Address	Hollywood Blvd. Disney's Hollywood Studios
City	Lake Buena Vista
Phone	407-939-3463
Price	$$

Television was and is a big part of Hollywood, and its popularity led to the advent of TV dinners. The original concept of this full-service restaurant called for meals to be served in TV dinner trays, but planners worried that some people might not take the food seriously. Instead, patrons sit at plastic-laminate tables while sitcom- styled "moms" serve such fare as meatloaf and chicken pot pie.  Accompanying the classic cuisine are clips of classic comedies on black-and-white TV sets. Each little kitschy kitchenette has its own television playing scenes from The Honeymooners, Make Room for Daddy, I Love Lucy, Topper and other favorites. The sitcom skits replay every 20 minutes or so, which seems appropriate for reruns. Food is better than your basic Swanson’s.... Read more

Address	8849 International Drive
City	Orlando
Phone	407-248-2499
Price	$$$

It will be interesting to see if Darden keeps backing this Islands concept, which for some reason has never quite caught on with the dining public. For the most part, the food is good  and the restaurants are attractive and lively, often with entertainment. And they’re a favorite outdoor dining destination for locals.

As for the food, my companion out-ordered me with tortilla soup and a ropa Joe sandwich. The soup had layer upon layer of textures and tastes, with pliant avocado cubes, chicken and strips of tortillas.

The sandwich was, as the name might suggest, a version of the classic ropa vieja specialty of shredded beef served on a Cuban roll. Lots of well-seasoned meat, some cheese, peppers and onions livened it up.

For my starter course, I chose a special of ahi tuna ceviche, which featured tiny cubes of tuna dressed with citrus juices served atop a platform supported by watercress. The watercress was more annoying than helpful. It was wadded onto the plate in long stems, and every time I tried to fork a little watercress with some tuna, a long vine would trail behind.

For my entree, I had another special of... Read more

Address	Magic Kingdom Drive
City	Orlando
Phone	407939-3463
Price	$$$$
Scott's Review

Thankfully, the song from "Beauty and the Beast" for which the restaurant Be Our Guest is named doesn’t play over the sound system as often as I had feared. “Beauty and the Beast,” you may be aware, is set in France, so therefore the new restaurant has a French flavor, though it doesn’t adhere hard and fast to Francocentric fare. The menu, under the direction of chef Michael Deardorff, might be described more as French influenced. And the food I tasted was very good. My tablemates and I started with a charcuterie platter of cured meats, sausages, cheeses, pates and a surprise or two. What appeared to be ripe olives under the dark lighting turned out to be plump, sweet cherries (and delicious ones at that). We also tried the mussels Provencal, which featured delicious liquor of white wine, butter and garlic but unfortunately small and tough mussel meats. There was also a wonderful salad of fresh -- and locally sourced -- green beans and tomatoes. Three out of the five entrees that I sampled were winners. I loved the pan-seared salmon, a beautiful reddish pink in the center, with a tender-firm texture, served on a creamy leek fondue. Note that during lunch hours the rest... Read more

Address	Epcot Germany Pavilion 1700 Epcot Resorts Boulevard
City	Lake Buena Vista
Phone	407-939-3463
Price	$$$

It's Oktoberfest year round, although anyone who has been to the real deal in Munich won't have any trouble confusing the celebration here with the beer tents of Bavaria. Then again, you're not likely to have underage drinkers throwing up on your shoes at Epcot, so it balances out. The food is served on a buffet here and includes your basic bratwursts, red cabbage, spaetzle and such. It's kept tidy, and while nothing is extraordinary about the quality, the food is mostly palatable.... Read more

Address	Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge
City	Lake Buena Vista
Phone	407-939-3463
Price	$$

Technically, this is a buffet, but it’s like no other buffet you’re likely to encounter. For one thing, the food is all wonderfully prepared. The food, which features a variety of meats, fish and vegetarian items based on African dishes, is adventurous in scope with brilliant flavors. And instead of steam tables most of the food is served on state-of-the-art (if all-you-can-eat technology can be called art) surfaces that allow the foods to be served in pots, pans and other vessels while still keeping them hot.

... Read more

Address	1621 S. Orange Ave.
City	Orlando
Phone	407-426-8922
Price	$
Scott's Review

Originally one of the tenants of Church Street Station, Brick & Fire cut its losses and moved from the historical confines of that downtown entertainment complex to a location on South Orange Avenue whose only history is as a Moe's Southwestern food chain and a Pizza Hut joint. Better pizzas are coming out of chef Mark Dollard's ovens, and the place is often filled with neighbors and workers from the nearby medical complex and their families. The wine list here isn't stellar, but it's cheap. Note: there is a second location at 1410 Semoran Blvd., Casselberry; phone 321-332-6430.

... Read more

Address	CityWalk Universal Orlando
City	Orlando
Phone	407-903-0044
Price	$$

Forrest Gump, in the movie of the same name, quotes his mother as saying that life was like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get. The movie, you see, takes place in a time before candy companies started putting maps to their assortments on the inside lid.
Still, Mother Gump was wise in her way. So I can’t help but think that if she were to visit Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., a chain restaurant new to Universal’s CityWalk, her reaction might be: “Sometimes life is like a carton of frozen shrimp, you know exactly what you’re gonna get.”
There’s little to recommend here, and it shouldn’t surprise anyone to learn that the menu is dominated by what Bubba called "the fruit of the sea.” It isn’t quite as extensive as detailed in the movie when Bubba, in a memorable sequence, lists every possible way to cook and serve shrimp. “You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey's uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp Creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There's pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That- that's about it.”
He d... Read more

Address	1351 S. Orlando Ave.
City	Maitland
Phone	407-622-7663
Price	$$$

Additional location: Florida Mall, 8001 S. Oragne Blossom Trail, Orlando; 407-859-7844. This national chain was recently purchased by Orlando resident (and Planet Hollywood founder) Robert Earl, who is remaking the restaurant into a fun place for the family to dine. The menu has undergone a redo as well, with an eye toward freshness. For example, all sauces are made daily at each location. That's pretty impressive.

Portions are humongous, so have a little and save the rest for your next three meals.

... Read more