I love these, "Who has the best ??? in The Villages" teasers. Of course the responses depend on opinions based on so many variables that there can never be one true winner. For example: what day of the week was it; how busy was the restaurant; how attentive was your server; who was working in the kitchen; when was the oil in the fryer last changed; where do you come from; what are you used to; how hungry were you? Just to name a few. You get where I'm coming from.
With regard to the Fish and Chips question, I will provide my "opinion", but I make no claim that my opinion will be anything more than that - just an opinion.
My go-to order in restaurants in and around The Villages has been either fish and chips or pizza. I do this because I am conducting my own, who has the best fish and chips and/or pizza survey. As a result my sample size is considerable.
Context: I spent several decades living and working in Europe with three of those years being in the UK. While there, I had the privilege of eating fish and chips in a "Chippy" in Scotland that has actually been named the winner of the "Best Fish and Chips in Britain" contest. So, my tastes are generally defined by what I consider to be closest to the way those "dishes" are served over there. Since both come from Europe, I think this is a fair comparison.
A bit off topic: To digress for a second, with regard to pizza, for my taste the "best pizza" can only come from a 800-900 degree pizza oven where there is wood actually burning inside to provide the heat and woody taste. Sorry Pieesanos or Sammys or Stavros. No wood fired oven, can't be the best - not even close!
Back to fish and chips: In my 12 years of living in The Villages, the best Fish and Chips (to me) was ONE TIME (the first time) I had it at Miller's Ale House. I say "one time" because the other time I had it there, it was not even close. Wasn't even the same fish. Either something was terribly wrong the second (bad) time or the first time was a "one hit wonder." I'll give them the benefit of doubt and say the second time was an anomaly.
I have also had fish and chips at most of the "country club" restaurants. None of them have been consistent. Glenview has been consistently good and Bonifay has been consistently not-so-good. Haven't tried Lopez or Palmer, but their food (in general) has been consistently very good. Havana does a good job with it, but none of these were anywhere near as good as that first time at Miller's Ale House.
Winner: So, Miller's Ale House comes in first place in my survey and second place goes to - drum roll please...Culver's! Yes Culver's. Their "North Atlantic Cod Dinner" is far and away better than any fish and chips I've had at any of the country clubs in The Villages - or even in any other restaurant in, and around, The Villages except that "one time" at Miller's Ale House.
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