I don’t think I’d fully appreciated what a beautiful and elaborate space the Boathouse of Disney Springs is. From its expansive bar, the multiple dining rooms and the satellite open-air lounge that sits over the lagoon, it is a well-polished collection of woods, brass and early-nautical decor – even a full-size vintage Chris Craft boat – with the white tableclothed elegance of a yacht club.

I wish the food rose to the same level.

A Florida style restaurant from celebrity chef Art Smith. Many good things here, but the fried chicken, which is supposed to be a signature item, isn’t as good as others.

The burgers here are impressively big, about seven ounces, though honestly they looked bigger. I was annoyed before ordering when I was told by the venue’s chef, Bill Brown, that the burgers could not be cooked at a temperature below medium. Even more annoying was the reason. Instead of saying that the company was concerned about the possibility of bacteria in ground beef not being killed if undercooked — which I would have taken as a more honest answer — Brown said that they just feel the burgers are at their juiciest when cooked to medium, which I consider hooey.

Very expensive and not very good.

There’s more to the name here than just a play on a historical figure. John Montagu, the 11th Earl of Sandwich, is involved in the business, although the project was started by his son Orlando, who is not in line to inherit the title. There’s another Earl involved: Robert Earl, founder of Planet Hollywood. Legend has it, of course, that it was the fourth Earl of Sandwich who came up with the idea of slapping meat between some bread. The usual story is that he was a gambler and didn’t want to put down his cards, but Lord Sandwich, the current one, told me over sherries in the House of Parliament a few years ago, that his ancestor was also a womanizer and it may have been a lady in his other hand. Whatever, the sandwiches here are very good and impressively thick. You may actually need both hands. The 4th Earl would not approve.

As in Thomas Alva. This Disney Springs newcomer’s setting is an old power plant (not really, but, you know, Disney) and the decor features moving pictures, phonographic music and other inventions. Food is as American as light bulbs. But tastier.

This gem truly is hidden away, below the entrance to Maria & Enzo’s and behind the Edison (both sister restaurants). It’s a quiet respite that also serves excellent food.

There isn’t anything remotely Mexican about the decor and design of Frontera Cocina, the new restaurant from Rick Bayless that has opened at Disney Springs. And that just may be the point.

Bayless, the Chicagoland chef who has won no fewer than six James Beard Awards, says his style of Mexican food has “bright flavors” and isn’t heavy because they don’t do much frying. His menu focuses on the Central and Southern regions of Mexico, staying far away from the influences of Tex-Mex or Ameri-Mex, or, heaven forbid, Flori-Mex.

That brightness shows in the decor, as well. More modern, with bright splashes of color — orange, blue and green — walls of windows and shelves of tequilas. No artificially cracked plaster walls showing bare bricks beneath and nary a sombrero hanging on a hook. That alone is refreshing.

Its the House of Blues, a boisterous boite that celebrates the diversity and brotherhood of world culture and promotes racial and spiritual harmony through love, peace, truth, righteousness and non-violence. But despite a mission statement that makes it sound like the lunchroom at the United Nations, this is actually a themed restaurant that serves up rhythm, blues and soul and not so incidentally surprisingly good food, most of it rooted in a New Orleans style.

What’s surprising about it is that everything is of good quality, prepared and presented with the sort of gourmet flair you’d expect from a fine dining establishment, not a place that is made to look like a juke joint.

Menu highlights include a smoked double-cut pork chop, etouffe and Cajun meat loaf. For appetizers, the Mississippi catfish bites are pretty tasty.

The bread pudding is a must. The Sunday gospel brunch, which features an all-you-can-eat buffet,  is an inspirational treat.

The Disney Springs location of this Washington based chain is the company’s largest. It’s big and so is the price tag, but the quality is inarguable.