Restaurants

In central Florida, try Pebbles, just outside WDW.

In the Tampa/Clearwater area, another poster has made some very good suggestions. Berns is fabulous, and the wine list is much bigger than Gone with the Wind, In fact it lists over 7,000 varieities, with over 200 available by the glass. Professional waiters (internship to become a waiter lasts 1-2 years), cooks that have been cooking steaks for 27 years, and they even own their own farm where they grow the vegetables used in the restaurant organically. The Dessert menu contains about three pages of desserts, and about 60 pages of ports, congacs, scotches, etc. Probably the most unique restaurant in the world. Ask for a tour of the kitchen and wine cellar after dinner.

Pappas in Tarpon Springs is great, but so are most of the restaurants there.

In Clearwater, try the Grill at Feather Sound. Excellent. The Peppermill in Clearwater is also very good. Their shrimp stuffed sirloin is out of thie world.

One shopping center in Palm Harbor boasts two excellent seafood restaurants: The Blue Heron and The Sea Grill. Both very good.

A new chain is starting up in this area. Carrabbas Italian Grill. Grilled seafood and pasta combinations are generally excellent. Owned by the Outback guys

Hops is a local chain of restaurants and microbreweries that serves excellent food.

If you want something funky, go to Dogwater Cafe. A kind of sports bar with a great gimmick: The food is served in dog bowls! Seriously, the food is the best available in this kind of establishment.

Lastly, Clearwater is home to the original Hooters. The food may be bad, but it is the home of the chain, and a good place for a brew and a few oysters.

Colin