[Aloha1]

Since closing on our new Villages home this past summer, we've been exploring the various restaurant choices in the area. Hailing from Michigan and Hawai'i, we tend to like Asian and Fish places but find a lack of both other than your typical Chinese or VK ( which we do like!), or say, Hemmingway's for good fish.

So, if you had your druthers, what would you like see around here?

[raynan]

Legal Seafood. Started out small in Cambridge MA but is now a chain. Still great and fresh seafood. God knows we don't need another hamburger place. We love The Lighthouse but it gets so crowded especially in winter months. Brownwood needs a seafood restaurant.

[village dreamer]

boston market???steak house.

[MMMark]

Easy one for me:

In 'N Out Burger

[rubicon]

What type of food/Restaurant would you like to see around here?

A good one

[redwitch]

A GOOD Chinese restaurant, preferably with Dim Sum. A Boston Market. More fresh ingredients in general.

[golfing eagles]

PF Chang's and Morton's of Chicago

[l2ridehd]

I don't get these responses. Why would you want more chain places? We have every chain possible around here and hardly any decent place to eat that you can get to in a golf cart. NO MORE CHAINS. For a decent meal we almost always leave the bubble. There are some good places here but no great places. And not a single high end special occasion restaurant within 50 miles. For that you have to go to Tampa or Orlando.

I have to believe 100,000 people could support at least one high end special occasion dining place. Remember that special place back home that you went to for a memorable evening? Was that a chain? Doubt it. There are a couple really good places in Ocala, one in Inverness, one in Eustis, and some really good mom and pop places scattered around near by.

[Chatbrat]

A good Chinese restaurant( with dim sum carts) Shanghai style, and a real Italian restaurant- with good veal dishes/northern Italy style---and Steak house that can offer prime cuts--

[jblum315]

Boston Market, please please please.
Also it would be nice to have Indian food
And GOOD Chinese food

[Madelaine Amee]

Originally Posted by raynan

Legal Seafood. Started out small in Cambridge MA but is now a chain. Still great and fresh seafood. God knows we don't need another hamburger place. We love The Lighthouse but it gets so crowded especially in winter months. Brownwood needs a seafood restaurant.

Yes, LEGAL Seafood, but if we had one of those we would never be able to get in!

[Jaggy]

Pei Wei.. It's more or less a fast food version of PF Changs .. and it is good...

[Madelaine Amee]

I would love to see a really good, authentic, Irish Pub with great bar food meals, great sandwiches, burgers, you name it, just please please please get someone in here with good food. I do not care whether it is high end, special night out, lunch time sandwiches, Italian, Chinese, just get a restaurant in this place with GOOD FOOD. I am sick of cooking .........................

But, once again, if we only have one good food places you would never get in the door!

Until we have someone in the area who is an excellent chef, or a partnership of a money man and a chef, we are not going to have good food. Any good business is only as good as its Staff and to keep good staff you have to pay them a decent wage and offer them benefits and there is not too much of that around here. Also a good kitchen is run like a tight ship. Where are you going to get the cooks here in this area? The restaurant could not be located within the confines of TV due to the rental costs, it would have to be on the outskirts of TV and how many people want to leave TV ........................ So, I think it is what it is and we make the best of it and do our eating out when we visit family.

[Carla B]

Yes, it's a chain and really inexpensive, but Pollo Tropicale from south FL.

[JerryLBell]

Originally Posted by Carla B

Yes, it's a chain and really inexpensive, but Pollo Tropicale from south FL.

Whenever my wife and I are going Miami to the Keys, we always stop in at the Pollo Tropicale near the Miami Zoo. Yes, it's just a fast food restaurant. But their grilled chicken is soooo good! Lean, not greasy, low on salt and big on flavor.

Our other favorite fast food chain is a small (and declining) one out of Michigan called Olga's Kitchen. It's sort of Greek but not entirely. And their freshly-made pita bread is wonderful. Put anything on it and you've got a great sandwich.

Another informal type of restaurant we like is the "Mongolian barbecue" type. I know there are some in Orlando, but it would be nice to have one handier.

We also wish that Jet's Pizza would come to town. They're another Michigan-based chain that are now as far south as North Carolina. What makes them special is their thick, crunchy & chewy crust.

A step up from those would be Sticky Fingers or Smokey Bones. Both are rib joints and quite enjoyable but both seem to be closing rather than opening restaurants.

For better dining, I'd have to agree on Legal Seafood. We've always enjoyed those whenever we're in the Boston area.