Looking for a fabulous feast? You can find it right inside Universal. I did. No kidding.

Two theme parks, three hotels and the restaurant-packed Universal CityWalk complex offer dining choices aplenty to Universal fans. In the parks, I was surprised to find that every ingredient is made from scratch. Executive Chef Steve Jayson would rather his team cut and steam fresh green beans than buy them frozen, for example, and he never brings frozen fish onto the premises. The result? Satisfying meals at all price levels.

Mythos (which I discovered too late) located within the Islands of Adventure theme park, is the most magical of Universal's theme park eateries. The dining room resembles an underwater Greek grotto, but I'm told that you won't notice once you begin sampling Chef Mark Wachowiak's fabulous fare. At Universal Studios Florida, plan your day around lunch at Lombasrd's Seafood Grille.

For easier access to excellent food, book a table at Emeril's Orlando, a CityWalk white-tablecloth oasis with Creole-inspired creations by celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse. Lagasse also serves sensational Polynesian-inspired meals at Emeril's Tchoup Chop (pronounced Chop-Chop), where we ate (with kids) in the Royal Pacific Resort. We had the Seared Sea Scallops on Double Fried Plantains with Garlic-Lime Butter Sauce and Jicama Salad. Need I say more! If you have a longing for risotto and pasta, peruse the menu at Portofino Bay Hotel's Bice Risorante. And when nothing but prime steak or lobster will do, head to the Hard Rock Hotel, where an Orlando offshoot of our favorite restaurant, The Palm, serves classics in a masculine dining room. This time (adults only) we had a five pound lobster, caesar salad, filet mignon and creamed spinach! It was so good that before we left, our friends became members!

After The Palm, we rode home in a rickshaw, where our driver told us that Tommy Hilfiger was the rider right before us ... we went back to the hotel and Tommy, well, he stopped by Margaritaville!
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