While Orlando can't compete with U.S. destinations such as New York or San Francisco, it has everything on the restaurant front from fast fooderies to 5-Diamond winners.

Best for Kids: Kids adore the meals with Disney characters offered at many Walt Disney World resorts and theme parks. They also love the eclectic atmosphere and visuals in the jungle-themed Rainforest Cafe at Downtown Disney Marketplace (tel. 407/827-8500) and Animal Kingdom (tel. 407/938-9100). Monkey business is strongly encouraged.

Best Character Meal: It doesn't get any better than Chef Mickey's breakfasts and dinners at the Contemporary Resort. These "events" have their respective namesake and other characters (tel. 407/939-3463), but a word of warning: They also attract up to 1,600 guests each morning.

Best Spot for a Romantic Dinner: Victoria & Albert's takes the prize. Dinner is an intimate six-course meal with a maid and butler serving you in plush Victorian-style surroundings (tel. 407/939-3463).

Best Spot for a Business Lunch: Hemingway's (tel. 407/239-3854), an upscale Key West-style restaurant at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Resort, is generally kid-free, and its quiet dining areas are perfect for business powwows.

Best View: Arthur's 27 (tel. 407/827-3450) has a dandy view of sunsets and Magic Kingdom fireworks, but we recommend skipping the overpriced meal in favor of a stool at the neighboring Top of the Palace Lounge, both on the 27th floor of the Wyndham Palace Resort in Lake Buena Vista. Outside the parks, Manuel's on the 28th (tel. 407/246-6580), so named because it's on the 28th floor of a downtown bank building, has equally gorgeous views of sunsets and the downtown skyline.

Best Wine List: See for yourself why Maison & Jardin (tel. 407/862-4410) in Altamonte Springs has been honored by Wine Spectator magazine for its cellar.

Best Value: At Romano's Macaroni Grill (tel. 407/239-6676), the ambience and the northern Italian cuisine score very high, and prices are low, low, low.

Best (if pricey) Diner Cuisine: The B-Line Diner in the Peabody Orlando hotel (tel. 407/345-4460) serves meat loaf and mashed potatoes (as well as belly-busting omelets and other homey foods) that would make most mothers proud.

Best Oriental Cuisine: Little Saigon (tel. 407/423-8539) has palate-pleasing Vietnamese cuisine in a no-frills neighborhood setting. On the pricier side, Ming Court (tel. 407/351-9988) offers a menu that's tasty and diverse enough to make it one of Orlando's most popular Chinese restaurants.

Best California Cuisine: Twin filets marinated in Ybor Gold beer, anyone? Find it at Pebbles in Lake Buena Vista (tel. 407/827-1111), a mini, local chain with a following to match its reputation.

Best Barbecue: Hands down, follow your nose to Bubbalou's Bodacious BBQ (tel. 407/628-1212) after catching a whiff of the tangy hickory smoke. It tastes as good as it smells.

Best Italian Cuisine: We'd have to call it a toss-up between Enzo's on the Lake in Longwood (tel. 407/834-9872) on the pricey side and Pacino's Italian Ristorante in Kissimmee (tel. 407/396-8022) in the more affordable class.

Best Seafood: While this region doesn't have a stellar seafood restaurant, it has one very good one: Fulton's Crab House (tel. 407/934-2628), which offers a creative menu and a rich wine list.

Best Tapas: Cafe Tu Tu Tango (tel. 407/248-2222) takes the tapas concept to another dimension with items ranging from Cajun egg rolls with blackened chicken to alligator bites.

Best Steak House: At the Yachtsman Steakhouse at Disney's Yacht Club Resort (tel. 407/939-3463), the aged steaks, chops, and seafood are grilled over a wood fire.

Best Vegetarian/Sushi Dining: The California Grill at Disney's Contemporary Resort (tel. 407/939-3463 or 407/824-1576) has a rotating menu that, depending on when you visit, might feature mesquite-roasted tofu, summer vegetable risotto, or Dungeness crab rolls. On the sushi side of things, Ran-Getsu of Tokyo (tel. 407/345-0044) has exotic fare such as chirashi, tekka-don, and una-ju.

Best Late-Night Dining: The trendy B-Line Diner (tel. 407/345-4460) at the Peabody Orlando is open around the clock for eclectic fare ranging from steaks to falafel sandwiches to grits and eggs.

Best Spot for a Celebration: Emeril's at Universal's CityWalk (tel. 407/224-2424) is a great choice for a high-end special occasion. For the pure party factor, you can't beat Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville (tel. 407/224-2155) at CityWalk.

Best Outdoor Dining: The terrace at Artist Point (tel. 407/939-3463), the premier restaurant at Disney's Wilderness Lodge, overlooks a lake, waterfall, and scenery evocative of America's national parks. And the Rose & Crown at Epcot (tel. 407/939-3463) delivers a front-row seat for the IllumiNations fireworks display.

Best People-Watching: The upstairs patio at Bongo's Cuban Cafe, Downtown Disney West Side (tel. 407/828-0999), is where it's at, even if the food isn't.

Best Afternoon Tea: The Peabody Orlando (tel. 407/345-4550) hosts teas weekdays from 3 to 4:30pm in the lobby outside Dux, its signature eatery. As you sip your tea and munch on a pastry, you're entertained by the frolicking of the Peabody's resident ducks in a nearby fountain.

Best Sunday Brunch: Atlantis at the Renaissance Orlando Resort at SeaWorld (tel. 407/351-5555) serves a champagne brunch in its atrium. Themes change monthly, but the menu usually features such treats as quail, duck, lamb chops, Cornish hen, clams, mussels, snapper, sea bass, sushi, and more.

Best Special Sunday Brunch: The House of Blues (tel. 407/934-2583), at Disney's West Side, has a down-home gospel brunch featuring live foot-stomping music and an array of Southern/Creole vittles that includes greens, red beans and rice, jambalaya, catfish, shrimp, and beef. The food is so-so -- the same quality of a dinner show, which this is, morning-style. But the entertainment makes it a certifiable winner. Reservations aren't accepted for parties under six, so arrive early for the 10:30am or 1pm show.