Stefano and Marie are gone and the restaurant continues under new ownership. The food is every bit as good as it always was, maybe even better. And it’s one of the best dining bargains in town.

It’s big, it’s loud, it’s splashy, and it’s more than a little cheesy, but T-Rex can be a lot of fun, especially for kids old enough not to be frightened out of the bejeebers by life-sized animatronic prehistoric lizards. The food is basic, nothing fancy, nothing stellar. But all in all it does a better job than its sister restaurant Rainforest Cafe.

I sampled a soup and entree. The entrée had two items that are offered separately on the menu, barbecued ribs and rotisserie chicken. The soup was a tomato basil, listed on the menu as lava tomato basil. Turns out lava is fairly sweet; who knew?

The ribs, a generous half slab, were tender and the bones easily relinquished the meat, but there wasn’t a lot of distinctive flavoring. The same was true of the chicken, an even more generous half bird. It was nicely cooked and had juicy flesh. But there were no seasonings, no flavor. It’s a common problem with restaurants in tourist areas to dumb down the seasonings so as not to offend the common palate. Pity. The platter also included a healthy portion of waffle-cut fries. Maybe healthy isn’t the right word, but you know what I mean.

Tabla Bar & Grill is a terrific Indian restaurant in a really lousy location and space. The dining room has the feel of having once been the sort of diner you usually find attached to a motel. And, in fact, it seems to be attached to something similar, perhaps a timeshare facility. To get to the restaurant you have to pass a booth touting tickets to local attractions as well as a convenience store of sorts.But the important things, the food and the service, are first-rate. The cuisine is authentic, and the staff is welcoming and friendly and they go out of their way to do a little extra. My favorite among the entrees was the alu bukhara gosht, hunks of lamb in a sauce seasoned with plum and ginger, which gave a sweet note to counter the spiciness. I also enjoyed the murgh dhansak, chicken in a sauce flavored with pumpkin and fenugreek with lentils. It was ordered medium-spicy, which was just hot enough to perk up the taste buds without singeing them.
Lamb rogan josh was a more recognizeable dish of lamb with tomatoes and almonds. There is a long list of vegetarian dishes. I had the cauliflower mussallam, which had florets in a creamy sauce tinged with tomatoes.

Former Portobello, which was the former Portobello Yacht Club, now with an Italian Lake District focus with a menu under the direction of Chicago’s Tony Mantuano and directed by Justin Plank. Just about anything you choose on the menu is going to be first rate.

Churrascaria means meat. Well, not literally. Churrascaria (tchoo-huh-scah-REE-uh) actually means house of barbecue, but to fans of this type of Brazilian steakhouse, it means meat, meat and more meat. Texas de Brazil is a small chain out of, no surprise here, Texas that is riding the wave of low-carb popularity with a new location on International Drive.
Here’s the way it works: you first visit the salad bar, which is more than just lettuce and condiments. You’ll find all manner of salad fixings plus such items as hearts of palm, tabbouleh, artichoke hearts, Brussels sprouts, roasted red peppers and, for some inexplicable reason, sushi.
When you’ve had enough of the salad bar — and my advice is to go easy there — the waiters, called gauchos and dressed accordingly — will start bringing large skewers of meats, sausages, chicken and seafood to your table. And they’ll keep bringing them until you tell them to stop. (You do that by turning a small disc on your table over so the red side is showing.)
The thing that keeps this from being just another glutfest is the quality of the meats, which is first-rate. Plus, the overall atmosphere is upscale and attractive.

Charming cafe at Marketplace at Avalon Park serving authentic Mexican fare.

Ordinarily, I wouldn’t include a restaurant like this in a guidebook on dining because it isn’t a full-service restaurant. But 2010 is the summer of Harry Potter in Central Florida, and this is the only eatery inside the Wizarding World of… This is basically a fast-serve restaurant: queue up, then order your food at one counter, shuffle off to wait for it at another; a staff member will assign you to a table. The fish and chips are very good; the shepherd’s pie not so much. As with most other venues inside the new theme park, the details of the dining room are exquisite. By the way, if you’re just looking to have a taste of butterbeer, don’t stand in line at the wagon outside. Instead, go into the Hog’s Head pub where your wait will be shorter.

Tibby’s is the latest project from the team that created the outrageously successful Tijuana Flats chain of Tex-Mex eateries: Brian Wheeler, Camp Fitch and Wheeler’s father, Chester. But don’t expect to find a Cajunified version of Tijuana Flats. This is a full-blown, full-service restaurant with an extensive menu of appetizers, entrees and desserts, and from what I tasted, all quite authentic. If what I experienced is any indication, Tibby’s will make those of you who are still lamenting the demise of Jockamo’s say, “Jockamo’s? Who dat?” All of the basic NOLA dishes — shrimp remoulade, crawfish etouffe, jambalaya, gumbo — are here and they’re all done well, based on family recipes. This one looks like it’s going to be a winner.

This is a homegrown chain and a mini success story. They do so well because they provide good food at a fair price. A highlight of a meal here is helping yourself to the various salsas that run the heat-scale gamut. The house specialty is one called Smack my Ass and Call Me Sally.
Check the Web site for locations, but be warned: the Web site plays loud and raucous rock music upon entry.

Toasted is the first grilled cheese restaurant to hit the Central Florida area, reflecting a national phenomenon for the childhood comfort food. But given that any child can make one of these sandwiches, why would anyone order one in a restaurant? Well, there are various gourmet options, but unfortunately the cheese is layered on a little too, well, cheesy. The burgers are slightly better.