It’s July, it’s hot, and sometimes I resist sitting outdoors in favor of the cool, inside air.

But my husband loves the heat. It’s in his blood. His mother didn’t like a room that was below 80 degrees in the summertime. And he always waits until the heat of the day, even in the hottest weather, to go for a run.

So when it’s hot, we eat outdoors.

Here are three patio stops we made lately, because this man won’t be kept inside.

Red RabbitWhimsical planters surround the patio at Red Rabbit in St. Paul. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

This patio, in the heart of the bustle on Grand Avenue, is one of my favorite places to dine al fresco. It’s surrounded by enormous planters, there are heaters and a fireplace for when there’s a chill in the air, and there’s a pretty pergola that hides the space from the adjacent parking area.

We were seated next to the avenue, where we could watch people walking their dogs and leaving the eatery with leftovers in bags.

We started with a Hugo Spritz, declared the cocktail of the summer recently by the New York Times. The elderflower version of an Aperol spritz is refreshing and nice enough, but its sweetness just made me wish for the more bitter Aperol version. The restaurant has an entire list of spritzes, so choose your own adventure. Or order something from the excellent wine list.

Roasted cauliflower at Red Rabbit in St. Paul. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

I’ve taken to ordering a side of vegetables instead of an appetizer in my middle age — better for digestion and my waistline. Red Rabbit understands my needs, apparently, because we had a hard time deciding which vegetable to order. We landed on the roasted cauliflower, which turned out to be exactly the right choice! Bits of tender cauliflower are nestled in a creamy white bean sauce, which is topped with a kicky giardiniera. So good that I could have honestly had a whole plate and called it dinner. Instead, we each ordered a pasta dish, which neither of us could come close to finishing — my 20-year-old son did the honors the next day.

I went with the shrimp garganelli, one of my favorite simple pasta dishes in the cities. Tubular pasta shapes hold the light, creamy, slightly spicy sauce well, and the shrimp are always perfectly juicy.

My husband tried the scroll-shaped cavatelli, served with an Italian sausage-spiked sauce that he absolutely loved.

It was an excellent date night, so good that I almost forgot about the heat.

Red Rabbit: 788 Grand Ave., St. Paul; 651-444-5995; redrabbitmn.com

The LexingtonShrimp scampi at The Lexington in St. Paul. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

The Lex’s rooftop patio used to have its own menu of items that were lighter and fresher for the season.

So I was a little disappointed this time to be ordering off the regular menu, which is full of heavier, steakhouse fare. It’s also too expensive for anyone to consider the rooftop as a casual summer hangout — cocktails are in the high teens (and our old-fashioned and paloma were just OK), and the burger is $26.

But I digress. We started with a strawberry-spinach salad with a poppyseed dressing that is a definite throwback to the 1980s, but in a good way.

I was trying to find something lighter because of the heat, so I ordered the shrimp scampi, which comes on a bed of angel hair pasta. The shrimp were tasty and the sauce nice and light, but it was pretty spendy at $44.

My husband’s salmon burger was $29, and at that price, I expected it to be better. It was honestly too fishy for me — luckily my husband is less picky than I am when it comes to seafood.

I’ll still hit this patio at some point every summer — it’s just too cute not to — but I might limit myself to a glass of wine and a snack.

The Lexington: 1096 Grand Ave., St. Paul; 651-289-4990; thelexmn.com

Day by Day CafeEarth Breakfast and buckwheat pancakes at Day by Day Cafe in St. Paul. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

When you have little kids and every day feels like a battle, it can be hard to find a place to go out to eat.

When my kids were younger than 10, this was our place. We sat in the same booth when it was cold outside and sat outside when it was warm. We always felt so welcomed by the excellent staff, and the food came fast — something that is so important with impatient little ones.

It had been too long since we returned, but my college-age daughter and her boyfriend decided on breakfast at Day by Day last weekend, and my husband and I couldn’t resist crashing their date.

It was nostalgic for both of us. “It’s like a time capsule in here,” she told her boyfriend when we walked in.

In the spirit of nostalgia, I ordered a short stack of buckwheat pancakes with blueberries and pecans for the table, because it was one of two things I always used to order. I also got the other — the Earth Breakfast, which is scrambled eggs, hashbrowns and onions topped with cheddar. I added green peppers and mushrooms, because I can’t leave well enough alone.

The cakes were as nutty and delicious as I remembered, and the Earth Breakfast enormous and filling. My husband and I split the leftovers for brunch the next day.

My daughter’s banana pancakes also brought back memories, and the multi-level patio, which sports a sizeable koi pond, lots of greenery and even a few sculptures, feels like an oasis in the middle of the city.

It will not be so long before I return.

Day by Day Cafe: 477 W. Seventh St., St. Paul; 651-998-8804; daybydaymn.com