When it comes to main courses, these 20 dynamic dishes leave us hungry for more.

Il Mulino

We’ve all been there. You sit down at the table at one of your favorite restaurants, begin to peruse the menu and find yourself stuck on what to order because there are just too many enticing entrées demanding your attention. To help ease the burden, we visited some of our favorite restaurants in the area to find 20 dishes that stand out from the crowd. Whether you’re looking for a perfectly cooked steak, scintillating seafood, plates of pasta or otherwise, these superb selections just further showcase Greater Orlando’s varied and impressive dining scene.

CHESHIRE PORK CHOP at The Monroe
This hearty chop is encrusted with coffee grounds, resulting in a wonderfully crispy, dark exterior that gives way to a tender, juicy inside. Served with bourbon baked beans and a slaw made with apple and Brussels sprouts, this is the epitome of comfort food.

BEEF WELLINGTON at Christner’s Prime Steak & Lobster
The talented chefs at Christner’s up the ante by taking a 10-ounce beef tenderloin, coating it with sliced button mushrooms sautéed in white wine and garlic, and covering the whole thing with puff pastry before baking it in the oven until the outside turns a golden brown.

BRANZINO at Sear + Sea Woodfire Grill
A fan favorite for good reason, this deliciously flaky fish with crispy skin is plated atop a bed of cauliflower puree, braised chickpeas and crispy quinoa, and finished with drizzles of salsa verde for a wonderful balance of taste and texture.

SPICY CHICKEN LOUISIANA at Chatham’s Place
A large double chicken breast is seasoned generously with Cajun spices, sautéed to lock in the flavor and then finished in the oven with a Creole mustard sauce for a little more of that Louisiana flair.

THE HAWAIIAN at Hillstone
Simple yet overly satisfying, this ode to the Aloha State features a USDA prime cut of ribeye that has been marinated with pineapple, soy and ginger and charred to perfection. The sweetness of the marinade adds further layers with each harmonious bite.

TENDER BRAISED BEEF CHEEF STROGANOFF at Soco
Forget the beef stroganoff your mother used to make: This version is prepared with wide ribbons of pappardelle pasta, mouthwatering morsels of beef cheek, and added touches of mushrooms and edamame.

WAYGU PICANHA at Four Flamingos
Celebrity chef Richard Blais offers a menu full of buzzworthy options, including this heavily marbled Australian sirloin, which is sliced and laid atop a runway of broccoli rabe, and then crowned with crab fat butter for added decadence.

ROASTED HALF DUCK at Kres Chophouse
This is the sort of dish that lingers with you long after they’ve cleared your plate. The duck is well-seasoned and enhanced with the richness of a cranberry demi-glace. A supporting cast of Yukon potatoes, green beans and glazed baby carrots bring further cohesion to the dish.

HONEY AND LAVENDER GLAZED GRILLED FAROE ISLAND SALMON at Norman’s
Faroe Island salmon is revered for its undeniable flavor, rich color and fattiness, and at Norman’s they elevate the fish thanks to an aromatic and appealing honey-lavender glaze. The fabulous filet is served alongside parsnip puree, creamy delicata squash and an herb salad.

MOQUECA at Bacán
This polished version of traditional Brazilian fish stew is full of complexity and depth. Seasonal fish is poached and slid into a coconut milk broth with clams, quinoa, yucca and fragrant spices to create one of the most well-rounded dishes you’ll find in our area.

ATHENIAN WHOLE LOBSTER PASTA at Ava MediterrAegean
There’s a lot to love about this stellar entrée that showcases a whole lobster alongside a nest of linguini that’s been tossed in a bisque with baby heirloom tomatoes and fresh basil. When the delicate chunks of lobster are combined with the velvety pasta, it’s a match made in heaven.

BOUILLABAISSE at Topolino’s Terrace
An amalgamation of red snapper, branzino, clams, mussels, shrimp and squid in an alluring broth, this Provencal fish stew fires on all cylinders. What’s more, the delectable dish is accompanied with fresh bread and a dynamite saffron rouille worthy of its own attention.

SHORT RIB at Russel’s on Lake Ivanhoe
These melt-in-your-mouth short ribs are braised low and slow with red wine, which amplifies the taste of the beef without being overpowering. The succulent meat is rounded out with fried onions and cheesy mashed potatoes.

PETTI DI POLLO AL FORNO at Enzo’s on the Lake
Choosing one dish from Enzo’s menu is no easy task, but allow us to suggest this airline chicken breast roasted with herbs and basted in a sauce of lemon and Chardonnay, and then perfectly plated with rosemary potatoes and broccolini.

JAMBALAYA at The Osprey
This savory creole dish starts with a foundation of Carolina Gold rice that has been cooked with lobster stock and sofrito, and then gets additions of Florida shrimp, house-made andouille sausage and plenty of Cajun spices before it’s slid into a Josper oven over Florida oak.

VITELLO CON FUNGHI MOREL E ARAGOSTA at Christini’s Ristorante Italiano
An indulgent entrée that showcases top-notch ingredients and the deft preparation this kitchen is known for, thinly sliced veal and lobster commingle with earthy morel mushrooms from Oregon in a sherry reduction.

STEAK FRITES at The Strand
One bite of this classic dish and you’ll feel as though you’ve been whisked away to a Parisian brasserie. Luckily, you won’t need your passport to delve into this sublime steak that is sliced and rested over chimichurri, and served along with seasonal veggies and shoestring fries.

UNI CACIO E PEPE at Knife & Spoon
One of Rome’s most popular and traditional dishes gets a modern makeover with plenty of umami flavor as bucatini is tossed with dried mullet roe and furikake, a crunchy, salty Japanese condiment.

POLLO SCARPARIELLO at Il Mulino
An intoxicating mix of hand-cut chicken, garlic, white wine, wild mushrooms and spicy cherry peppers, this Italian specialty is certainly a standout on a menu chock-full of tantalizing options.

GRASS FED LAMB at Cala Bella
Thanks to its grass-fed diet, this lamb is slightly gamey, intensely rich and overly flavorful. It arrives at the table looking like a work of art alongside sweet potato gnocchi and mushrooms with a mint/fava bean puree and swirls of lamb jus.