On The Road: Garden Gourmet columnist Lauren Grymes

Roving reporting after the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show held May 1-3 at the ginormous Georgia World Congress Center

ATLANTA -- Most of the major outdoor appliance manufacturers did not show this year, with Lynx (lynxgrills.com) Dacor (dacor.com) and GE Monogram (monogram.com) among the exceptions. There was some evidence -- thanks to companies that provide the finishing touches -- that high-end outdoor kitchen design is still on the rise despite the bleak economy. Outdoor cabinetry is being made that is beautiful enough to be used indoors (check out atlantiscabinetry.com). Amazing stone and tile products, from concrete to to quartz, are available to cover floors, walls, fireplace surrounds, benches, counters and back-splashes - you name it. (See annsacks.com for chic new and yes, lower-on-the-pricing-end concrete tiles that can be used outdoors; an array of stylish options from daltile.com; stunningly gorgeous quartz and other stone selections from Cosentino's new Prexury Collection; and the rich and tactile stone veneers from eldoradostone.com, which has a new modular masonry system designed just for building-in outdoor kitchens.) Lighting is often an afterthought when it comes to outdoor kitchen planning, but companies including kichler.com, texaslightsmith.com, and lutron.com will have you basking and basting long after dusk with great-looking, functional and high-tech fixtures and systems. Word on the show hall floor (which, by the way, had a steady if not crowded flow of visitors) was that several of the high-end outdoor appliance makers are planning exciting new upgrades for 2010, so all only seems quiet on the gourmet cooking front.--Lauren Grymes