Address	Britsh Isles Pavilion Epcot
City	Lake Buena Vista
Phone	407-939-3463
Price	$$$

If most people choose to eat at Restaurant Marrakesh for the belly dancers, most people who choose to have dinner here do so because of the great view of Illuminations. Tip from the Disney folks: If you want to view Illuminations from here, "take a seat on the popular patio before sunset." Before sunset -- the show is at 9 p.m. That's a lot of pints to pound down while you're waiting. And what will you eat? Bangers and mash? Fish and chips? Sorry, I can't recommend the food here. And I've always been disappointed with the staff. I love my visits to England -- the real one, across the Atlantic -- and the people there are always wonderful. But the cast members at this pub are usually surly. (And why not -- they've got people camping out on their patio tables for four hours waiting for the fireworks to begin.)... Read more

Address	7760 W. Sand Lake Road (at Dr. Phillips Boulevard)
City	Orlando
Phone	407-352-4844
Price	$$$$
Scott's Review

Roy’s was one of the first to take up residence on Restaurant Row. In fact, I hadn’t dubbed Sand Lake Road Restaurant Row yet! This is a chain, albeit an upscale one, founded by Hawaiian chef Roy Yamaguchi (but now owned by OSI, the Outback Steakhouse people). It features Yamaguchi’s signature style of Hawaiian fusion cuisine.

The chef/managing partners are given a certain leeway to make changes to the menu, although some items are kept constant and can be found at any of the 33 Roy’s restaurants. These dishes, “Roy’s classics,” were among the best things I sampled on my recent visits.

One was the surfah combo, which combined a macadamia nut-crusted mahi mahi with a serving of seared golden sea bass. The mahi mahi was the better of the two, a beautiful fillet, thick and moist, served with a rich lobster butter sauce. The seabass, a little hard-crusted, was paired with a truffled herb pistou, which, my server volunteered without being asked, means pesto.

I also liked the chive seared U-10 sea scallops, sufficiently large, as the U-10 designation would suggest, but soft and buttery with a velvety texture. The scallops were well complemented with a Thai chil... Read more

Address	1202 N. Semoran Blvd.
City	Orlando
Phone	407-275-0776
Price	$$

I probably hear about this restaurant from more people than any other because for many years they've posted a quote from me on the large sign in front of the restaurant -- Thai food fit for a king, by Scott Joseph -- which, to be honest are actually the words of a Sentinel copy writer who wrote the headline. Whatever, I've never felt compelled to quibble about the accuracy of the quote.

Terrific Thai dishes are presented with great pride by a small staff. Not an elegant restaurant but wonderful food. Try the pad Thai or the lemon fish (but only if you like it really, really hot). Have the tom kha gai soup for a starter. Most dishes are less than $12; very reasonable.

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Address	3050 Alafaya Trail
City	Oviedo
Phone	407-542-5863
Price	$
Scott's Review

Quick serve specializing in rice bowls and ramen.... Read more

Address	1568 Maguire Road
City	Ocoee
Phone	407-614-3765
Price	$$
Scott's Review

RusTeak fancies itself a gastropub, and indeed it has a pubbish atmosphere, casual and convivial. On the gastro side, the menu features an array of flatbreads and burgers as well as fuller entrees, including pastas and steaks to more involved creations. For my entree I selected the Mahi Out of Control, a kitchen-sink kind of offering that had a grilled fillet of mahi mahi buried beneath sauteed diced shrimp, toasted almonds, cherry tomatoes and broccolini, all of it sitting atop a bed of vegetable and potato hash. It was the sort of dish that could be a huge mess if it didn’t feature quality ingredients, but all of it was first-rate, not the least among them the firm, fresh-tasting mahi.... Read more

Address	2625 Edgewater Drive
City	Orlando
Phone	407-614-3765
Price	$$

It doesn't look like much from the outside, but inside is quite pleasant and the food is very good. ... Read more

Address	55 W. Church St.
City	Orlando
Phone	407-401-8811
Price	$$
Scott's Review

Rusty Spoon, under the direction of James Beard nominated chef Kathleen Blake, has become one of the area's top restaurants and an especial jewel of downtown dining. Blake was an early proponent of farm-to-table cuisine and she hasn't strayed from that doctrine. The menu changes depending on what's available season to season, but you can be sure that it will be excellent.... Read more

Address	80 Colonial Center Parkway
City	Lake Mary
Phone	407-804-8220
Price	$$$$$
Scott's Review

In the days following Hurricane Katrina’s devastation of New Orleans, Ruth’s Chris accelerated its plan to move the chain’s headquarters to Central Florida. Subsequently, it opened this location – it’s third in the area – as a sort of flagship. There has never been any question about the quality of the food, especially the signature steaks. But beware the servers’ attempts to upsell. They can be persuasive and, on some occasions, deceptive. Other locations include: 610 N. Orlando Ave., Winter Park; 407-622-2444; and 7501 W. Sand Lake Road, Orlando; 407-226-3900.

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