Here’s a bit of trivia for you: The husband and I, with our 14 years of being together, have never fine dined together. We haven’t experienced fine dining where he must be wearing mens ties and I a dress and we would be using all these different kinds of utensils and we eat food course by course! That is definitely included in my bucket list before I turn 30 next year! 
Who knows, we might just be able to dine in all of Danio’s Top 8 Restos of the Year, an article from Yummy.ph!
Alfresco dining has been included in most restaurants nowadays, mainly because there have been quite a few areas wherein the smoking and non-smoking area need to be defined more. Plus outdoor dining, most especially if the area is landscaped beautifully (with three elements: land, water and air), provides an attractive and more pleasurable experience.
There really is something attractive about alfresco dining. Whether it’s the fresh air, hustle and bustle of the roads or the people watching which you can do from your seats – eating outdoors has many benefits.
So how do you incorporate the three elements in your alfresco dining area? If the area is enclosed (with no roof), most restaurants place an artificial waterfall or pond to make the area cooler. When the sun is out, patio umbrellas are there. Air is present through the wind chimes strategically placed along the area. It also can contribute to the serenity of the place with its musical tones. The advantage of having wind chimes is that you can also use them as accents to achieve the look and feel you want for your restaurant. For example, bamboo wind chimes are more suited to grill places and restaurants that have a nature theme. There are many designers of chimes that create stunning pieces of art that can be specially designed to match your outdoor furniture or decor.
The metal wind chimes, an example of which are aluminum wind chimes, can have different musical tones. Do not limit the wind chimes outdoors though – you can use them indoors too! Doorways and windowsills are the obvious areas for installing these.
Combining different types of chimes in your alfresco area can provide a wonderful symphony of sound in your restaurant that will make it a delightful place for experiencing gastronomic delights.
The white sandy beaches along the Riviera Maya in the Caribbean have always been a favorite spot for destination weddings and now with the Karisma Hotel built along prime secluded properties, it makes the most favored spot for any vacation, especially with launching of a new concept of Karisma Hotel called “Gourmet Inclusiveâ€. It is an entirely new concept that caters to sophisticated world travelers who have already come to expect and appreciate the fine details behind a good dining experience. Yes, everything is included. But no, this is not your ordinary inclusive fare, service or locales. Their cuisine is served in sleek and sensual sit-down locales and fashion-forward bars. You won’t find a buffet table here (except for kids-they like them). What you will find is cooking that meets the standards of the best restaurants, prepared in a way that will excite and surprise the senses. Special touches include bars equipped with real swings or hanging beds, bars with iced tops to keep drinks frosty cold, tequila lounges with 30 artisanal tequilas on offer, private-label wines from vineyards in Argentina’s Mendoza Valley chosen and offered as they would be in the best restaurants by experienced sommeliers.
We went to Conti’s to eat their infamous Mango Bravo but we also ate dinner and it was a truckload of sweets after. That day will go down in history as the day I might have had indigestion – really!
I had the usual Chicken Roulade: 
I should have gone for pasta since I ate (a lot of) rice for lunch already. I do not need any more carbs (nor human growth hormone!) that day.
This was linguini pesto with shrimp.
1) Sizzling sisig 2) Crispy Dinuguan 3) Adobo Rice 4) Aligue Rice
I literally cannot breath after I finished eating so much of the food above. We took out a friend visiting from the US and had her taste Filipino food, and C2 did not disappoint. We should have been careful to eat slowly though because all the food I ate went to my head! At least we didn’t need the best acne products because of all the oil. I was craving for green tea by the night was over!
Dining al fresco has been gaining popularity these days, with most people wanting to enjoy fresh air and smoke a cigarette or two. That is why most restaurants, fine dining or casual, have an outdoor area where guests can dine.
I particularly enjoy seeing outdoor settings in restaurants because it is a different setting altogether. Effort has been given to surround the area in greens to have more ventilation and the furniture used is beautiful but sturdy enough to withstand extreme weather conditions like rains and the summer heat. Usually a patio umbrella completes the look.
You see this in Starbucks all the time, the green color is a giveaway:
Usually you see patio umbrella with valances and you normally see them in quaint dining or coffee shops (mostly pastry shops). Ever see a street in France, similar to the movie Sabrina? That is how it looks like: 
There is another version called market umbrella. It has a straight edged canopy instead of hanging fabric valances. Most outdoor cafes use this type of patio umbrella. 
Patio umbrellas not only add to the over-all design and ambiance in a house or restaurant setting but it will also save you from the harmful UV rays of the sun that causes skin cancer!
Most outdoor dining areas use a half umbrella too, to maximize space: 
You can also have these in your home, just make sure you follow these steps when buying them:
1. Think about the area and items you want to cover, a table, a table and chairs, a chaise lounge and side table, etc.
2. What time of day are you going to be using it, early morning, afternoon or evening? Morning and late afternoon sun is hard to shade unless the umbrella has a tilt and swivel feature or a hanging valance.
3. Do you want the umbrella to be easily moved or primarily fixed in one spot? If mobility is a concern, think of the weight, size, ease of taking apart and the clearance required to move and effort to relocate.
I am a big fan of Italian food, it actually ranks number one in my most favorite foods of all time. I can eat pasta and pizza for the rest of my life. There are Italian restaurant banquet rooms in San Diego CA that might be perfect for a romantic date this coming Valentine’s Day.
Trattoria Acqua has long been known as a famous location for good food, perfect cozy ambiance for fine dining. Now, aside from the dining areas for walk-in guess, they also have private rooms available for banquets. The "Gazebo room" accommodates up to 24, the "Wine room" up to 30, and the main dining room up to 60. You can also close out the whole restaurant for parties.
Look at their Wine Room, such a perfect room for intimate family gatherings: 
And don’t worry, you can also get flower arrangement from them care of Kathy Wright!
I resolve to try at least two of the meals he mentioned, considering two of his best meals came from the Philippines! I undoubtedly would need the best weight loss products after eating.
You can read the blog post here, and I am posting his reviews on two of those Pinoy restaurants: Bistro Filipino and Antonio’s (which is only 30 minutes from my place!)
9. Bistro Filipino, Manila, The Philippines
S and I were an hour and a half late to dinner… not because of the traffic or any other excusable reason, but because S was caught up in the frenzy of exploring all the great local designers in Greenbelt 5. We had SMS’d our friend apologizing. She said not to worry. No one was ever on time in Manila anyway, she told us. By the time we arrived, we were starving and apologetic (S was also laden down with new purchases). Chef Roland Laudico, a friend of our friend, arranged for us to try what felt like a parade of his most exciting and popular dishes. The food, Modern Filipino is the only real way to describe it, was amazing. If I close my eyes, I can still almost taste the sinfully rich but oh so good Adobo Overload he made for us. For a full run-down of the meal, you can read about it here. I’m dying to revisit this very special restaurant. Or better yet, convince someone to open a branch here.
1. Antonio’s, Tagaytay, The Philippines
My favourite meal of 2009 took place in a charming, manor home 90 minutes south of Manila. Antonio’s is, to me, the French Laundry of The Philippines, a beautiful, culinary gem set in a charming rural environment that foodies flock to for long lunches, romantic dinners, and special occasions. S and I visited Antonio’s in August last year (read about the trip here) and we’ve been dying to return ever since. I just need to go on a diet first in order to prepare for my next meal there. Because while the food is fabulous and some dishes are charmingly sophisticated, it’s also heart-stoppingly rich. Antonio’s is one restaurant I’d be happy to travel to The Philippines to eat at every single year.