1. Seafood restaurant/supper club Ocean Prime, which has locations in Miami and Tampa, opened near Orlando’s Little Sand Lake in November 2008. Groups can book the main dining room for 240, the piano bar and lounge (with live music) for 100, the terrace for 40, or two private rooms that seat 14 and 50.
2. Pesca Lakeside opened in July with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Lake Eola. The 6,800-square-foot eatery specializes in fresh seafood and sushi and offers more than 30 wines by the glass and 300 by the bottle. The restaurant can be bought out for 300 and also arranges off-site catering. Decor highlights include stone tile floors, spacious booths, and a long bar looking out on the lake.
3. The suburban neighborhood of Winter Park, already home to an impressive dining scene, welcomed Texas-style BBQ restaurant Four Rivers Smokehouse in November. The outdoor eatery seats 30 and can also cater off-site events—think Southern pulled pork and Black Angus beef brisket—for as many as 400.
4. In June, the Rosen Centre Hotel opened Banshoo, a lobby sushi bar. The venue serves nontraditional rolls like lobster-and-seared-sirloin and smoked salmon with goat cheese, as well as fruity cocktails at a six-seat granite-topped bar and a large communal table for 12. Banshoo can be booked for private dinners or in conjunction with events at the adjacent lobby lounge.
5.Vinito Tuscan Tavern opened in June inside the Prime International Outlets shopping center. Naples-born chef Raffaele Marsillio serves classic Neapolitan fare paired with wines from Italian winery Gruppo Mezzacorona. The main dining room, which is outfitted with dark brown banquettes and rich wood accents, can be bought out for 375. A private dining room seats 50.
6. Upscale Mexican chain Cantina Laredo added its first Orlando location in February 2009. Near Little Sand Lake, the restaurant features a mix of dark and light wood walls with dim lighting. The space seats 220, with room for 80 more on the patio; a private room seats 40.
