Best Patio

La StradaPerched above one of the noisiest areas of Westheimer, the second-floor patio at the newly remodeled La Strada is classy, casual and deliciously above it all. It offers a roof to shield patrons from the sun, track lighting to cut the darkness, and piped-in air conditioning and ceiling fans to keep the breeze moving. You can barely glimpse the signs for body piercing and tattoos over the boxes of pink bougainvilleas lining the railing. Yet for all the care given to protecting its patrons from Houston's sun, heat and chaos, the patio still manages to feel airy. It's the perfected execution of alfresco dining for a city that prefers the indoors.