It was an unprecedented year for restaurant openings in Orlando, not just in number, but in quality. The caliber of offerings by such new eating houses as Camille, Foreigner Restaurant and Zaru really made an impression on the food-going public, myself included (as noted in last week’s Top Tables feature). And many of those dishes happened to be the very best bites I had in 2023 — bites as gorgeous as they were gorge-worthy. Here are 12 of the most memorable.

Reach out to tell me about your own favorite recent dining experiences or suggest new restaurants for us to review: fkara@orlandoweekly.com

Reyes Mezcaleria: Hamachi aguachile Chef Wendy Lopez served up dish after gorgeous dish for a friend’s birthday dinner at Reyes Mezcaleria, but the one holding pink slivers of cured hamachi dusted with the ashes of burnt onion fanned around a plate pooled in hibiscus chili water was arguably the most fetching. Credit: Photo by Faiyaz Kara
Seito Sushi Sand Lake: Pheasant A dinner spotlighting Suntory’s limited edition Yamazaki Tsukuriwake Selection at Seito Sushi Sand Lake was heavy on stellar single malt whiskys, though just as substantial was chef Ryo Yoshikawa’s offering of pheasant splashed with a tare demiglace and served alongside a rillette of foie gras and a jidori egg. Credit: Photo by Faiyaz Kara
Crocante Restaurant: “Kan Kan” porchetta The gorgeous shellac on chef Yamuel Bigio’s rotisseried “Kan Kan” porchetta practically begged us to tap the crackling ring of the porky round with a knife and fork and play the thing like Tito Puente on the timbales. And we did. Credit: Photo by Faiyaz Kara
Friendship BBQ: Garlic grilled fish Yes, it’s known for its chuan’r, but Friendship BBQ has another ace in its sleeve — a showstopper of a dish featuring whole grilled tilapia gurgling in an iron vessel with a chili-oiled liquid textured with tofu, sprouts and mushrooms. The fish itself is topped with an infernal garlic-chili paste and sprinkled with sesame seeds. This one got my pulse racing. Credit: Photo by Faiyaz Kara
Camille: Bánh xèo I’ve eaten my fair share of bánh xèo, but never one like this. Chef Tung Phan reimagines the crepe-like Viet staple with chunks of Florida spiny lobster positioned on a ring of pesto fashioned from Thai basil, cilantro, culantro and roasted garlic. Shards of tuile are carefully balanced on the lobster, while a passionfruit nước chấm with bourbon barrel-aged fish sauce is spooned into the center. It’s a crackling mouth-puckerer of a dish. Photogenic as hell, too. Credit: Photo by Faiyaz Kara
Foreigner Restaurant: Foie gras tart There’s plenty to like about chef Bruno Fonseca’s monthly-changing tasting menu, but the charcoal banana tartlet topped with seared foie, Chantilly cream and port wine caramel he served early on during the multicourse meal was a bit of a surprise — a pleasant, sweet and meaty surprise. Credit: Photo by Faiyaz Kara
Zaru: Wagyu udon Of all the udon bowls served at Zaru, none captivated us more than the “shabu shabu”-style slurper spotlighting the zabuton cut of A5 wagyu from Kagoshima. Chef William Shen set the raw beef into the broth before a tableside torching of the luscious slivers. The result: an upmarket udon experience at its utmost. Credit: Photo by Faiyaz Kara
Hunger Street Tacos: Tacos al pastor Watching David Creech manhandle a massive, inverted pyramid of meat, then secure it onto a rickety “flame thrower” trompo on Cinco de Mayo, was a scene right out of the streets of Mexico. That the slow-roasted adobo pork served on an heirloom corn taco with jalapeño and arbol crema, onion, cilantro, lime and, of course, pineapple, was just as good as the tacos al pastor you’d taste in CDMX was really no surprise. Creech, after all, was born and raised in Mexico City. Credit: Photo by Faiyaz Kara
Kabooki Sushi: Peking duck Chef Henry Moso’s presentation of glistening Peking duck is the stuff Instagram dreams are made of. After poaching the bird in a hot liquid of Chinese red vinegar and honey, Moso ages it for three or four days. Then he roasts it, poaches it in hot oil, and carves it and the duck is ready for social media glory. Credit: Photo by Faiyaz Kara
Caravan Uzbek & Turkish Cuisine: Adana kebabs Chicken or lamb, take your pick, but both of these charred tubes of brilliance grilled over open charcoal are as good a kebab you’ll have in the city — spiced, succulent and licked with the flavor only glowing chunks of carbon can provide. Credit: Photo by Faiyaz Kara
Caravan Uzbek & Turkish Cuisine: Adana kebabs Credit: Photo by Faiyaz Kara
Juju: Hanasaki crab soup Juju is one of the best izakayas in the state, no doubt, but chef Lewis Lin really allows his creative side to flourish when staging his seasonal multicourse kappo dinners, and this eye-popper of a soup beguiles. It’s crustaceous to its core with sweet Hanasaki crab meat in a Hanasaki shell dashi broth along with crab roe. White truffle, chive oil and egg white add a touch of flavor elegance to the soup, which is served in the critter’s carapace. Credit: Photo by Faiyaz Kara
Seito Sushi Baldwin Park: Double layer Cheesecake Chef Huy Tin has been killing it at Seito Sushi Baldwin Park, but pastry chef Juan Bohorquez has been turning heads ever since joining the team a little more than a year ago. His double-layer cheesecake with sake-blueberry compote, passionfruit gelee and yuzu cream had us moaning and groaning like a couple of love-starved teens in the back row of a movie theater. Credit: Photo by Faiyaz Kara

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Orlando restaurant critic. Orlando Weekly restaurant critic since 2006.