Located inside the Sapphire Falls Resort at Universal Orlando, Amatista is supposed to represent the tropics, though the decor is a bit more North Polish. The food, though, is recommendable. Ostensibly Caribbean, it is presented in a creative and stylistic way.

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 triple tail, which sounds a lot more exotic than it is. Triple tail is a mild white fish, emphasis on the mild. In fact, it had no discernable flavor, although it was unquestionably fresh. But it was served on top of a bed of mashed sweet potatoes that were overly sweet. My rule of thumb is that the side dish should never have more flavor than the main dish.

This oddly named restaurant is a replica of Marley’s home in Kingston, Jamaica. The menu has traditional Caribbean fare, such as jerk chicken, oxtail, beef patties and such (no curried goat, however). One taste of the food and you’ll understand why Marley is a music legend. Note: after 9 p.m. only adults over 21 admitted. There may be a cover charge for entertainment (usually $7). Food is served only until 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, but the music keeps playing — and the drinks keep pouring — until 2 a.m.

Caribbean Sunshine Bakery is much larger than it appears to be from the outside. At least the restaurant at John Young Parkway and W. Colonial Drive (there are two others in the area).

A small storefront location for what is a Jamaican franchise out of New York. Very friendly staff serving hearty Islands food. The oxtail stew is a specialty.

As you stand in line at Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville to get your beeper, which you’ll carry with you as you wait even longer for your table, you might be reminded of the lyrics “Wastin’ away again in Margaritaville .” No, you definitely will be reminded of those lyrics, because if you spend more than 20 minutes in the restaurant you’re sure to hear them. Heck, you could spend 20 minutes just trying to get a drink at the bar. The theme here is the music of Jimmy Buffett and his parrothead paradise. Sorry, I don’t know why his fans are called parrotheads. And I probably missed a lot of the insider jokes and other references to his songs that I’m unfamiliar with. The upstairs bar, for example, is probably called the 12-volt bar for some reason. I have only a Top-40 knowledge of his songs. I enjoy his music, though two straight hours of it can be a bit much. I do know that many of his songs are either themed on food and drink, or contain references to them. So that part lends itself well to a restaurant theme. And the Key Westiness and island atmosphere of his songs add to the decor. There’s nothing worth writing a new song over, but there are a few things worth sampling. The jerk chicken was one of my favorite entrees because it was much more substantial than I was expecting. It featured two small leg quarters rubbed with mild jerk seasoning and served atop a mound of yellow rice and accompanied by grilled vegetables. There was an indiscernable white sauce surrounding the rice, but other than that it was pretty good. Jimmy’s jammin’ jambalaya was OK too. The rice based dish had plenty of chicken, shrimp and andouille sausage. The seasonings were a little mild, probably tuned for the masses, but it was a nice version of the New Orleans favorite. Of course, it would be impossible to visit Jimmy Buffett’s and not have the Cheeseburger in Paradise, the trademarked dish from the song of the same name. Indeed, it comes with all the accouterment in the verse, lettuce, tomato, french fried potatoes, etc. Keep in mind it’s the location that is heavenly, not the cheeseburger itself. The patty was thick, though not particularly juicy. It was cooked to the requested medium rare.

Charming Haitian quick-serve with delicious food.

Don’t pay much attention to the cafe designation. This is mainly a nightclub with elaborate (and good) entertainment. You basically come here for the show and to have drinks. The food might help alleviate the affects of the latter.

Negril is a fast-casual restaurant, more casual than it is fast and it’s pretty fast: most of the food is already prepared and in a steam table set behind glass.

The menu has Oxtail, Brown Stews, Jerked dishes and Jamaican Fried Chicken. But every menu listing for a curried dish — available in goat, chicken and shrimp — included the line “Best Curry in Town.” How could I not go with that?

The most interesting thing I learned about Seana’s, a Caribbean and soul food restaurant in West Orlando, is that there is no Seana. Owner Joshua Johnson said that it was just “a name I’ve always loved; it just feels like a warm embrace.” That’s a pretty good description of the restaurant itself.