Oh goodie, another “street fare” restaurant. How did eating foods sold on the street become the hot trend for off-street restaurants? And, more importantly, when will it finally fizzle?

I suppose it won’t as long as there are restaurants that do the street thing as well as Kai does.

I enjoyed everything else about my breakfast, from the sincerely pleasant staff and simple decor to the delicious food.  I ordered a sausage and cheese omelet with home fries. And because I knew that the first Keke’s started life as the Florida Wffle House, I wanted to see how this Keke’s flapjacks were, so I asked if I could order just one. I’m glad I got only one because it was huge. The buttermilk cake filled the plate (which was square, but that didn’t bother me) and was nearly three-quarters of an inch thick. (Yes, I measured it.) It had a fluffy texture and a golden hue, and while it might have been a bit hotter so as to melt the butter — they’re also called hotcakes, after all — it was delicious. So was the omelet, which was dotted with bits of sliced sausage and had gooey cheddar cheese folded inside. The home fries were good, too, and had the perfect bit of greasiness, but the wheat toast went uneaten — the pancake was bread enough.

Krungthep Tea Time isn’t your typical tearoom.

Or maybe it is and I’m just not familiar with them any more. My perception of a tearoom is set in the days of doilies and lace, quilted cozies and delicate tea cups with rose patterns and handles so small you couldn’t pick one up without raising your pinkie.

At Krungthep there are no doilies, no tablecloths of any kind. The floor is bare concrete, and tea is served in big honkin’ glass mugs.

This little bakery does some fine food as well, all with a Colombian twist.
The menu is on a board on the wall behind the counter, which holds various Latin American baked goods. I wasn’t getting a lot of information from the Spanish language menu, so the owner approached and asked if she could offer some help. I asked her what the specialty of the house was, but she misunderstood and told me what the special of the day was — a plantain soup and a serving of yellow rice and chicken for $7.
I was intrigued by the plantain soup, so I ordered the special.
I couldn’t believe how much food I got for seven bucks. The soup was a full bowl, not just a measly cup, and it featured a hearty chicken broth with lots of vegetables and slices of green plantains. The soup could easily have been an entree.

The menu is more extensive than it really needs to be but distinguishes itself from other local Mexican restaurants by being more authentically Mex with less Tex.

From Tommy Bahama, an ultra casual eatery to complement its store at Winter Park Village.

Mynt has moved into the Hannibal Square neighborhood, and just like its similarly spelled namesake, it’s a refreshing addition. It took over the space that was previously occupied by Fresh Cafe. I’ve always liked the intimacy of this place — it can feel like one of the small restaurants in Brooklyn or the West Village. But Mynt’s owner, Sunny Corda, has also reopened the upstairs dining area, where there is a bar, which adds more seating while still maintaining the cozy atmosphere.

Corda also owns Saffron on Sand Lake Road’s Restaurant Row. But even though both restaurants are Indian, Mynt is quite a bit different.

Mynt takes a fresher and more healthful approach to its food. In fact, it uses no ghee, the type of clarified butter that is somewhat of a staple in Indian food. Instead, Corda told me, the kitchen uses more olive oil in the recipes.

A splashy and elegant restaurant with a hip vibe that befits its Park Avenue milieu. Short rib massamam featured a large beef short rib, braised and then sautéed with potatoes and small pieces of sweet bell peppers with a chili sauce and a bit of roasted peanuts. That the meat was not the most tender hunk of rib I’ve had – a bit more braising might have helped – does not detract from the overall enjoyment of the dish.
And part of the enjoyment of this entrée, and indeed most every dish served here, was the elegant presentation, which almost invariably included luminous purple orchid blooms as plate garnish. (Yes, orchid petals are edible, but frankly I enjoy looking at them much more than ingesting them.)Short rib massamam and yellow curry with chicken are a couple of menu highlights.

Additional location: Mall at Millenia, 4200 Conroy Road, Orlando; 407-345-2888. I don’t know why I included this restaurant under the Chinese listings – the food is about as far away from authentic Chinese as you can get. But, for some, this is what they want in a Chinese restaurant. And they can have it.Still, there are some tasty things to be had. For appetizers the salt & pepper shrimp were a treat. The shrimp, lightly breaded and coated with salt and pepper, are meant to be eaten shell, tail and all. It’s an unusual textural experience, but it’s one you should try. The “soothing lettuce wraps,” available with chicken or vegetables only, were good too. Here the meat or vegetables were stir-fried with a light sauce and served with whole leaves of iceberg lettuce. To eat, you simply spoon some of the food onto the lettuce and roll it up. Red sauced wontons featured shrimp and pork steamed inside rather doughy wonton skins. They were sticky and much less pleasant than the other appetizers. My favorite entree was Chang’s spicy chicken, a version of the popular General Tso’s chicken found in many Chinese restaurant. The chunks of chicken breast were lightly breaded and stir-fried with a sweet sauce made spicy with pepper flakes. The spicing was just right – it wasn’t too wimpy, and yet it didn’t obliterate the tastebuds.

The Parkview is a favorite wine bar and restaurant on Park Avenue. Besides a terrific lineup of wines (be sure to check out the wines offered with the Coravin device) the kitchen puts out some good food to accompany.