hopefloats - we installed a Pella, triple insulated, sliding patio door several years ago. It's one of the best home improvements we've made. They're pricey, but worth it. As far as insulating - they stay warm in winter and cool in summer (NJ) - build quality is excellent.
The mini blinds work well, but the only problem, we have, is bending down to turn the little knob, at the bottom for adjustments. If you have mobility problems it may be a issue. They're very difficult to take apart, for cleaning, but the only time you'll see film on the inside of the glass is when sun light comes directly in. We have triple insulated, tilt out windows, from Home Depot, throughout the rest of our house - they seem to work equally well from an insulting stand point. Home Depot uses outside contractors, who may or may not be very good, the window install went very well, but, our vinyl siding from them was a nightmare!! Five different crews and two different languages.
We went with Pella for the patio door because of the heavy use it gets. All in all we have not had any problems with either Pella, or Home Depot's, door or windows - as I said the siding was a whole other issue. I'd favor Pella - budget permitting.
Good luck

I second the motion on the Pella sliding glass door with the blinds in between the panes. We have two, one was installed in 2004 and the other in 2006. They are much better at insulating against our brutal South Dakota winters than the previous Weathershield (junk) doors that we had. They have held up very well. It also really cuts down on the hot sun in the summer. We went with all Pella replacement windows on our house. Pricey but so much more energy efficient than the original windows and doors. The style may have change but I don't have to reach down to tilt the shades. It's all controlled by the slider that also raises and lowers the blinds. Ours were the Designer Series.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pella door

You can find french doors with interior blinds at a cheaper price than sliders. They'll start at around $300 at a big box and up from there in both quality and price. You ought to be able to find good quality ones from about $1500-2000. Similar quality in sliders with blinds will be 3-4K. It's supply and demand. Most renovators are getting rid of their sliders in favor of french doors, so barely any are made except as a custom order.

Thanks for the feedback I've received on my question about sliding patio doors with blinds. I appreciate your time and insight. The manufacturer choices seem limited if I go with the interior blinds. I found the Armstrong blinds easier to operate than the Pella which seemed to drag even when the salesman operated them.

I also started looking into silder doors without blinds, but with better thermal performance. Glass with dual or triple glaze 2X Low-E/Argon or Krypton that block the sun and cold better, and keep the heat in and cold out. I've looked at Anderson Silverline, and Harvey Windows and Doors. I plan to get quotes from my contractor to see where they land in price.

Remodeling my kitchen has been an expensive project so I'm paying more attention to spending money where I get the most benefit. Any additional comments are welcome as I'm still in the researching phase for the door. I also decided to replace the casement with a slider window as the casement took up too much space on the outside deck and made for a hazard. So many decisions.

Again, many thanks!

Hopefloats,
I'm eager to see what you ended up selecting. I'm considering the same option and am just beginning to research it. I would love to change sliders to French doors, but due to condo rules, the must remain sliders.

Funnymercials,
I was unaware that the doors could and needed to be taken apart. I thought the blinds were permanently in there. If you need to pop them open to clean, doesn't that make them less energy efficient? I'm new to this!

Hello Chipmonk. My final decision was to forgo the blind option altogether. We didn't need them for privacy, just for sun and heat protection. I thought I'd end up selecting a window treatment covering to minimize the sun and heat after the installation, but I haven't needed one.

With my builders assistance, we chose Harvey Building Products door and window for our kitchen and decided upon the Tribute line...double pane sliding patio door (they don't put interior blinds in their doors), and double pane sliding window over the sink (so effortless to slide).

We noticed a difference immediately with the double glazed, low E argon, easy sun clean glass. The amount of sun and heat that gets through is mimimal compared to our original glass. We have been through the heat of the summer and surprisingly we never missed having blinds. This glass has been wonderful for blocking out a considerable amount of noise, the suns rays, and heat...far exceding my expectations. Upon closing the slider the heat is sealed off and you can visibly see the reduction of the suns rays. We coundn't be more pleased with our selection. I enjoy having the wide open windows for unobstructed light and view.
Wishing you well with your project and good luck with your final selections.