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There’s no doubt that the holidays are going to be a bit different this year. But at least we can still rely on Grande Lakes Orlando to put on its always fun array of holiday happenings in and around the Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott.

And this year there’s a new restaurant joining in all the reindeer games – though considering it’s Knife & Spoon, I wouldn’t get too close if I were a reindeer, if you know what I mean.

Knife & Spoon will be among the resort’s restaurants that will be offering Thanksgiving dinner this year. And if you haven’t already experienced the high quality of food it’s putting out, this would be a dandy excuse to visit.

The restaurant will offer a $125 four-course menu that will include buttermilk-brined turkey. (And to get a taste of executive chef John Tesar’s method of dry aging beef, you can add prime rib for another $15.)

Also for Thanksgiving, the Ritz will offer a Turkey To-Go option for those who want to dine at home without having to do the cooking. For $265 you get Whisper Creek Farm Seminole pumpkin soup, a 14-16 pound roast turkey, dressing and side dishes, plus dessert. It’s enough to serve up to six people (unless you invite that certain uncle; you know the one).

The thing I like most about a coal-fired pizza is the crust. Not the thickness or the crispiness of the circumferential edge, though those are certainly important factors.

But what I really like about the crust of a coal-fired pizza is its blackened bottom, a fine bit of ashiness that gives the dough a delightful earthiness.

The crust was perfect on the pizza I sampled recently at Capone’s Coal Fired Pizza at the Promenade at Sunset Walk. It’s a second location for a Ft. Myers restaurant and a welcome addition to the entertainment complex.

My dinner companion and I dined recently at one of the well-spaced tables on the patio outside the restaurant. Inside, the decor is reminiscent of Prohibition-era Chicago, with red brick walls, tin-like ceiling and gilded light fixtures.

It hardly seems possible that it’s been almost 10 years since I reviewed Naradeva Thai, shortly after it opened in the Millenia area. (It replaced something called Bear Rock Cafe.) Not only am I surprised at the passing of a decade but also that the restaurant is still there.

I don’t recall being particularly whelmed by my experience. And Naradeva’s opening came at a time when Central Florida was seeing a wave of new Thai restaurants. I figured it would be consumed in the tide.

But it persisted. And it seems that its food has improved along the way, at least by my recent samplings.