[Mrs. Robinson]

Originally Posted by Carl in Tampa

The Columbia Restaurant in the historic Ybor City area of Tampa is the epitome of fine dining, with an emphasis on Spanish dishes. It has been at the same location for 110 years, and the third generation of the same family is being groomed to take over its operation.

Food Preparation is done by Chefs either with decades of experience at the Columbia or Chefs who have been recruited from Europe more recently.

Satellite Columbia Restaurants have been established in Celebration, Florida, St. Augustine, Florida, St. Armand's Circle near Sarasota, Florida, and on Sand Key near Clearwater Beach, Florida. Although lacking the patina of historical elegance of the Ybor City location, all of the locations serve similar dishes.

The leader of the Columbia Restaurant Group, Richard Gonzmart, has also pioneered other upscale restaurants in the Tampa area, including Ulele in a restored historic waterworks building, and a planned Sicilian food restaurant to be located in Ybor City.

I, along with people who still live in The Villages, have tried to convince Richard to open a Columbia Restaurant in the area of The Villages. I get the impression that he is not convinced that there would be enough revenue generated by an upscale restaurant in this area to justify the effort required to open a new restaurant.

Carl -- everything you said regarding the Columbia Restaurant is right on target. You've probably even left out a few things because it is so good, ranging from the quality of the food, the atmosphere, the menu choices, the service, etc.
When I lived in Sarasota, it was my favorite restaurant.

I must agree that The Villages is not ready for a Columbia or any restaurant of that caliber, and I seriously doubt that it could ever survive.
Although there might be the population here to support it, and possibly even residents' income, there isn't enough culinary sophistication or willingness to spend enough for it to be successful over the long haul.

Restaurants that offer Columbia's type of fine dining need the atmosphere of a city to survive, and TV's bubble will never be able to offer that.