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With the holiday weekend ahead, thoughts turn to longer days and summer's favorite foods. The first bright beacon of warm weather, the strawberry, has stormed the farmers markets. Around town, you can find the berries in custard, shortcake, daiquiris and as the highlight of a local festival. Summer also means new hours at Colorado Kitchen and time to enjoy the patios.

After a long cold spell, the warm weather has settled in and brought with it juicy red strawberries. If you're looking to surround yourself with strawberries, the Delaplane Strawberry Festival takes place this weekend. The festival offers games, hayrides, a 5K run/walk, music and family-friendly entertainment, but the focus is the food and berries are the star ingredient. Find strawberry pies, jam, cupcakes, lemonade and sundaes.

Also this weekend, Food Matters celebrates berries with fresh jam, three different baked desserts and a sampling of strawberries in moscato with toasted pistachios. To wash it down, there will be strawberry daiquiris, margaritas, sparking strawberry punch and strawberry lemonade abound.

At Dairy Godmother, the flavor of the day is strawberry on Sunday and Monday and fans of strawberry shortcake will find a satisfying take at Vidalia. Willow lightens up dessert with a strawberry passion fruit parfait.

Colorado Kitchen is now operating in summer hours, which means that they close Monday-Wednesday, but the restaurant will open sporadically for special Wednesday wine dinners. The first dinner takes place next Wednesday at 6:30 with a focus on wines off the beaten path. Items include a slow-roasted serrano ham-stuffed leg of lamb, duck confit and mixed berries with angel food.

Finally, enjoy the long weekend. Now is the time to take advantage of restaurants with outdoor seating and bars with decks. Les Halles, Cashion's, Peacock Cafe, Le Gaulois and Black's Bar & Kitchen are some of the more popular patio spots. Where do you head when the weather gets nice?

--Erin

By Erin |  May 24, 2007; 5:48 PM ET Restaurants
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