantic dining spots. And especially at night, the flagstone patio upholds that reputation. The main patios focal point is an imposing field-stone fireplace with a curving hearth and a stack of logs ready for the evenings fire. Other small, more private areas also hold tables. Tall evergreen shrubs and mature trees their trunks wrapped in white lights surround the entire space to make it feel like a private garden. Service is formal and very attentive, and the kitchen prepares everything in house. At dinner, the handmade pastas are in the $30s; meat and seafood entrees range from wild-caught Alaskan King salmon at $44 to a bone-in Provimi veal cop Milanese for $59. Entrees at lunch are in the teens and $20s; sandwiches, $13. Weddings and other events are often held on the patio, so ask if it will be available before making reservations. (30715 W. Ten Mile Road; 248-474-3033 and http://www.cafecortina.com)

Theres something about the sleek wrap-around patio at Ocean Prime in Troy that feels a little like Miami or California. Maybe its the sofas surrounding the handsome fire pit, or the stylishly dressed guests sipping cocktails at lunch. Or maybe its just that dining there feels like being on vacation. White tablecloths, contemporary furniture and white-jacketed servers all underscore the air of relaxed elegance. Even with seating for 70, its not unusual to see every table filled, and seating is first-come, first-served. Order a glass of wine and peruse the menu if you must wait: Precisely plated fresh seafood entrees and prime steaks get about equal billing at prices in the $30s and $40s. The lunch menu offers signature salads, sandwiches and a half-dozen meat and seafood choices, mostly in the teens. Everything on the menu is prepared in house, managers say, from the fresh hand-cut vegetables and potatoes, to the house-made wontons and gorgeous desserts. Business or resort casual attire is perfect here. (2915 Coolidge Highway, Troy. 248-458-0500 http://www.oceanprimetroy.com)

You could drive by Assaggi on Ferndales busy West Nine Mile Road for years without knowing about the inviting, 75-seat patio hidden at the back of this long-popular destination restaurant. Bordered by vine-covered walls and a towering row of Blue Arrow junipers, the white-tablecloth space with its splashing fountain, flowering plants and tiny white lights is almost perpetually full on fine summer nights. The mood here is relaxed and comfortable, in part because owners George Gize and Josie Knapp are almost always on hand to make guests feel welcome. Their eclectic menu blends European, Middle Eastern and American influences in dishes as diverse as twice-cooked Moroccan duck legs, porcini-dusted day boat scallops, and Italian cioppino (seafood stew). Youll love the crisp, puffy pitas straight from the stone-hearth wall oven. Pastas are in the teens; entrees are mostly in the $20s and $30s, and some are available as half-portions for lighter appetites. Reservations can be made specifically for the patio. For diners looking for excellent, interesting food and a more relaxed patio atmosphere, Assaggi is a good choice. (330 W. Nine Mile, Ferndale 248-584-3499 http://www.assaggibistro.com)

Even rain cant dampen the spirits of patio-lovers at Bacco Ristorante in Southfield, where a canvas roof and roll-down clear vinyl walls can shield guests from inclement weather. The open-air triangular space, which seats about 55, feels like an extension of the elegant dining room. Tiny white lights are woven through the patios border of tall evergreen shrubs and tucked into the canopys overhead framework, bathing the space in a soft, festive glow at night. Service is professional, attentive and accommodating, and chef-owner Luciano DelSignores seasonal Italian cuisine is as delicious as it is beautiful. At dinner, pastas, like house-made tagliatelle with lamb ragu, are mostly in the teens. Entrees, priced in the $30s and $40s, range from the sublimely simple whole roasted Mediterranean sea bass to a duo of duck and roasted rack of lamb. Reservations can be made for the patio. Bacco is the 2013 Detroit Free Press Restaurant of the Year. (29410 Northwestern Hwy.: 248-356-6600 and http://www.baccoristorante.com)

When you want serious food we mean big, juicy steaks in a great outdoor setting without a whit of pretention, Big Rock in Birmingham could be just what youre looking for. We love the patio here, set between a fabric-covered gazebo and adjoining open-air Stone Terrace Room. Day or night, its an inviting scene with bright red umbrellas, tall ornamental grasses and colorful flowers. When the sun goes down, tiny purple lights entwined on posts and rails add sparkle, and a row of tall gas-light torches create drama. But ultimately, its executive chef Brian Hensons food that catapults Big Rock onto this list. From red wine-and-port braised short ribs to a buffalo strip steak with Russian Stout sauce to Dover sole boned tableside, its a deluxe menu. Appetizers run $6 to $18 (for lobster risotto); most entrees are in the $30s and $40. The large lunch menu is more casual and less expensive. Guests who make reservations can request patio seating (and get preference over walk-in guests) but there may be a wait for a table to open. The gazebo and patio combined seat about 75. (245 S. Eton, Birmingham 248-647-7774 http://www.bigrockchophouse.com)

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Freep 5: Beautiful fine-dining patios