Sunday Dinner

Chuy’s

Address
City
Phone
Price

7913 W. Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway (192)
Kissimmee
407-787-3545
$$

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Columbia

Address
City
Phone
Price

649 Front St.
Celebration
407-566-1505
$$$

Columbia is the oldest restaurant in Florida, but not this location. The original in Tampa’s Ybor City has been around since 1903 (although, until recently, it was thought it was established in 1905). The Celebration restaurant has had its high and low moments in the past 15 years; lately it has been doing better. The menu is not as authentically Spanish as they would like you to believe. It’s not even all that Cuban. But the creative stylings at least get the spicing right. Try the red snapper Alicante or the scallops Casimiro. Desserts are less satisfying.

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Delaney’s Tavern

Address
City
Phone
Price

1315 S. Orange Ave.
Orlando
407-849-0801
$$

Part of the new Delaney, a boutique hotel, Delaney’s Tavern is more than a drinking spot. The food, under the direction of chef Anthony Albino, is innovative and expertly executed. The crab beignets and shrimp, scallops & grits (with purple grits) are favorites.

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Descend 21

Address
City
Phone
Price

Hyatt Regency Orlando
Orlando
407-284-1234
$$

The name of the restaurant derives not from an age restriction but rather from the number of steps it takes to reach it down a curving staircase from the lobby level. (Yes, I counted; it’s 21 steps. In both directions.)

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Domu

Address
City
Phone
Price

3201 Corrinne Drive
Orlando
407-960-1228
$$

Hot and trendy place serving hot and trendy ramen. The ramens are good, but being popular kind of goes to their heads. Prepare to be made to wait, even if tables are available.

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Don Julio’s Mexican Kitchen and Tequila Bar

Address
City
Phone
Price

551 S. Chickasaw Trail
Orlando
407-930-3735
$$

It would seem that the place to be on a Friday night if you live in the area of Chickasaw Trail and Lake Underhill Road is Don Julio’s Mexican Kitchen and Tequila Bar. At least it seemed that way the Friday evening my companion and I stopped in. The restaurant in the aptly named Rio Pina Plaza was jumping like veritable frijoles saltarines.

It was so crowded that people waiting for tables were standing around on the sidewalk outside the strip plaza storefront. The only seats available, the young woman at the host stand told us, were at either of the bars, the tequila bar in the title or the ceviche bar on the other side of the room.

That suited us just fine because it was the ceviche bar that drew my attention to this particular D. Julio’s over the one in Lake Mary or the other location in Waterford Lakes.

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Doshi

Address
City
Phone
Price

1040 N. Orlando Ave.
Winter Park
407-571-9264
$$$

Doshi’s Michelin recognition is deserved. The restaurant, from brothers Jimmy Tung and Johnny Tung of the Bento Group, grew from of a ghost-kitchen operation called Doshibox that worked out of the Collab Kitchen on Curry Ford Road. Doshi occupies a small space in an outparcel in front of Nordstrom Rack at the intersection of Lee Road and Orlando Avenue in Winter Park.

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Dragonfly Robata Grill & Sushi

Address
City
Phone
Price

7972 Via Dellagio Way
Orlando
407-370-3359
$$$

It’s big and modern and offers so much more than sushi, although the sushi is some of the best of what it does, especially the deftly executed nigirizushi. Dragonfly also features robata grilling, a popular cooking method in Japan but still fairly uncommon in the U.S. A robata grill uses special charcoal that heats to one thousand degrees (oh, how I wish I could do that on my Weber). The intense heat sears the skewered meats that are leaned against it, which results in tender, juicy bites. We tried the chicken, and it was impressively tender. We also tried the braised short ribs, served with pickled carrots, shiitake and tamago. They weren’t the most tender short ribs I’ve had — and a bit difficult to pick apart with chopsticks — but the flavor was very nice.

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Eddie V’s

Address
City
Phone
Price

7488 Sand Lake Road
Orlando
407-355-3011
$$$$

This latest addition to the Darden collection of premium brands is sometimes said to be the seafood equivalent of that company’s Capital Grille steakhouses. But that’s not exactly right because Eddie V’s, which does indeed to excellent seafood, also does a pretty good steak. In fact, Eddie V’s serves prime beef while Capital Grille serves USDA choice. The atmosphere is elegant, like an old-timey Manhattan supper club. It’s pricy, though, so be prepared to pay dearly for the quality.

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El Pueblo

Address
City
Phone
Price

7124 Aloma Ave.
Winter Park
407-677-5534
$

If you overlook the inclusion of fajitas on the menu, this little hole in the wall (not that wall) serves authentic Mexican food.

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