The Mango Tree Restaurant

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**** (4 stars)

We’ve been going here for the past twenty years or so, and the place has improved over that time, especially after the ownership change about four years ago.

Live piano music has been replaced by very pleasant guitar music, which seems to make the space a bit more intimate. Certainly the volume level is perfect, allowing conversation, yet providing a great listening environment.

The window into the kitchen seems a bit disconnected from the rest of the ambiance, but this really affects only the table right in front of it.

The bartender here is fabulous, and gave us one of the best bar experiences we’ve had, encouraging us to sample different exotic liqueurs and concocting drinks from scratch, the old fashioned way (pun intended). I will return specifically because of his great service.

The Mango Tree Restaurant
118 N Atlantic Ave
Cocoa Beach, FL 32931
(321) 799-2600
http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-mango-tree-restaurant-cocoa-beach

Patacon Con Todo

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***** (5 stars)

This is a great Colombian place for some out of the ordinary food. The main dish is served on either crispy or sweet plantains with your choice of chicken, beef or chicharrones (crispy pork skin). The thing that makes it particularly delicious is the great assortment of sauces to put on them. Try the combination of garlic and pineapple.

There are also a lot of other selections, including arepas and empanadas, and even hot dogs. Even though eleven of us showed up for lunch and one guy was handling the order taking, food prep and serving, it was really quite fast.

The place has a fair amount of seating for a counter service restaurant, and is spotlessly clean. Definitely a great spot to try something different.

Patacon Con Todo
6700 Conroy Windermere Rd
Ste 105
Orlando, FL 32835
(321) 732-3933
http://www.yelp.com/biz/patacon-con-todo-orlando-2

Yard House

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**** (4 stars)

What an extensive menu! And I’m not just talking about the 100+ beers. There are pages of different appetizers and mains in almost every category. Prices seem a bit steep, but I suppose that’s to be expected in the high rent tourist district.

The outside dining area is quite pleasant, and affords a view of the Orlando Eye.

Yard House
8367 International Dr
Orlando, FL 32819
(407) 351-8220
http://www.yelp.com/biz/yard-house-orlando

Arepas El Cacao

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***** (5 stars)

This tidy storefront serves prepared to order arepas with a variety of fillings and a nice assortment of sauces on the side. Although the name refers to chocolate, it’s a Venezuelan expression that simply means “The Best” Arepas. And they are good.

I had the shredded beef version with white cheese. It was particularly good with the homemade green sauce.

The also have cachapas. Unlike the arepas, which are grilled, slit open and stuffed, the cachapas are sweeter, and are folded over to hold their payload.

I also enjoyed my blackberry smoothie, which wasn’t too rich and had just the right amount of sweetness.

Arepas El Cacao
5389 S Kirkman Rd
Orlando, FL 32819
(321) 252-2226
http://www.yelp.com/biz/arepas-el-cacao-orlando-2

Paradiso 37

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**** (4 stars)

In the darkest days after Pleasure Island’s abandonment, Paradisco 37 was a lone outpost in a wilderness of abandoned buildings. With the redevelopment of Downtown Disney into Disney Springs (just where is the spring, anyway?) that is slowly changing.

We used to walk in anytime we liked, but with the restaurant now on the Disney dining plan it is often packed. While that has totally changed the ambiance of our former getaway, the food remains the same, and is a notch about the typical tourist Tex Mex place.

The original concept behind Paradiso was pan-American cooking, but you’d be hard pressed to find something on the menu that wasn’t available at most Tex Mex places.

The ceviche is a good example, completely Americanized using cooked shrimp and no raw seafood at all, it’s a tasty if inauthentic starter. We also always enjoy the dipping trio, which give you a chance to sample a pleasantly fluffy spinach dip, a tasty chili, and a so-so guacamole.

Nachos are also good, if a bit skimpy on cheese. It’s hard to complain about Americanized Nachos since I’m pretty sure there isn’t any other kind.

My favorite entree is the salmon, which is also probably the most healthful dish on the menu, lightly cooked, and served with fresh vegetables and rice.

We stopped going to Paradiso a few years ago when we were seated next to a service station about ten feet from a manager, and no one came to the table for 30 minutes, so we left. I’m pleased to report that upon a recent return visit, service is now again available, and the dining experience is unchanged–if you can get a table.

Paradiso 37
1590 E Buena Vista Dr
Orlando, FL 32836
(407) 934-3700
http://www.yelp.com/biz/paradiso-37-orlando-3

Harry Caray’s Restaurant

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*** (3 stars)

Let’s face it. One does not go to an airport for a fine dining experience. So when you get decent food in a sit down environment it makes you just a little more grateful than you’d be in other circumstances.

Harry Caray’s at Midway Airport is such a spot. The food is perfectly fine, including some nicely assembled sandwiches and some genuinely good salads.

The environment is crowded, noisy, and cluttered with luggage. In short, it’s at an airport. But you can sit (after a sometimes long wait) and have a decent meal and relax over a drink. That can’t be said of many other spots in this airport.

Service can be wildly variable. I’ve had everything from hyper-efficient to brusque to check for a pulse. Still, receiving any service at all in an airport is a novelty.

Harry Caray’s Restaurant
5757 S Cicero Ave
Chicago, IL 60638
(773) 948-6300
http://www.yelp.com/biz/harry-carays-restaurant-chicago-2

Taqueria Ameca Jalisco

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**** (4 stars)

Q. Where can you get two tacos, an enchilada, a quesadilla and a drink for $8? And I don’t mean $8 each, I mean $8 total!

A. Taqueria Ameca Jalisco, that’s where!

This small taqueria located in a somewhat industrial section of Orange Avenue south of downtown has very good food at very low prices.

The menu is scrawled on a white board near the register, and presumably changes a bit from day to day, although nothing had the look of a special. Pretty much you can get any meat in either a taco, enchilada or quesadilla (and perhaps some other things–when I said “scrawled” I meant it).

Be prepared for a wait. There are only a couple of folks preparing food, and at lunch it was busy.

There’s a salsa bar that has minced cilantro and onions, several types of sauce, cabbage, and even beans.

Tacos are served on relatively small and very authentic corn tortillas, with an extra tortilla for everything that falls out of the first one. Try the barbecue with some cilantro, onions and green sauce. My delicioso!

Taqueria Ameca Jalisco
3558 S Orange Ave
Orlando, FL 32806
(407) 851-1876
http://www.yelp.com/biz/taqueria-ameca-jalisco-orlando-2

The Library

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***** (5 stars)

We absolutely loved this place. It has all the advantages of the food from the Gilt Bar upstairs, but without the noise.

I’m surprised they don’t bill this as a speakeasy, because it has that atmosphere: a twisting passageway downstair to find the almost hidden door, and lighting that takes a few minutes to adjust to. Candles on book shelves provide part of the illumination, and the fancy bar at one end looks like it’s straight out of the 20s.

We tried a large portion of the menu, and loved everything except perhaps the bone marrow and the rib eye. Mussels were a standout.

Of course with this theming there are cocktails, and many fine choices among them. I’m not a fan of sweet drinks, so I was delighted to discover many bitter ingredients available, and even finished with an Amaro Nonino.

Service was friendly and helpful.

The Library
Gilt Bar
230 W Kinzie St
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 464-9544
http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-library-chicago

Zorba’s Greek Taverna

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**** (4 stars)

There are a few Greek restaurants we go to in this area, including at Dr Phillips and International Drive, and the food is somewhat similar between them. I like Zorba the best because of its expansive, covered outside patio. Plus, the lunch special is currently a $5 gyro, which is hard to beat. This is one of my top choices for outdoor dining in the area.

Zorba’s Greek Taverna
4898 S Kirkman Rd
Orlando, FL 32811
(407) 219-4326
http://www.yelp.com/biz/zorbas-greek-taverna-orlando

MK Restaurant

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***** (5 stars)

What a delightful meal we had at MK Restaurant! I love the combination of intricate, complex and perfectly prepared food, yet relaxed, friendly service. This is no stiff palace to haut cuisine, it’s a place people go to have great food and wine in a convivial atmosphere.

I love the design of the room, too, which is light and open, and doesn’t get noisy even when all the tables are filled.

Best of all, on off nights MK offers many of their wines at 50% off. This leads to some exquisite wines at near retail pricing. We created out own multi-course menu (although I’m sure the tasting menu would have been great, too) and were able to pair each course with the perfect wine because of the reasonable pricing, and the large number of half bottles and wines by the glass.

MK is really a gem of a restaurant, and we’ll be back soon.

MK Restaurant
868 N Franklin St
Chicago, IL 60610
(312) 482-9179
http://www.yelp.com/biz/mk-restaurant-chicago