Mythos is one of only two full service restaurants at Islands of Adventure (Confisco Grille is the other). It wanted to be a fine dining restaurant when it first opened a decade ago, but that never happened. Of course, it’s difficult to be a fine dining restaurant when you take your last reservations at 4:30 in the afternoon (the park closes at 6 p.m. most days).But the atmosphere is pleasant, and the food is mostly good. Learn from my mistakes, though, and don’t bother with anything fancy, like crabcake sliders. Go for the Mythos burger, a big, juicy thing with melted cheese and rashers of bacon. Then head immediately for the Incredible Hulk roller coaster. I dare you.

Central Florida finally gets another chance to experience the wonderful world of Ethiopian cuisine. Don’t blow it this time! Wash your hands – you’ll be eating with them – and order an array of wat to sample. What? No, wat. It’s a sort of stew, and wats are the most common dishes in an Ethiopian restaurant. These might include variations of beef or chicken, but pork is never served. There are a few seafood selections on Nile’s menu, but Ethiopia is a landlocked country and seafood dishes are not common. Vegetarian wat versions feature lentils or split peas. Ethiopian restaurants are wonderful places for vegetarians to dine as meatless meals are a big part of the country’s cultural heritage. If you feel lost, ask one of your gracious hosts to guide you.

Coffee is Ethiopia’s top commodity and the coffee ceremony is a big part of a traditional meal. The coffee service area occupies a space in the front of the dining room. The whole beans are roasted in a small metal saucepan while incense burns nearby. When the beans are roasted the pan is brought to the table and waved about so the guests can enjoy the aroma. Once the beans are ground and brewed, the coffee is poured from a clay pot, called a jebena, into small handleless cups. It’s a very strong brew with a chewy texture and an aroma that is earthy and slightly charred. Desserts are not a part of a traditional Ethiopian menu.

The promise of a good seafood restaurant has sailed into Central Florida aboard The Oceanaire. The Oceanaire Seafood Room is meant to take you back in time, with its interior that suggests a 1930s ocean liner.
Sample some of the fresh fish selections after you enjoy the crab cake appetizer. On one visit, my companion had the wahoo, or ono, a mild fish similar to the mackerel. On another visit, there was a monkfish from Georges Bank. It had the characteristic texture that mimics lobster meat but was a thick steak cut with the center cord intact. Not the prettiest presentation, but quite good.
It’s a bit pricey, but quality is worth paying for.
The Oceanaire brand was recently purchased by the Landry’s Seafood organization, but so far it seems the quality is being maintained.

This New York-based chain has shown some improvement in recent years and can now hold its own among the area’s high-end steakhouses. The meat is masterfully prepared — my New York strip was perfect. Whatever you have as your main course, be sure to get the au gratin potatoes for a side dish. These are so gooey and thick you may not notice there are potatoes included.

The facade is a remarkable replication of the famous Pat O’Brien’s in New Orleans. Food is better than average, especially the jambalaya. This is more of a place to come for the rollicking piano music and the drinks, especially the renowned hurricane, served in the hurricane glass. Careful about the specialty drinks — with most you’re also purchasing a souvenir glass. Ask about your options if you’d rather just have the liquor without the glassware.

The concept here it that you direct each aspect of the pizza-making process, beginning with the type of crust you’d like, the variety of sauce, cheese choice, and the myriad of toppings. A staffer assembles your pie at your whim and tosses it into a glass-front oven for baking. Pies are pretty good. Also serves a variety of salads and pasta dishes.

If you’re not familiar with the terms manga, anime or Dragon Ball Z, you may find the surroundings at Soupa Saiyan a little odd. Actually, even if you know about those things you may find the surroundings odd. But you might understand them a little more.

This is not a place for a nice, quiet, romantic dinner, unless you consider a sound level louder than Hard Rock Café and dancing on top of a table with a scantily clad belly dancer to be romantic.However, the noise level heightens only after 7 pm when the entertainment begins.

But it’s not all ambience here. The food is surprisingly good. There are the usual items: domades, moussaka, pastitsio and the like. But you’ll also find more unusual things, such as lamb ribs, Greek country sausages, taramosalata, and a house-made yogurt that is crazy good. Don’t come here if you’re in a bad mood. On second thought, do, it’ll cheer you up, and you’ll have good food besides.

Churrascaria means meat. Well, not literally. Churrascaria (tchoo-huh-scah-REE-uh) actually means house of barbecue, but to fans of this type of Brazilian steakhouse, it means meat, meat and more meat. Texas de Brazil is a small chain out of, no surprise here, Texas that is riding the wave of low-carb popularity with a new location on International Drive.
Here’s the way it works: you first visit the salad bar, which is more than just lettuce and condiments. You’ll find all manner of salad fixings plus such items as hearts of palm, tabbouleh, artichoke hearts, Brussels sprouts, roasted red peppers and, for some inexplicable reason, sushi.
When you’ve had enough of the salad bar — and my advice is to go easy there — the waiters, called gauchos and dressed accordingly — will start bringing large skewers of meats, sausages, chicken and seafood to your table. And they’ll keep bringing them until you tell them to stop. (You do that by turning a small disc on your table over so the red side is showing.)
The thing that keeps this from being just another glutfest is the quality of the meats, which is first-rate. Plus, the overall atmosphere is upscale and attractive.

Ordinarily, I wouldn’t include a restaurant like this in a guidebook on dining because it isn’t a full-service restaurant. But 2010 is the summer of Harry Potter in Central Florida, and this is the only eatery inside the Wizarding World of… This is basically a fast-serve restaurant: queue up, then order your food at one counter, shuffle off to wait for it at another; a staff member will assign you to a table. The fish and chips are very good; the shepherd’s pie not so much. As with most other venues inside the new theme park, the details of the dining room are exquisite. By the way, if you’re just looking to have a taste of butterbeer, don’t stand in line at the wagon outside. Instead, go into the Hog’s Head pub where your wait will be shorter.