**** (4 stars)
This is an excellent sports bar, with lots of screens, and a very extensive menu. There's pretty much and sports bar food you can think of. My burger was exactly the way I like it, and my companions Cobb salad and chicken ginger baskets both looked good. Service was prompt and friendly, as the name suggests.
Friendly Confines Metro West
2461 S Hiawassee Rd
Orlando, FL 32835
https://www.yelp.com/biz/friendly-confines-metro-west-orlando
*** (3 stars)
Pros:
Lots of TVs for sports.
Cheap beer and drinks.
Cons:
Mediocre, high calorie food, with nothing to distinguish it from every other sports bar.
Miller’s Ale House – Lake Buena Vista
12371 Winter Garden Vineland Rd
Orlando, FL 32836
https://www.yelp.com/biz/millers-ale-house-lake-buena-vista-orlando
**** (4 stars)
Can't decide between Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese, and Thai food? You don't need to, here! Four pages of densely printed menu pretty much cover everything. It's not actually "fusion" since the cuisines aren't being combined in new ways, but they are all represented, and are done well, and with fresh ingredients. The dining area is bright and cheery, and the service is friendly.
An’Nam
234 W 48th St
New York, NY 10036
*** (3 stars)
Solid food and service in a shotgun pub with a traditional design. The messy burger is a popular choice, and would indeed have been messy–or perhaps impossible–to eat if I hadn't taken a knife and fork to it. Great service from the solitary server handling the whole place.
Playwright Celtic Pub
732 8th Ave
New York, NY 10036
**** (4 stars)
We went here as part of the Epicurioius progressive dinners, and really enjoyed the three offerings: pickled vegetables, spider roll, and steamed bar bun with Peking duck. The latter was the group's favorite.
The only problem is that the room is extremely austere, all hard steel and stone surfaces, so it's not necessarily the coziest Asian dining experience.
The service was wonderful.
Zeta Bar & Sushi Lounge
14100 Bonnet Creek Resort Ln
Orlando, FL 32821
**** (4 stars)
Good sushi in a nice environment. The trio appetizer is a nice sampler of cooked items. The lunch specials are a good deal. Excellent service.
Sushi Katana
4192 Conroy Rd
Orlando, FL 32839
***** (5 stars)
This is my favorite rendition of the sushi places that have been in this spot. The decor has been refreshed, and the menu is quite extensive. The ceviche was one of the best dishes I've had. It's an interesting fusion of Japanese ingredients and traditional ceviche preparation. Service is very attentive.
Umi
525 S Park Ave
Winter Park, FL 32789
**** (4 stars)
This is a refreshing new take on Disney dining after quite a few years of nothing very exciting opening up. Like most Disney restaurants, the dining room can only be described as "clamorous," however we were lucky and were seated in a smaller room back to the right of the kitchen, with a lovely view to the southeast. (Note that if you're going here to see the Magic Kingdom fireworks, you won't be able to from this side.)
The menu is fairly traditional Spanish tapas. Of particular note is the Chef's Signature dinner for two, which offers an assortment of tapas, a very large charcuterie plate, an enormous and very tender rib-eye steak, and a fairly modest dessert, all for sharing. The sharing of some of the items is a bit awkward, and some of it has that cruise ship feeling of having been prepared en masse and in advance, but overall it was quite good, and very reasonably priced.
The wine program is exceptional, with lots of Spanish offerings, most available by the glass, and reasonably priced by the bottle. Oddly missing were any dry sherries, but probably no one but me drinks them.
Service was enthusiastic and professional.
Toledo – Tapas, Steak & Seafood
1000 W Buena Vista Dr
Kissimmee, FL 34747
https://www.yelp.com/biz/toledo-tapas-steak-and-seafood-kissimmee
***** (5 stars)
Wow! What an experience! Not inexpensive, but worth every cent. Two hours of astonishing cocktail mixology, and an amazing view as you sit on a glass floor and revolve your way around Seattle for two hours. Includes VIP access to the Space Needle and valet parking right in front.
Three of us visited, so we were able to try all three experiences, from a beautiful Rose Champagne (poured endlessly), a sublime whiskey tasting, and the best cocktail mixology we've ever experienced (and with us coming from Chicago, a real cocktail town, that's saying something).
Often the use of liquid nitrogen is more for show than purpose, but here it was put to wonderful use, creating ice cold cocktails, rich slushies, and, yes, a spectacular show.
The food was also very good, with top notch ingredients including Wagu beef, truffles, caviar, and raw oysters.
Despite all of that wow factor, it was the service that made it particularly special. Our servers were incredibly friendly, talented, gracious, and informative, and we truly felt welcome to this special experience. I could happily go here very day of our stay in Seattle. Truly memorable for even this jaded foodie!
The Loupe Lounge
400 Broad St
Seattle, WA 98109
**** (4 stars)
Really nice decor with a traditional Izakaya flair that reminds me of places in Tokyo. The happy hour deals are amazing.
Highlights were all of the sashimi, especially the hamachi; the yakisoba, which was perfectly sauteed and extremely flavorful; and the kalbi.
The gyoza was delightfully lightly fried and not greasy, which cannot be said for the tempura, which I wouldn't order again.
Wonderful service, and a great atmosphere.
Wann Japanese Izakaya
2020 2nd Ave
Seattle, WA 98121