A second location for this popular Winter Park restaurant with award-winning burgers.

This is a bar — a loud, no-apologies-for-our-raucousness kind of bar. But they have the ability to make a damn fine burger, one that has won multiple Foodie Awards over the years. The award comes and goes because consistency is a problem, but if you catch them on a good day, you’ll see why the place is packed.
The Buffalo wings are another good choice for those so inclined. One nice thing about Johnny’s: although it is a primarily a bar, it sells so much food that it does not qualify for the nonsmoking exemption that the State of Florida so ridiculously allows to freestanding bars. So you have the experience of the barroom experience without the need to burn your clothes the next day.

If you head out to try Knife Burger at JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes, you may want to take your swim suit along. The newest offering from meat master John Tesar is essentially a service of the resort’s pool bar, a covered but open-air pavilion with tables and bar seating and guests in various degrees of undress and dampness.

If you didn’t already know that Tesar, whose knife & Spoon restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton next door was recently awarded a Michelin star, was attached to the burger joint, you probably wouldn’t figure it out if you just hopped out of the pool with a craving for a bite to eat.

Marlow’s Tavern is now open at Pointe Orlando. Marlow’s is a “neighborhood pub” that has heretofore occupied only Georgia neighborhoods. The Pointe restaurant is the first outside that state and the company’s tenth.

The burgers were most impressive. Big, thick patties on fresh buns with good-quality toppings. I sampled the black and blue burger, with gorgonzola and applewood smoked bacon (I get the blue part with the cheese but I’m not sure the bacon qualifies as black). I also tried the “everything and the kitchen sink” burger, which, thankfully, does not contain any porcelain or stainless steel. It did have bacon, caramelized onions and crispy onions, wild mushrooms, cheddar cheese, tomato, lettuce and chipotle barbecue sauce. They were served with hand-cut fries, and I think they represented a good value at $11 and $12 respectively.

Nona Blue Modern Tavern opened May 2013 and has been been keeping the tables filled ever since. The first time I visited was a Monday, and the place was doing the sort of business that some restaurants in town would cherish on a weekend. Part of that, of course, is the newness and part is the aforementioned scarcity. And some of it has to do with the allure of Graeme McDowell, the golfer, who is one of the owners (along with Joe Davi and Bill Bona). Whether they will keep coming is yet to be seen, but with a few tweaks here and there — especially in the area of service — they should be able to keep those seats filled.

I liked what I saw when I first walked into the place (once I found the front door, which is not easily spotted). I liked what I smelled even more. The air was infused with the aroma of hickory smoke, and it had me immediately craving something wood-smoked.

The menu makes full use of that grill. There isn’t anything particularly daring or innovative on it, just your basic tavern fare. You’ve got your burgers, your steaks and seafood offerings. And quite a long list of appetizers, called shareables on the menu, some of which are priced as much as some of the full entrees.

Nona Tap Room is gone and Nona Social Bar + Kitchen has taken its place. Except for the variation of the name, I can’t see a whole lot of difference between the two.

It’s still a neighborhoody place that is more bar than kitchen. Still a bit on the small, cozy side. It still features a menu that is burgercentric. And the kitchen still can’t cook a burger to a medium-rare temperature. Or perhaps just refuses to.

Shake Shack opened a few weeks ago, but I resisted going because, frankly, I refuse to wait in line for food. The last time I did so was at a Magnolia Bakery in the West Village and I felt like the fool I was for waiting more than an hour to end up with a very average cupcake. So imagine my surprise when I finally screwed my courage to the proverbial sticking point and headed for the restaurant, preparing not only for the line but the already legendary inadequately sized parking lot, and not only got a parking space right away but also walked into the Shake Shack and stepped right up to the counter to place my order.

Of course, it was 3:30 in the afternoon, so there’s that.

The burger, a 100 percent all natural angus patty (no hormones or antibiotics), was very good. Hour-long wait good, no, but walk right in and have a bite to eat good, yes. The patty was not too rare (too thin for that, really) but had a wonderful charred flavor, and the Shacksauce, whatever that is, added a nice condimental note. The crinkly-cut fries had a good crisped exterior and an airy potatoness inside.

The shake was thick and creamy. The strawberry flavor was more of a hint than a major component — there was no evidence of actual berries in the vanilla ice cream, but I could taste it.

Finally, a good restaurant at Dubsdread. It’s Sam Snead’slike (the owners here were involved in developing the Sam Snead’s Tavern concept)  with an emphasis on simple foods.
The pot roast and filet mignon are standouts, and if you get the Buffalo shrimp, ask the kitchen to make them spicy. And the Tap Room burger is superb.
The rustic dining room is fronted by a wraparound porch that overlooks the Dubsdread Golf Course. It’s a lovely spot to enjoy Sunday brunch, and as luck would have it, the Tap Room serves an excellent one.

The Maitland location is a new outpost for the popular MetroWest burgermonger. And make no mistake: burgers are the forte here.