Bonefish is one of those restaurants that “gets it.” It offers a good product at a fair price in a pleasant atmosphere. Nothing fancy, nothing overblown but a consistently good dining experience. New location at 5463 Gateway Village Circle, Orlando,FL 32812 Phone: 407-816-6355.

Originally one of the tenants of Church Street Station, Brick & Fire cut its losses and moved from the historical confines of that downtown entertainment complex to a location on South Orange Avenue whose only history is as a Moe’s Southwestern food chain and a Pizza Hut joint. Better pizzas are coming out of chef Mark Dollard’s ovens, and the place is often filled with neighbors and workers from the nearby medical complex and their families. The wine list here isn’t stellar, but it’s cheap. Note: there is a second location at 1410 Semoran Blvd., Casselberry; phone 321-332-6430.

Divey seafood spot near Orlando International Airport.

Nearly 30 years old, this restaurant on the top floor of the Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport has had ups and downs. It’s currently on an up following a remodel and a refocus on the high quality food it started with.

Good, authentic Mexican food, clean bright dining area, friendly people. What else do you need?

Places like Maracaibo Mia, a Venezuelan restaurant in the Gateway District, offer a good value – a box full of food, more than enough to fill you up, maybe enough for two meals, for about half what a kebab would cost.

I can’t think of a cuisine that has grown in its representation in the area more than Thai. And a great majority of them are worth trying, too.

One of the few geographical pockets without a Thai restaurant — or without many nonchain restaurants at all, for that matter — is the neighborhood near Orlando International Airport. Now Spice Thai is filling that void.

Spice Thai is in a Semoran Boulevard strip mall that is anchored by a Miller’s Ale House, which always seems to be overflowingly popular. That was also the case on the evening that I visited Spice Thai, but the much smaller newcomer was doing a pretty good business, too.
Those of us who pass through this area only on our way to and from the airport forget that there are surrounding neighborhoods with lots of hungry people living in them. It’s nice that they have another non-corporate choice for dining.