The Best Restaurants

Bahama Breeze. 8849 International Dr., Orlando. 407/248-2499. Reservations not accepted. Main courses $6.95-$14.95; sandwiches and salads $5.95-$6.95. AE, MC, V. Sun-Thurs 4pm-1am, Fri-Sat 4pm-2am. Traditional Caribbean foods are transformed into unusual treats like ``fish in a bag'' -- strips of mahimahi in a parchment pillow. Traditionalists can stick with the first-rate paella. Sample from a drink menu of over 50 beers and pseudo-exotic drinks like Very Berry Daiquiris while watching the chefs in the open kitchen.

Cafe Tu Tu Tango. 8625 International Dr. (just west of the Mercado). 407/248-2222. Reservations accepted. Tapas (tasting portions) $3-$7.95. AE, DISC, MC, V. Sun-Thur 11:30am-11pm, Fri-Sat 11:30am-1am. International Tapas. Tu Tu's puts on a show -- belly dancers wriggle by as sword swallowers perform cutting-edge acts -- but food like Cajun eggrolls or tuna sashimi is the real attraction here. Two selections -- meant to be shared -- will sate most appetites. International wines can be ordered by the glass or bottle.

Cape May Café. At Disney's Beach Club Resort, 1800 Epcot Resorts Blvd. 407/WDW-DINE for priority seating. Buffet $18.95 adults, $9.50 children 7-11, $4.50 children 3-6, free for children 2 and under. Lobster is additional. AE, MC, V. Daily 5:30-9:30pm. Clambake Buffet. A nightly New England clambake serves up chowder, steamed clams and mussels, corn on the cob, chicken, lobster, and redskin potatoes from a crackling rockweed steamer pit. All this plus dozens of salads, hot dishes (barbecued pork ribs, smoked sausage, pastas), and an array of oven-fresh breads and desserts. There's a full bar.

Dux. In the Peabody Orlando, 9801 International Dr. ?407/345-4550. Reservations recommended. Main courses $19-$45.95. AE, CB, DC, DISC, JCB, MC, OPT, V. Mon-Thur 6-10pm, Fri-Sat 6-11pm. International. Named for the hotel's signature ducks that parade ceremoniously into the lobby each morning, this is one of central Florida's most acclaimed restaurants. The internationally nuanced menu changes seasonally but can feature entrees such as grilled Florida black grouper marinated in West Indian spices with a plantain-yam mash and tropical chutney. Dux has an extensive, award-winning wine list.

RainForest Cafe. In the Disney Village Marketplace, 1800 E. Buena Vista Dr., Buena Vista. 407/827-8500. Reservations not accepted. Main courses $5.50-$17.95. AE, DISC, MC, V. Sun-Thurs 10:30am-11pm, Fri-Sat 10:30am-midnight. California. It's a jungle in here, complete with erupting volcano. Comfort food like mashed potatoes and veggie delights such as Rasta Pasta with a pesto cream sauce come in huge, tasty portions. Top it off with coconut bread pudding with dried apricots. Warning: The wait can be hours, so prepare to shop in the Disney Village Marketplace.

Victoria & Albert's. In Disney's Grand Floridian Beach Resort, 4401 Floridian Way. 407/WDW-DINE. Reservations required. Jackets required for men. Fixed-price dinner $80 per person; $25 additional for the Royal Wine Pairing. AE, MC, V. Daily seatings at 6-6:45pm and 9-9:45pm. American Regional. This is the world's (well, Walt Disney's world) most elite restaurant. A maid and butler provide gracious service while a harpist softly plays. The seven-course dinner changes nightly and includes delicacies such as vermouth-poached jumbo sea scallops served in a crisp rice-noodle basket, sautéed Peking duck breast with wild rice and crabapple chutney, and a hazelnut and Frangelico soufflé. There is, of course, an extensive wine list.

Best Nightlife

Although known for family fun and theme parks, Orlando has plenty to do after dark. The huge multiclub entertainment complexes such as Church Street Station, Pleasure Island, and E-Zone offer access to all clubs for one admission price. There are dozens of independent bars and clubs in downtown Orlando and along International Drive, not to mention a unique array of dinner shows featuring everything from gladiators to knights on horseback.

Check the ``Calendar'' section of Friday's Orlando Sentinel for details on what's happening. Tickets to many performances are handled by Ticketmaster. (407/839-3900).

Performing Arts. The area's major cultural venue is the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre, 401 W. Livingston St., between I-4 and Parramore Avenue (407/849-2020 for information, 407/839-3900 to charge tickets). This 2,500-seat facility is home to the Orlando Opera Company and the Southern Ballet Theater, both of which have Oct-May seasons. The Orlando Broadway Series (Sept-May) features original-cast Broadway shows such as Damn Yankees and Cats.

Clubs & Bars. There are dozens of clubs and restaurants along Orange Avenue, the main street in downtown. A free public transportation system call Lymmo runs in a designated lane that connects many of these clubs once you get into downtown. Big hair, leather, and heavy-metal music are the standards at Jani Lane's Sunset Strip, 25 S. Orange Ave., corner of Orange Avenue and Pine Street (407/649-4803), a large, loud downtown favorite. A magnet for Generation X types who dig Tony Bennett on the jukebox, Kit Kat Club, 23 Wall Street Plaza, off of Orange Avenue (407/422-6990), is a swinging, plush joint with red velvet couches, pool tables, and a cigarette girl. Eight Seconds, 100 W. Livingston Ave. (407/839-4800), is a honky-tonk, complete with ``Buckin' Bull Nights'' -- and it's a real mechanical bull, à la Urban Cowboy. Local and national acts both perform at Sapphire Supper Club, 54 N. Orange Ave. (407/246-1419), a laid-back club with vintage brick walls and an extensive martini menu.

Entertainment Complexes. Universal's answer to Disney's Pleasure Island is a high-energy 12-acre entertainment complex called City Walk. It is home to the world's largest Hard Rock Café -- the grande dame of all theme restaurants -- but also the Nascar Cafe, the Motown Cafe, and Marvel Mania, a theme send-up to villains and superheroes. There are also several upscale restaurants and a 16-screen Cineplex Odeon movie theater.

Pleasure Island, adjacent to Disney Village Marketplace (407/934-7781), is a rollicking, 6-acre complex of nightclubs, restaurants, shops, and movie theaters. Due to double in size in the near future, the park is designed to evoke an abandoned waterfront industrial district with clubs in ``converted'' ramshackle lofts, factories, and warehouses, but the streets are festive with brightly colored lights and balloons. There are nightly fireworks.

Church Street Station, 129 W. Church St., off I-4 between Garland and Orange avenues in downtown Orlando (407/422-2434), occupies a cobblestone city block lined with turn-of-the-century buildings (real ones). It, too, is a shopping/dining/nightclub complex offering a diverse evening of entertainment for a single admission price. There are 20 live shows nightly plus an array of street performers. Major blowout celebrations are held for special events such as St. Patrick's Day and the Super Bowl.

Dinner Shows. The rustic log-beamed Pioneer Hall at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground (407/WDW-dine) is the setting for the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue, a 2-hour foot-stompin', hand-clappin', down-home musical revue. The delightful 2-hour Polynesian Luau Dinner Show at Disney's Polynesian Resort (407/wDW-DINE) is a big favorite with kids, who are all invited on the stage. It features a colorfully costumed cast of entertainers from the South Pacific performing on a flower-bedecked stage. The Arabian Nights, 6225 W. Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy. (U.S. 192), just east of I-4 at exit 25A, Kissimmee (800/553-6116 or 407/239-9223), has everything from prancing Royal Lippizan Stallions to chariot races. The 2-hour show claims to have more characters, costumes, and lights than any on Broadway. The 90-minute, action-packed Gladiator Arena, 5515 W. Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy. (U.S. 192), between I-4 and Fla. 535, Kissimmee (800/BATTLE-4 or 407/390-0000), features qualified contenders battling in areas such as assault, breakthrough and conquer, joust, powerball, the wall, and whiplash. A long-time favorite for Orlando visitors, Medieval Times, 4510 W. Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy. (U.S. 192), 11 miles east of the main Disney entrance in Kissimmee (800/229-8300 or 407/239-0214), features jousting contests, armored clashes, and 80 Andalusian stallions performing with military precision.

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