There’s a new chef and a new menu, but Aurora is still a top choice for more upscale fare in the UCF area.

It’s a chain, and it’s stereotypical Tex-Mex. But if you’re in the mood for big, gloppy portions of acceptably good food, you could do worse. Have the macho burrito if you’re feeling really manly.

This is the place that was formerly Tailgater’s. It’s still primarily a sports bar mien, but one with a focus on burgers rather than barbecue. The burgers are more of the midlevel quality — better than fast food, but not exactly gourmet quality. But a good burger nonetheless. Don’t waste the extra $2.99 on the fries.

Cedar Halal is Middle Eastern/Lebanese with such goodies as falafel, kafta, hummus, grape leaves, shawarma and shish kabob. I was all set to get the falafel, but then I noticed the gyro grills behind the counter and I was suddenly hungry for a good gyro sandwich.

And I wasn’t disappointed, it was delicious. The seasoned meat was folded into soft, warm bread with onions and tangy tzatziki, and it was accompanied by batons of pickled vegetables.

I was less thrilled with the lentil soup, which was overly thickened for my taste. Still, the flavors were good with just a bit of tumeric spice.

The small space includes a row of shelves with imported food stuffs, including tahini paste, jars of sour cherries and pistachio candies. I could easily have taken a trunkload of groceries back home.

Jimmy Hula’s has opened a second location on University Boulevard, close to UCF, which seems a perfect location for this type of operation. Fish tacos are the focus here, and they’re mostly done well.

When I visited the original location, a couple of years ago, I was fairly underwhelmed. No, that’s not quite accurate. I had to list the pizza I ordered as one of the worst I had ever had. How bad was it? I threw most of it away. Even lousy pizza usually gets saved for a late night leftover.

The new Moon is a bit farther down University Boulevard. The space is larger, maybe three times the size of the old place. And it’s prettier, too, with less of that student milieu funk. But it hasn’t gotten too fancy. The place still operates in the same way, which, at least in one instance, is a bit of a problem. But more on that in a moment.

The best thing I can say about the new Lazy Moon is that the pizza is much improved over the one I tossed. In fact, I liked the slice I had on my recent visit rather well. I was told by LM fans after my visit to the old place that my mistake had been in ordering a whole pie and not just a slice. And, it should be noted that the whole pies are really big. No, I mean enormous. I had difficulty getting the box into my car.

So I didn’t want to make that mistake this time — or discard all that pie if it was the same.

But the slice I had, with sausage and mushroom, had a nice thin crust, just the right amount of tomato sauce and plenty of the ordered toppings. One complaint: the slices are, as mentioned previously, so large that it is nearly impossible to lift one and eat it with one’s hands the way God intended for pizza to be consumed. It’s just too unwieldy. And I feel like an idiot eating pizza with a knife and fork. It’s just so wrong.

The dining area of Lazy Moon is spacious and has a good hum about it when full, which it was when I visited. Tables are wood with a stainless steel topper, which gives it an industrial look. But then there’s a plant wall with greenery tucked into pouches, sort of like the vegetation wall at Winter Park’s Prato, but bigger. That softens the look a bit.

On a recent lunch visit, I started with the golden pancake appetizer, which was really more of an omelet than a pancake, with shrimp and bean sprouts folded into it. It was light and qualified as an appropriate starter.
For my entree I chose pho tai nam, a beef soup with sliced rare beef (not rare for long as the hot broth finishes the cooking). It also had long rice noodles, bean sprouts and chopped scallions. What it didn’t have was a separate plate of add-ables — extra spouts, basil, jalapeno and lime wedges, such as are offered at most other pho restaurants in town. It was OK, the soup was fine without them, but I thought it strange. Soups, by the way, are available in two sizes: large and extra large. The large is plenty.

Omelet Bar seems poised to take on the First Watches and Keke’s of the world (and says as much on its website). With a little more polish it could be a contender.

Moderately good Indian food near the UCF campus.

Here’s how it works. You decide whether you want a roll, a bowl, or a wrap. I chose a bowl, which got me a plastic soup-size bowl filled with rice. Next you decide on the meat: seafood, chicken, beef, or vegetarian. I went with an assortment of fresh fish. Then you select from among an array of in-ings, which presumably are not the same as toppings. The in-ings include asparagus, avocado, cucumber, cream cheese, Cheez Whiz, lettuce and bacon. Yes, Cheez Whiz — we’re not talking authentic.
Then you choose the toppings, which range from more avocado and Whiz to such things as strawberries and walnuts. You get to decide what goes in it, so the meal is yours to destroy any way you see fit.
The result was a bowl of pleasantly sticky rice topped with chunks of fresh fish, asparagus, scallions, tempura flakes and a spicy mayo sauce. I grabbed a pair of chopsticks and took a seat at one of the tables near the front of the storefront space and enjoyed my creation.