Address	2447 S. Orange Ave.
City	Orlando
Phone	407-898-1181
Price	$$
Scott's Review

This is a second location for a small, family-run restaurant on Curry Ford Road. The new location, on Orange Avenue across from the SoDo complex, has a fresh newness about it, from its slatelike flooring to the highly polished dark wood tabletops.

Both locations, however, share the same sincere friendliness of the staffers and, most importantly, fine food.

I met a friend for lunch recently and we started our meal with an order of Angel Wings, one of my favorite Thai appetizers. It should be noted that no angels actually were de-winged in the preparation of the dish.

For my main course I chose the massaman curry with beef, with a heat specification of medium-hot. It had thin slices of beef mixed with meaty chunks of potatoes and onions in a creamy sauce dotted with red flecks of pepper. The spiciness was just right, just enough heat to clear the sinuses but not enough to permanently singe them.

The lunch specials came with a simple salad of greens topped with a ginger dressing, and a small stogie-sized fried Thai egg roll. Nothing special, but a nice addition to the meal.

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Address	1901 E. Colonial Drive
City	Orlando
Phone	407-896-0093
Price	$
Scott's Review

You know you’re in a more authentic Chinese restaurant when you find an entry for Crispy Fried Pork Intestines alongside the more usual General Tso’s Chicken. Of course it would be even more authentic if the General’s chicken, an American creation, wasn’t on the menu at all, but we’ll take what we can get. Chan’s must certainly be one of the larger restaurants in the neigborhood. It has a sizable menu, too, but be sure to take a look at the smaller menu that’s available. That’s where you’ll find some of the less well-known Chinese dishes, such as the pork intestines.... Read more

Address	8255 International Drive
City	Orlando
Phone	407-363-0228
Price	$
Scott's Review

From local restaurant group Talk of the Town, Charley's is a longtime steakhouse that specializes in fine cuts of meat cooked over hardwood fires. Very popular with the tourists, most locals know that it can be hit or miss. When it's on the mark, it's very good. Besides this location, there is a Charley's on South Orange Blossom Trail in Orlando and another in Kissimmee.... Read more

Address	3401 S. Atlantic Ave.
City	New Smyrna Beach
Phone	904-423-8787
Price	$$
Scott's Review

Let’s go to the beach! Aw, come on, it’ll be fun; I’ll drive. Chases on the Beach is not a destination restaurant itself, but if the beach is your destination, Chases is a good place to grab a meal. The cheeseburger is fine for lunch. For dinner, try the grouper or the scallops. (Ask the cook to put the crab cake on the side).

Chases is named for the owner Chase Breiner (although there is no apostrophe in the name; go figure.) An old hotel was previously on the site. According to the restaurant manager, local laws say you can rebuild only on an existing foundation, so the restaurant complex has an odd look and shape, with various buildings and levels.

It serves as a sort of mini-play-ground/food and drink emporium. The food is a basic compilation of seafood dinners and beach-food sandwiches. I wouldnt make a special trip just to have the food. But this is a good place to grab a bite if your day involves a trip to New Smyrna Beach .

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Address	7575 Dr. Phillips Blvd.
City	Orlando
Phone	407-345-2992
Price	$$$$
Scott's Review

Chatham's Place has gone through some changes, and much more than the fact that there are no members of the Chatham family involved in the restaurant. That's not an issue; Louis Chatham, who served as executive chef, and his mother, Bettye, who ran the dining room in those first years, sold the operation years ago to Chatham's sous chef, Tony Lopez, the maitre d', Maurice Colindres, and a hostess, Carol Conwell. The three of them kept it going as strong as ever, perhaps stronger. It was clear that this was an operation of love for the three of them, and they worked together to make it a continued success.

Many of the dishes that became signatures back in Louis Chatham's days remain on the menu, including the Florida black grouper, which has been one of my favorite Central Florida entrees for many years. It features a fresh fillet, thick and white, lightly sauteed and topped with pecan butter and scallions, dusted with just a soupcon of cayenne pepper. The pecan butter places the dish firmly in the south and the pepper points it towards New Orleans. But with the use of Florida black grouper I think we can just claim this one as one of our native dishes, don't you?

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Address	1602 East Buena Vista Drive
City	Orlando
Phone	407-560-0100
Price	$$$
Scott's Review

A Florida style restaurant from celebrity chef Art Smith. Many good things here, but the fried chicken, which is supposed to be a signature item, isn't as good as others.... Read more

Address	535 W Church St
City	Orlando
Phone	407-826-1731
Price	$
Scott's Review

Chef Eddie's is a Southern and soul food restaurant that's worth the trip. You'll be able to spot the place by the barbecue smoker the size of a locomotive engine out front. It's an unassuming space that could be more brightly lit. There are several used and unused and very large aquariums throughout the space. And the dining tables are big, blocky things, suitable for family dining rooms, which is probably where they came from. I was warmly greeted and shown to one of those tables. I looked over the menu but it didn't take me long to decide what I wanted: smothered pork chops. It was a little harder narrowing down my two side items, but my server said the macaroni and cheese and greens were specialties, so that's what I landed on, even though the chops came with yellow rice and I probably didn't need the double starch. There were three pork chops, nicely cooked and laid out over the rice. The gravy that smothered them was dark and rich and not floury at all. I like the gravy with the rice as much as with the pork chops. The sides were, indeed, tasty, and the mac and cheese worth the added starches. The collards had a delicious pungency. The cornbread muffin that also c... Read more

Address	99 W. Plant Street
City	Winter Garden
Phone	407-230-4837
Price	$$$
Scott's Review

Owners Kevin and Laurie Tarter were ahead of the Winter Garden renaissance when they opened their intimate restaurant in the historic Edgewater Hotel there in May of 2008. Eleven years later, the West Orange County hamlet is a hopping with good restaurants and evening entertainment. And the Tarters have expanded their domain with the addition of the Tasting Room, which occupies a space in front of the Chef’s Table’s dining room, and, earlier this year, the acquisition of the Attic Door. But the Chef’s Table remains the jewel, a leisurely evening of three courses, with wine pairings if you like, served by a friendly and attentive staff.... Read more