It is unique among the downtown businesses – it’s a quiet place with a classy feel that puts the emphasis on good wine. It’s a terrific meeting space or neighborhood hangout without the manic music or big crowds you might find in some the neighboring restaurants and bars. It’s just what downtown needed.

The original Graffiti Junktion has moved a couple of blocks east to the corner of Summerlin Avenue. Graffiti Junktion, if the name doesn’t already give it away, goes more for a grunge aura, not that there’s anything wrong with that. In fact, it seems kind of appropriate. The decor relies heavily on the graffiti part (must have been easy to decorate — just leave a few cans of spray paint out overnight and when you come back in the morning, voila!). Its subname is an American Burger Bar, so red, white and blue figure into the scheme. I had the burger called the Lone Star, a big thick patty, cooked close to the requested medium-rare, topped with thick rashers of bacon and cheddar cheese and slathered with barbecue sauce. It had crispy lettuce, tomato and pickles on a fresh bun. And it was accompanied by a generous portion of slender, spiced fries. Good burger.

It’s Greek, and it’s on the corner; you can’t get more succinct that that. But no corners are cut on the quality. All your Greek favorites are here, served in a small, unassuming space.
I supped on the melitzanosalat, a dip made with roasted eggplant, and followed with a bowl of tangy avgolemeno, the chicken soup thickened with a lemony egg sauce. For my main course I had the moussaka, a big brick of seasoned beef, eggplant and potatoes topped with a fluffy bechamel. Substantial and delicious.
If it’s a warm day – it’s Florida, the odds are in your favor – sit on the patio, across the street from Lake Ivanhoe.

A downtown salad assemblage concept, offering fresh lunchtime options.

What is served in this little eatery in downtown Orlando has a lot more in common with Tex-Mex than Mexican, with a definite leaning to the, uh, gringo side of the border. But they do serve some decent food in a delightfully grungy atmosphere.
The menu is a bit salacious, with such entries as Dirty Sanchez, Drunk Gringo, Mouth Hugger and 1 Night Slam. Mainly, it’s tacos and burritos. I had the Drunk Gringo, which has nothing to do with alcohol. Instead, it simply means that it is the burrito into which everything is loaded. (Drunk. Loaded. Get it?) So instead of just one meat — or protein, as it is prosaically referred to on the menu — you get roast pork, ground beef and chicken. You also get beans and rice and lettuce and cheese and onions and…you get the idea.

A nice family restaurant, but we’re talking more of the Sister Sledge “We Are Family” kind. Fun spot on Church Street with an eclectic crowd and big sloppy burgers.It’s the first national chain to market specifically to the gay community. You might have figured it out if you had wandered in on a Tuesday for Bingo Night, hosted by local celebrity Miss Sammy (hint: it’s not short for Samantha) or for the Maryoke sing-alongs on Wednesdays. At other times, you might not have noticed anything different about the place at all. Indeed, on one of my lunch visits, there was a family at the next table, a father, mother and baby in a stroller. Everyone is welcome at Mary’s — she does not discriminate. She is a terrific hostess, but I don’t think anyone would call her the best cook in town, especially if you should wander away from the list of burgers. Suffice to say the place will never be called Meatloaf Mary’s. Stick with the burgers, and you’ll be fine. The hard part is deciding on which burger to have. There are 11 variations, with names such as Queen Mary, Sloppy Mary, Spicy Mary and Blue Boy burger. And if you missed the Sister Sledge reference, I doubt you’d understand Blue Boy. (No, it’s not served raw. The blue refers to the cheese.) Most of the burgers are made with a half-pound of certified Angus beef, although one is bigger, made with a full pound of meat. That one is called the Proud Mary, and that’s all I’m going to say about that.

This is a bar — a loud, no-apologies-for-our-raucousness kind of bar. But they have the ability to make a damn fine burger, one that has won multiple Foodie Awards over the years. The award comes and goes because consistency is a problem, but if you catch them on a good day, you’ll see why the place is packed.
The Buffalo wings are another good choice for those so inclined. One nice thing about Johnny’s: although it is a primarily a bar, it sells so much food that it does not qualify for the nonsmoking exemption that the State of Florida so ridiculously allows to freestanding bars. So you have the experience of the barroom experience without the need to burn your clothes the next day.

Formerly known as Amura, Kaizen Izakaya has very good sushi (especially the nigiri). An izakaya is supposed to be a Japanese pub or tavern where friends hang out. But the dank atmosphere won’t make you want to linger.

The menu features a tidy number of sandwiches, salads and entrees. You’ve got your Cuban, your ropa viejo, your chicken with chimichurri sauce. When it came my turn to select, I went with the shredded pork with two sides, those being a moro rice (a mix of black beans and rice) and roasted potatoes.

The pleasant young woman who took my order first piled on the moro, then the roasted potatoes, and I thought maybe she had misunderstood me or that I had ordered incorrectly because I didn’t think there would be room for the pork.

But then she plopped on a massive amount of the pork and somehow managed to get the clamshell container closed.

I also ordered a cup of the Baja chicken enchilada soup to go. Actually, it isn’t necessary to order anything to go — if you get something, you must go and make way for another person to enter the cramped space. If you wish, you may eat your food at one of the tables in the gravel area next to the lawn, which isn’t as unpleasant as it sounds.

I carried my lunch home and opened it up and dove right in. Every bit of it was wonderful. The rice blended with the beans had a substantial mouthfeel, the thinly sliced potatoes still had crunch and a buttery flavor. And the pork was juicy and tender and just right when sprinkled with a bit of the mojo sauce that was offered on the side. There was more than one person should eat at one meal, so I enjoyed everything a second time.

The soup was good, too, though I didn’t quite get the enchilada reference. It had a tomatoey sort of broth with an unapologetically spicy bite, with bits of corn, black beans and potatoes in the mix.

By the way, all this food, which lasted two meals, came to $10.10, including tax. What a bargain.

The owners of a new Vietnamese restaurant in downtown Orlando named it Le House because they wanted customers to feel as if they were dining at their home. I can’t attest to that authenticity, but I can say that I certainly felt welcomed and accommodated on my visit, even if I wasn’t offered the guest room.

The menu here is more succinct than at other Vietnamese restaurants. Pho is available, as it must be at all local Vietnamese restaurants, apparently by law. But Le House’s menu has a manageable 10 entries instead of the three or four dozen you might be asked to negotiate elsewhere.