Thai Singha – yes, it’s named for the beer but is not officially associated with the brewery – is a small restaurant with a big heart. The food is authentically prepared and bursts with the flavor components that are the hallmark of Thai cuisine. Have the tom ka gai soup and the fish cakes to start. The pad Thai is good and so is the spicy basil duck. The desserts are unusual for a Thai restaurant, but unusually good too.

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

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.

Like the original, the menu features authentic New Orleans fare. Also like the original, the food here is about as close as anyone in Central Florida has come to presenting a real taste of the Big Easy.

For my entree I chose the combo of jambalaya, crawfish pie and file gumbo. Both the gumbo and the jambalaya were excellent. The soup had a wonderfully dark rouxy base with good chunks of chicken and spicy andouille sausage, topped with a bit of fluffy white rice. The jambalaya had sausage and vegetables cooked into the rice.

I liked the crawfish in the etouffee, however. A more tomatoey roux served as the base with plump, chewy bits of crawfish and vegetables swimming around an island of rice.

For dessert, the bread pudding was crazy good. Big, buttery and gooey with sauce.

Disney’s newest top-tier restaurant on the top floor of the Gran Destino Tower at Coronado Springs. It’s a Spanish-inspired menu with a special emphasis on seafood.

Formerly Caffe Positano, this charming neighborhood restaurant changed its name after it was featured in an episode of Food Network’s “Restaurant: Impossible.” It’s basic Italian/American fare, but it’s all done well. Pizza slices are New York perfect. Most dishes are pasta centric, but they’re all good.

Umi has a pleasant vibe. The menu features not only the expected sushi selections but also kitchen foods that include robata grilled meats and a couple of ramen soups.

Everything is delicious and prettily presented, to boot.

From the same people who own Finnhenry’s in downtown Orlando and Ollie’s Public House in College Park, Vanbarry’s succeeds because it doesn’t overreach. It does not promise to be more restaurant than it can produce, and so expectations aren’t elevated. I don’t mean to damn it with faint praise because it does do some things quite nicely.

The burger, for instance, and the Vanbarry’s Bacon Jam Burger in particular. It was a thick and juicy patty served on a kaiser roll (you can have a pretzel roll if you prefer) with a modest leaf of lettuce and a couple of pickles and tomato slice. There were plenty of blue cheese crumbles and the bacon jam, though not as good as actual bacon, gave a nice smoky note. Multiple napkins were necessary in the eating. The burger came with stack of nicely seasoned and meaty fries.

The Mac & Cheese Skillet was excellent. The creamy mix included lots of bits of prosciutto for some saltiness. I ate more of it than I really intended to.

Let me just put this right out there at the beginning: Viet-Nomz might just be serving the best Vietnamese food in the area. Those of you who know me know that I don’t make such statements lightly.

I put off visiting this small, fast-casual restaurant for a long time because too many other businesses in this spot opened and closed too quickly. I didn’t hold up much hope for another newcomer, especially one with such a cutesy name. But after six months of seeing more cars in front than I ever did for any of the other restaurants that have occupied the University Boulevard space, I decided to pull over and try it myself.

It would be almost enough to go here to sit at the bar, sip a glass of wine and eat strips of bacon while listening to live jazz. (Instead of salty peanuts they put rashers of crispy bacon on the bar here.)
On my first visit to Vines I dined in the main room. I sampled the onion soup, a hearty bowl of beefy broth topped with stringy cheese. For my entree I had the braised beef short rib, oh-so-tender meat that had long given up the bone, served with polenta infused with blue cheese and Brussels sprouts roasted with bacon. (They love bacon in this joint.)
On another visit, I decided to make a feast of a couple of appetizers while sitting at the bar. I selected the steak tartare and seared day boat scallops. The tartare looked as though it were a burger patty ready for the grill. It was surrounded by the usual accouterments, capers, onions, as well as hot sauce drizzled on the plate and a pile of salt. It was topped with a raw quail egg, cracked open and still in the shell. The bartender/server asked if I had ever had the tartare there before and I allowed as to how I had not. She made the suggestion that I blend everything together, the hot sauce and salt included, before eating. It was good advice. The meat was fresh tasting and delicious, and the salt and hot sauce added just the right flavor notes.
Service on the whole was superb.
The dining room is classy and upscale (check out the video wall of fire), which matches the prices.