Second location at 463 E. Altamonte Drive, Altamonte Springs (in front of Altamonte Mall); 407-767-1252. Darden’s latest concept works on a number of levels, thanks to the hard work of manager George Miliotes, executive chef Clifford Pleau and their talented staffs.
The original conceit of the restaurant was that something somewhere was coming into season every week of the year. The kitchen has sort of gotten away from following that too closely, but continues to offer entrees with lots of flavor but fewer calories. Forget about the food being healthfully prepared, you won’t notice a difference when you taste the grilled pork with polenta or the filet mignon. If you start feeling too goody-goody, go crazy and order all the mini desserts. The wine list here – which includes a large number of by-the-glass selections – is especially impressive.
Despite coming from the same company that brought you the Olive Garden and Red Lobster chains, Seasons 52 is more upscale and casually elegant — there is even a piano player in the bar area many evenings. And just to drive home the point that adults are the target audience, Seasons 52 keeps no highchairs or booster seats on hand.

There’s no denying that the setting for the dining room here, with expansive windows into the titanic aquarium filled with exotic sea life, is impressive. It would be a terrific place to have dinner if it wasn’t for the lousy food. There isn’t anything wrong with the menu, it’s fairly straightforward with a little of something for any taste. But the execution and quality are sub par. And I don’t know why that should be. All it would take, it seems to me, is a desire to do better food. But apparently management believes the crowds will come for the view alone, food be damned. Pity.

Space 220, an upscale dining experience with an expansive room and windows that look out into space and the Eastern Seaboard, 220 miles below (give or take a couple of hundred miles).

Spice Road Table is the newest restaurant to open at Epcot, part of the Morocco pavilion in the World Showcase. Not inside the pavilion, mind you, outside, in front of it, on the shore of the lagoon. It’s a setup much like what opened last year at the Mexico pavilion.
The menu isn’t exclusively Moroccan. By giving it a Spice Road theme, the developers were able to widen the scope, borrowing from the dishes and flavors of the countries along the legendary explorers’ route. And the various dishes are presented as Mediterranean Small Plates (thank you for not calling them tapas).
Oddly, given the name, most of the dishes have rather muted spicing. Ask for a side of harissa with whatever you order and you’ll be fine.

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.

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 Julie’s Waterfront. Julie’s gone, but the divey atmosphere lives on, thank goodness. And there’s still a great burger and cold beer to go with it.

Not your typical wine bar. It’s two stories, serves some serious food, and it’s all overseen by a certified master sommelier, George Miliotes, who loves to introduce his guests to new wines. If he makes a suggestion, take it.

The location is the former Lee’s Lakeside, once considered the jewel of downtown dining. It would have been nice to see an upscale/casual restaurant go here, but this franchise has turned the space into a pleasant gathering spot. Unlike many other Worlds of Beer, this one has a more extensive food menu, including full entrees. Not the greatest food you can find in the neighborhood, but when steak frites only costs $15, it’s hard to quibble.