Locations in Conway/Curry Ford: Kid Friendly

Here's a novel way to put those favorite snapshots to use: Have them scanned for a "photo cake" at Charlie's Gourmet Pastries.They'll feed your photo into their new computer, which transfers the image onto a sheet cake with white icing (starting at $18). The possibilities are endless: Elvis cakes, birthday-girl cakes, bon voyage cakes.

The photo cakes are one way that this fourth-generation family bakery is still evolving after 28 years in business. Other selections include feather-light cheesecakes, yellow-and-chocolate "checkerboard" cakes and whipped-custard Napoleons. Owner Gary Hawks got the recipes from his father, Charlie Hawks, who was the baker at Wolfie's in Miami Beach during its heyday in the '50s. Photo cakes are usually ready in a day.

Theo's Kitchen may be gone from this familiar location, but the space is being kept Greek by Mediterranean Blue, who also did us the favor of sprucing the joint up a bit, stocking eco-friendly wares, and adding a little flair to the menu (read: more cheese for everyone!). 

Said menu is deceptively simple, populated with just a handful of sandwiches and salads, but nearly everything is a winner. The Provence sandwich with ham, brie, herbes de Provence-infused butter and Dijon mustard ($6.50, comes with a side) may be just a Greek Cuban, but it's a delicious trip across the salty-savory spectrum. The more traditional falafel ($6.50 with a side) gets extra points for fresh, soft pita and the choice house-made tzatziki sauce. If doing dinner, a side of olive oil and oregano-garnished Greek fries helps fill you, but it'd be a ' what else ' tragedy not to order it smothered with feta cheese for $2. 

What do you make of a restaurant that beckons to customers with the hand-painted words "grapeleaves, hot wings, falafel, Greek salad, french fries and fried chicken" on its front window? And what if the restaurant has been in your periphery for about a decade, as the items were added to the window like a roster of star attractions? Eventually, you might want to try it – so that's what I did, finally stopping into Theo's, a shanty on Michigan Street with a willy-nilly menu of Greek, Syrian and fried Southern specialties.

Theo's has managed to be a subtle, steady spot for regulars to pop in to pick up a family-pack chicken meal with hummus on the side. Inside it's awash in bright-blue booths and decorated with Greek Orthodox paraphernalia; it's been around for so long it feels lived-in and homey but not in an accommodating sort of way.

The woman behind the counter will take your order then proceed to the kitchen to make your food. Her young daughter will watch you. It's that kind of place. I took a haphazard approach to ordering, getting one of just about everything. The gyro ($4.29), a standard pita wrapped around compressed lamb meat, was better than the shawarma ($4.49), a tahini-laden sandwich, or the less-than-spectacular but good-value hummus ($2.99).

Surprisingly, what made my multinational meal stand out was the fried chicken, which was superbly seasoned then fried in peanut oil. Chicken selections range from a two-piece snack for $2.35 to a 21-piece family dinner for $25.99. Even the chicken livers ($4.49) are great. Forget KFC – Theo's is much better. And you can finish off with a toothsome baklava ($1.99).

So, what to make of Theo's? Stick with the fried chicken at this Syrian/Greek establishment, and you can't go wrong.

The second Yaya's location (later renamed Zaza) should prove to be just as popular as their first, serving the same classic renditions of Cuban comfort food. A tiny '70s-style building houses affordable, bountifu dinner plate (the lechon asado proves pork can be lean and still juicy) and high-octane cafe con leche, some of the best Cuban cofee north of Key West. Flaky, buttery homemade guava-and-cream cheese pastries make a sweet finish.