Do you want to know what I like about The 1 Cantina, a new Mexican restaurant in Avalon Park? Everything.

I like the comfortable and attractive space. I like the knowledgeable and charming staff, led by the gracious owners, Giovanni Rodriguez and Marigel Haaz.

And I especially like the food. This is true Mexican cuisine. It’s not Tex-Mex or a Floridian’s idea of what Mexican food should be. There isn’t a burrito or fajita on the menu; no sides of rice or refried beans, either. I didn’t even see one flour tortilla. As Rodriguez explains, he wanted to present foods of Mexico City he remembers from cantina tours with his father. I sampled a number of items from the menu and there wasn’t a thing I wouldn’t order again.

Illustration: Cirque du Soleil

I went to Disney Springs recently to see Cirque du Soleil’s “Drawn to Life,” which features the same high-quality acrobats, aerialists, dancers, musicians and skilled performers you’ll find in other CdS shows but tied together with a storyline based on Disney animations. It’s a good production – maybe not as jaw-dropping spectacular as “O” or “Ká” in Las Vegas but with some terrific moments. (The aerialist and the juggler are amazing but they could have come up with a more thrilling act to close the show than people on swings.) I recommend it.

But I was struck by how things have changed since Cirque du Soleil’s “La Nouba” first opened in 1998 in the elaborate circus tent-shaped building that was purpose-built for it. The entertainment complex itself has transitioned from Downtown Disney to Pleasure Island, and the addition of the West Side, to the current iteration of Disney Springs.

In those early years, one of the most frequent requests I would get – via actual letters or real phone calls on a landline – were from people who wanted to know where they could dine before or after for the whole dinner and a show evening. I didn’t have good news for them.