If you want to dine like a gourmet without paying a heavy price, here's your meal ticket. Pebbles is a local chain that has earned a reputation for great food, a sexy though small wine list, and creative appetizers. Its Ybor Gold twin filets are seared, then bathed in the namesake lager and delivered with caramelized onions and three-cheese spuds. A sautéed double breast of chicken has a jacket of sour-orange sauce and sliced avocados. And the roast duck arrives in a glaze of strawberries, pistachios, and Triple Sec. There's also a small selection of sandwiches ($7-$10). Pebbles is popular among a crowd ranging from young yuppies to aging baby boomers.

Note: Pebbles also has locations downtown: 17 W. Church St. (tel. 407/839-0892); in Longwood, 2110 W. Hwy. 434 (tel. 407/774-7111); and in Winter Park, 2516 Aloma Ave. (tel. 407/678-7001).