It’s Only Dinner—or Maybe It Isn’t

Wherever you are in a relationship, there’s a restaurant to suit the occasion.

Testing the Waters
Relax Grill, Lake Eola Park

Take your new potential sweetie for a bite under the stars at Orlando’s landmark lake.  Open until 10:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, the very casual Relax Grill features dishes like a Mediterranean platter of hummus, falafel and red pepper dip ($11) and shrimp kabobs ($16) in an al-fresco setting.  Romance might be in the air after a stroll around the lake. 211 Eola Parkway, Orlando, 407-425-8440; relaxgrill.com
 

Got Game?
Jernigan’s at Amway Center

You want to see a Magic game, but your object of affection isn’t into sports. But who isn’t up for dining out? Settle in at Jernigan’s, the all-you-can-eat restaurant with balcony seating overlooking Amway Center’s basketball court. For the price of game tickets, plus Jernigan’s $39.95 per person charge, you may win your date over to watching the Magic with you. 400 W. Church St., Orlando, 407-440-7000; amwaycenter.com/restaurants-and-bars
 

Turn on the Charm
Mama Della’s Ristorante at Portofino Bay Hotel

The “this may be the one” date calls for cozy and romantic. Mama Della’s is a little slice of Genoa, and surprisingly intimate for a hotel restaurant. Dinner for two with wine will set you back around $100, and the branzino del Mediterraneo ($29)—bass with pappardelle pasta and fennel—is highly recommended. Embrace the illusion by strolling hand-in-hand around the reproduction Italian village of Portofino Bay. You’ll think you’ve left Orlando, at least for the night. 5601 Universal Blvd., Orlando, 407-503-3463; loewshotels.com/restaurants/mama-della-s-ristorante
 

WHEN SHE is ‘The One’
Victoria & Albert’s Chefs Table

You can’t get a much better opening act for an engagement proposal than the four-hour, 13-course spectacle that is a meal at V&A’s chefs table. At $245 per person with wine pairings, it’s an extravagant setup to popping the question, but truffles fresh from Italy, Japanese Kobe beef and Scottish pheasant, personally served by chef Scott Hunnel, doesn’t come cheap. The extraordinary and ever-changing menu for this intimate evening (only 10 seats per night) could be the deciding factor when you’re looking for a yes. 4401 Grand Floridian Way, Lake Buena Vista, 407-939-3862; victoria-alberts.com
 

Save the Last Date
Eola Wine Company

So, it didn’t work out; these things happen. Splitting a duck, fig and brie flatbread ($14) and a bottle of “The Last Straw’’ from Washington’s Isenhower Cellars ($44) might be the last thing you’ll ever have to share. Or perhaps savoring an artisan cheese plate (five samples for $20) and a flight of four two-ounce shots of California red for $18 by youself while he checks his text messages is the best way to say, “Let’s still be friends.” 136 Park Ave., Winter Park, 407-647-9103; 430 E. Central Blvd. (right), Orlando, 407-481-9100; eolawinecompany.com