Best Outdoor or Patio Dining, Wayne County

La Dolce Vita

17546 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-865-0331; ldvrestaurant.net

La Dolce Vita is one of those gems Detroit offers to those in the know, marked only by the neon letters LDV on a building just north of McNichols Road. Park in back, then walk through a courtyard that, in summertime, will transport you to a romantic oasis. Sunday brunch is punctuated with jazz that accompanies the mimosas and Bloody Marys, a prelude to a short menu of eggs Benedict, Mascarpone-stuffed French toast and similarly delectable treats.