Morton’s recently renovated its Restaurant Row Orlando location. The decor is imbued with a modern and tony flair, less the stodgy boardroom ambience at some of the other high-end steakhouses. Maybe that’s why women seem to feel so comfortable here.
Steaks are cooked under a super-hot broiler, and when the kitchen is on the mark, they’re among the best.

The setting is a large shack, perhaps in the Everglades, but since you’re really inside the atrium of the Gaylord Palms you don’t have to worry about mosquitos. Although it is primarily a steakhouse (make that prime-arily) and prepares steaks with a beautiful charred crust, Old Hickory is positioning itself to be an all-around restaurant, with very good seafood selections as well. Be sure to experience the cheese cart at the end of the meal. Or at the beginning, because you may be too stuffed after.

I seriously don’t know what to make of Salt & the Cellar by Akira Back in the lowercased ette hotel in Kissimmee. On one hand, the food is as well crafted as you would expect from an internationally known chef, and it shows proof of the promised sourcing of fresh ingredients.

On the other hand… Well, there are several other hands.

Shula’s is consistently one of the best steakhouses in Central Florida. The decor is high-toned and classy, with a wood-trimmed corporate boardroom mien. Large black and white photos of football action that adorn the walls are tasteful and appropriate. The only real bit of kitsch is the menu, which is printed on the side of an official NFL football (don’t even think of trying to walk out with it — you’ll be tackled so fast you won’t even see the hostess coming up behind you.)
The steaks here are first-rate and expertly cooked. It ain’t cheap, but quality this good is worth the price.

Small – and very expensive – high-end sushi bar.

The New York based franchise has opened a large, splashy and decidedly noisy outpost at Disney Springs. (Loud music is sort of a trademark.) Food is good, with seafood getting as much attention — and deserving it, too — as the steaks.

Opened in July, 2020, this elegant dinner-only occupies a previously under utilized space at the Japan pavilion in Epcot. As with the other restaurants at the pavilion, Takumi-tei is operated by Mitsukoshi, the Tokyo-based department store.

A favorite of locals for special occasions, the former Venetian Room has become Venetian Chop House and specializes in steaks. But while the menu has been tweaked a bit, this is still very much a fine dining restaurant. The dining room is every bit as elegant as before and the service just as professional.