A nice family restaurant, but we’re talking more of the Sister Sledge “We Are Family” kind. Fun spot on Church Street with an eclectic crowd and big sloppy burgers.It’s the first national chain to market specifically to the gay community. You might have figured it out if you had wandered in on a Tuesday for Bingo Night, hosted by local celebrity Miss Sammy (hint: it’s not short for Samantha) or for the Maryoke sing-alongs on Wednesdays. At other times, you might not have noticed anything different about the place at all. Indeed, on one of my lunch visits, there was a family at the next table, a father, mother and baby in a stroller. Everyone is welcome at Mary’s — she does not discriminate. She is a terrific hostess, but I don’t think anyone would call her the best cook in town, especially if you should wander away from the list of burgers. Suffice to say the place will never be called Meatloaf Mary’s. Stick with the burgers, and you’ll be fine. The hard part is deciding on which burger to have. There are 11 variations, with names such as Queen Mary, Sloppy Mary, Spicy Mary and Blue Boy burger. And if you missed the Sister Sledge reference, I doubt you’d understand Blue Boy. (No, it’s not served raw. The blue refers to the cheese.) Most of the burgers are made with a half-pound of certified Angus beef, although one is bigger, made with a full pound of meat. That one is called the Proud Mary, and that’s all I’m going to say about that.

The Ritz-Carlton at Grande Lakes Orlando recently opened its newest restaurant, Highball & Harvest, which takes the place of the Vineyard Grill.
During a media preview dinner, I had the chance to sample several of Jeffers’ dishes, and I liked all of them quite a bit.

For the uninitiated — or those who don’t follow challenge cooking shows — Masaharu Morimoto is a star of the programs Iron Chef in Japan and its spinoff Iron Chef America. He has several restaurants that bear his name around the world, including in Mumbai, New Delhi, Philadelphia, New York and Mexico City. Those restaurants are named simply Morimoto and feature the chef’s signature Japanese cuisine. (The nearest Morimoto is in Boca Raton.)

The Disney Springs restaurant is Morimoto Asia to distinguish it from the other restaurants. Technically, the restaurant is operated by the Patina Restaurant Group, which also has the two restaurants at Epcot’s Italy pavilion as well as others throughout the country, including Lincoln at New York’s Lincoln Center. My sources told me that the Disney restaurant started out to be a genuine Morimoto but that the chef became disenchanted with the bureaucracy and chose to continue under a licensing agreement.

Paddlefish is the reimagined Fulton’s Crab House (née Empress Lily), on the nonfloating structure made to resemble a vintage paddlewheel river boat.

It’s less vintage-y with the recent renovation, which gave it a modern look, both inside and out (though the frozen-in-place paddles remain).

This is a huge facility, but it features several smaller dining rooms that keep it from feeling like a large main feeding room on a cruise ship.

The Parkview is a favorite wine bar and restaurant on Park Avenue. Besides a terrific lineup of wines (be sure to check out the wines offered with the Coravin device) the kitchen puts out some good food to accompany.

The facade is a remarkable replication of the famous Pat O’Brien’s in New Orleans. Food is better than average, especially the jambalaya. This is more of a place to come for the rollicking piano music and the drinks, especially the renowned hurricane, served in the hurricane glass. Careful about the specialty drinks — with most you’re also purchasing a souvenir glass. Ask about your options if you’d rather just have the liquor without the glassware.

After a year-long renovation, Planet Hollywood has been refurbished to resemble a large observatory to better fit in with the Disney Springs backstory. (Never mind that it’s really a planetarium.) Inside, it’s a little like dining in an IMAX theater, with massive projections of music videos that stretch the three-story auditorium/dining room.

Food Network star Guy Fieri contributed to the new menu. Food is impressive mostly in the size of the portion.

What began as Que Rico Colombian Fast Food in 2011 as part of the burgeoning food truck scene is now Super Rico Colombian Bistro. As it did with Que Rico, Super Rico features burgers as one of its signature items. I had enjoyed QR’s arepa burger in the past, so I ordered it this time, too. The arepa burger is conventional in just about every way except that instead of a bun the patty is placed between two arepas, the South American corn cakes. And these arepas are a bit thinner, less crumbly than your basic arepa. This isn’t a typical food in Colombia, but it’s a fine creative twist.

Tako Cheena is the new concept from Pom Moongauklang, owner of of the popular Pom Pom’s sandwicherie. The name is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the type of food featured, tacos, and Moongauklang’s Asian heritage (she was born in Thailand). She combines Latin and Asian into true fusion cuisine.
It’s also pretty darned tasty. Moongauklang has a talent for making complex foods look simple, and for taking simple flavor combinations and giving them layers and textures that make them seem complex. It isn’t surprising that she worked at New York’s famed Nobu restaurant.
The menu is short. It offers a featured empanada and a roster of takos. I sampled an array of takos, and I liked every one of them. My favorite was the panko crusted cod, which had bite-sized nuggets of fish in the soft flour tortilla garnished with scallions and mixed cabbage. What really brought out the flavors, though, was the lusciously thick sweet and sour sauce that not only gave it a great taste but also made it look so pretty.
My second favorite was the Chinese barbecue char shu pork belly, with mixed cabbage, fresh cilantro and ginger oil, all topped with a crisp ribbon of crackling. I also liked the Thai peanut chicken, with its velvety peanut sauce, topped off with crunchy crushed peanuts.

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