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Dining
Restaurants Around the State
Miami
La Paloma
10999 Biscayne Blvd.
305/891-0505
Swiss-run overdecorated Beach Baroque echo with full-scale, full-plate Old Country meals, caring service and sure-handed supervision. Lunch, $7 to $20, and dinner, $16 to $30.
SOUTHWEST/TAMPA BAY
Tampa
Jasmine Thai
13248 N. Dale Mabry
813/968-1501
The back room could have come directly from the islands with its citrus and fruit sauces -- the daiquiri-infused cream sauce with plantains for the scallops is a real winner. Dinner, $14 to $20.
CENTRAL
Orlando
Everglades Restaurant
9840 International Drive (The Rosen Centre Hotel)
407/996-2385
One of the very few restaurants to exploit the River of Grass National Park theme so uniquely Floridian and such a grand staging area for an introduction to the likes of native fish, gator chowder, peppered venison steaks, but with wines that are definitely not from the Sunshine State. Dinner, $20 to $36.
NORTHEAST
Jacksonville
Gallery Eclectic Bistro
9753 Deer Lake Court (Tinseltown)
904/997-8320
Creative cooking with Italian and Mideast accents and good wines. Lunch, $6 to $10, and dinner, $10 to $25.
NORTHWEST
Tallahassee
Manna
3507 Thomasville Road
850/668-1968
With 50 feet of eye-popping deli counter, full service bar and shelves stacked with the wonders of the gourmet world, this would be a winner even if it didn't have Mediterranean samplers, jalapeno-bacon wrapped shrimp, pistachio-wrapped grouper, cornmeal-crusted oysters with Cajun remoulade and jerk mahi-mahi with ginger-orange sauce on the menu. Lunch, $6 to $9, and dinner, $10 to $22.
