Chapter two of the expansion mania starts with an Outback update. The tireless Tampa restaurateurs, commanding an incredible 755 restaurants at the turn of the year, are planning to open another 65 to 80 namesake steakhouses in 2001, 16 to 20 Carrabba's and a half-dozen each of their newest ventures, Fleming's steakhouses and Roy's Pan-Asian eateries.

Carlson Restaurants Worldwide, of TGI Friday fame, is opening clones of its hit Samba Room, an upscale Cuban cafe featuring Latin-fusion fare, a cigar lounge, a tropical patio and the rhythms of the islands. The first two pilots were in Dallas and Chicago, and the third opened in January 2000 in Fort Lauderdale. Trendy South Miami Beach hosted the fourth on Collins Avenue, and the fifth was launched two months ago in Orlando, at 7468 W. Sand Lake Road. The next two are opening this month in Tampa and West Palm Beach.

South Florida native Philip Butler is Samba's concept chef, and Marie Grimm is the executive chef in Orlando. She went with Ohio State degrees in economics and political science to the three-year program at Walt Disney World's Culinary Academy, leading to a chef's position in Golden Spoon winner Victoria & Albert's. In her newest post, she's defining Latin Fusion with such exotica as grilled mussels with warm coconut-sour orange dipping sauce and seared rare tuna with black beans and papaya. A fun favorite is the "Banana Splif," featuring fried bananas coated with coconut ice cream, splashed with spiced rum and cilantro syrup and dolloped with ancho fudge and pineapple chutney.

There's nothing quite like that, although the desserts are definitely decadent in another collection of spinoffs, one with South Miami Beach origins. That's where Mark Soyka in 1988 opened a modest coffee and ice cream shop fronting a newsstand by the Boulevard Hotel on Ocean Drive.

The rest is history for the Israeli-born entrepreneur:

News Cafe
800 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach, 305/538-6397
Soyka's anchor pacesetter is the South Beach place to see and be seen. Breakfast is bountiful, the noontime salads are fresh, and there are comfort foods galore for suppers and late-night snacking. Plus all the newspapers and fashion magazines to check for celebrities. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, with entrees $9 to $17.

News Cafe II
2901 Florida Ave., Coconut Grove, 305/445-0663
Soyka knew that one good News Cafe deserved another, with the same menu and round-the-clock specials.

Van Dyke Cafe
846 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach, 305/534-3600
In the early 1990s, Soyka bought the tallest building on the once famous shopping street, which was in a state of serious decline. After many months and News Cafe millions, his spread served as catalyst for revival. The menu features comfort food with class and the finest jazz club in greater Miami, Upstairs at the Van Dyke. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, with entrees $10 to $24.

Soyka
5556 Biscayne Blvd., Miami, 305/759-3117
Soyka took his biggest gamble in 1999, opening a signature bistro in a crime-plagued section of the city where Mark's many fans can now lunch on his version of designer sandwiches (e.g. a smoked salmon wrap slathered with cream cheese and red onions) and dine on seared fresh fish, calves liver, grilled chicken and veggies and macaroni and cheese. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, with entrees $13 to $26.

Brasserie Las Olas
333 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, 954/779-7374
Soyka's entry into Broward County might have been on reborn Harrison Street, where Hollywood was reportedly offering free rent and a sizable grant to defray expenses, but the restauranting genius had other ideas, choosing a sizable spread in Fort Lauderdale. Since opening last September, the crowds have come from dawn to dusk, grateful for the brick-oven pizzas, trademark salads, herb-grilled mahi and good old meatloaf. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, with entrees $12 to $25.

The year Soyka started News Cafe, another Mark -- Mark Militello -- opened his first restaurant, Mark's Place in North Miami Beach, where he showcased his culinary breakthroughs. He's currently setting the pace at these winners:

Mark's Las Olas
1032 Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, 954/463-1000
Opened in 1994 after closing Mark's Place and immediately established as the anchor star of the reborn boulevard with a magnet bar, outstanding display kitchen, superior staff and magical menu. Lunch is served Monday through Friday and dinner nightly, with entrees $22 to $42.

Mark's South Beach
Hotel Nash, 1120 Collins Ave., Miami, 305/604-9050
This is the most expensive of Mark's marvels, featuring lobster caressed in consommé with provencal pistou, garlic-laced beef tenderloin, lamb with chestnuts and stilton. But the menu changes daily. This is South Beach at its most elegant, in a quiet Militello kind of way, and with the best of serving staffs. Dinner entrees range from $18 to $38 and are served nightly.

Mark's Mizner Park
344 Plaza Real, Boca Raton, 561/395-0770
In December 1998, Mark and his partner, Michael Freundlich, threw down the gauntlet across from one-time boss Dennis Max's grill, which used to be the main magnet in the park. With the executive chef skills of Mike Sabin, Militello produced another premier performer with a non-stop menu ranging from the best noontime burgers and sensational sandwiches to great pizzas and such zingers as oak-grilled veal chops with Tuscan white bean ragout. Lunch served Monday through Saturday, brunch on Sunday and dinner, with entrees $11 to $26, nightly.

Mark's CityPlace
700 S. Rosemary Ave., West Palm Beach, 561/514-0770
The same team of Militello-Freundlich and Sabin cloned the Mizner Park success last December in the spanking new tribute to urban renewal, adding an innovative sushi bar where the makimono and temaki rolls were designed by the multitalented Militello. Lunch and dinner, with entrees $16 to $33, served daily.

Militello can also take some credit for the success of three other new restaurants, all in Fort Lauderdale started by a pair of Mark's Las Olas alumni, Peter Boulukos and Tim Petrillo:

Himmarshee Bar & Grille
210 S.W. Second St., Fort Lauderdale, 954/524-1818
Funky storefronts transformed into the kind of bistro San Francisco would be proud of. Headliners include whole, head-on, deep-fried snapper, beef tournedos with corn cakes and hearty luncheon salads and sandwiches. Lunch and dinner, with entrees $12 to $25, served daily.

Tarpon Bend Bait & Tackle
200 S.W. Second St., Fort Lauderdale, 954/523-3233
Boulukos and Petrillo opened success No. 2 as a seaside fishing shack stacked with local lore and patronized by the fisherfolk with catch-of-the-day specials at budget-happy prices -- $13 to $16 buys lunch or dinner, served daily.

The River House
301 S.W. Third Ave., Fort Lauderdale, 954/525-7661
Last November, the Boulukos-Petrillo team continued its roll with a most ambitious venture, taking over one of the best waterfront locations in the state, a pair of historic homes that have had a steady succession of owners, least impressive of which was Chart House. But the carefully restored double-decker treasure has finally found its perfect owners. The skilled kitchen scores a lot of points with such delights as nut-crusted black grouper with orzo salad and chive sauce and smoked bacon-wrapped meatloaf with wild mushroom sauce. Dinner entrees range from $13 to $26 and are served nightly.