Really good food...suggestions?

[shcisamax]

Any comments on Sakura?

Would like to take some friends to a restaurant and am looking for suggestions. Parameters: Really good food, varied menu to accommodate meat lovers as well as vegetarians, not too loud, in the vicinity of TV but doesn't have to be "on campus".

Thanks for your comments.

[jblum315]

Love Sakura. Food and service are excellent

[shcisamax]

Thanks JBlum. Any other possibilities?

[Bogie Shooter]

Thanks JBlum. Any other possibilities?

You should be able to find something here;
The Villages Gourmet Club Restaurant Review Site (http://thevillagesgourmetclub.com/)

[graciegirl]

Look for a thread above...five favorite places to eat in The Villages.

[MrMark]

Any comments on Sakura?

Would like to take some friends to a restaurant and am looking for suggestions. Parameters: Really good food, varied menu to accommodate meat lovers as well as vegetarians, not too loud, in the vicinity of TV but doesn't have to be "on campus".

Thanks for your comments.

Jeffrey Paul's Chophouse in Leesburg. An order of magnitude better than you can find in TV. Check with them about vegetarian meals.

[buggyone]

Couple of ideas but not in The Villages.

Harry's Seafood Grille in Ocala is excellent. New Orleans atmosphere and New Orleans style food. It has a little "heat" to it. Specializes in seafood.

The River House in Crystal River is very good. Excellent soft-shell crab and fried shrimp baskets. It overlooks the Crystal River and Monkey Island which has about 12 monkeys on it. Great viewing windows and just about a mile from Homasossa Springs State Park that has lots of manatees you can view. Added plus - at Homasossa Springs State Park - you can get a "Free for Life" admission pass to all Florida State Parks if you are a disabled veteran. Just bring a letter from the VA or veterans service officer at Sumter County office.

[George Bieniaszek]

Cody's, and Cane Garden are my 2 favorites. Cody's near the bar area may be a little on the noisy side. We love the food, prices are reasonable.

[lightworker888]

Sakura meets your criteria well. We love it because it is never noisy and the food is so good. Bamboo Bistro and Ruby Thai also fit the bill. The later two are a shade pricier but not usually as high as Legacy or Glenview. Have fun!

LW888

[buggyone]

I will second Thai Ruby. Nice quiet atmosphere that is perfect for conversation.

Suggestion - some people think their food is kind of bland. Ask the waitress to make it "medium plus" spicy. That gives it a little heat but not overpowering by any means.

[starflyte1]

Haven't been to Sakura, but had dinner last night at Vic Embers. Quiet, great service, wonderful food, and varied menu. It is a special place. $$$

[rp001]

I think Taverna belongs right up there..Not gourmet but good food for the price.Sakura is tops in the immediate area.Haven't had the pleasure of Ruby Thai's yet..I don't agree about Cody's though..Never had a good experience there..

[shcisamax]

There are enough thumbs up for Sakura so it seems that would be a good start to our restaurant endeavors. Thank you all for your suggestions and descriptions....Just terrific.

[skyguy79]

But... but... but... there's still room for more thumbs up for Sakura. When my cousin from Orlando who is manager at Tommy Bahamas came here, we took him to Sakura's. He loved it. When my aunt and uncle visited from Maryland, we took him to Sakura's. They loved it! And when we got a surprise visit from my cousin who is a priest in Alaska, we took him to Sakura's and he loved it! Oh BTW, we love Sakura's too! :thumbup:

[Villageshooter]

you might want to expose them to Johnny Rockets,, it is got to the most interesting place you will ever go, as to how bad the food, service, and lack of cleanliness can be achieved and still stay in business and pass health department standards.I really believe Hellen Keller works there. There is a true miracle worker there.
As far as the village gourmet club web site, it is a great piece of history for TV if you want to know what a place to eat at was like in 2006, it is there.. the site is not the most current... I have found Sukar is great! I believe there son sells real estate for TV.

[rp001]

Either they have, or are going to, in the near future open a second location on 441 somewhere..I certainly hope the quality doesn't go down..Love their cold salad dressing, shrimp tempura, and of course warm SAKE..careful,it will creep up on you..It's so warm it's like having a ct scan with contrast as it flows through the body..LOL

[skyguy79]

Either they have, or are going to, in the near future open a second location on 441 somewhere..I certainly hope the quality doesn't go down..Love their cold salad dressing, shrimp tempura, and of course warm SAKE..careful,it will creep up on you..It's so warm it's like having a ct scan with contrast as it flows through the body..LOLSakura's is supposed to be located in La Plaza Grande according the Thevillages.com under Coming Soon..

The Villages Vmail - May 2012 - Coming Soon! (http://thevillages.com/newsletter/201205/happenings-soon.htm)

[Whalen]

Any comments on Sakura?

Would like to take some friends to a restaurant and am looking for suggestions. Parameters: Really good food, varied menu to accommodate meat lovers as well as vegetarians, not too loud, in the vicinity of TV but doesn't have to be "on campus".

Thanks for your comments.

Sakura is a nice restaurant and the food is decent and service is fine, however, if you want really good food you have to go to Chicago, New York or San Francisco...JMHO..

[shcisamax]

I was looking for something that would not require a plane ride. :)

[rp001]

simple way to start a fight...Philladelphia has replaced New York City as the best..Chicago never was in the running...LOL Let the wars begin

[BBQMan]

A truly outstanding restaurant is Bern's Steakhouse in Tampa. It has been rated the best steakhouse in America by Guyot.
2012 Top 10 Steakhouses in the U.S. | Gayot (http://www.gayot.com/best-restaurants/top-10-steakhouses/main.html)

Bern's also has the largest wine cellar and after dinner drink offerings in the country. As a plus it offers a tour of the kitchen that everyone seems to enjoy. If anyone in your party orders seafood, they can know it will be fresh when they see it swimming in the large saltwater tank. Not only a great meal, but an enjoyable evening. - No plane ride required.

[kentucky blue]

simple way to start a fight...Philladelphia has replaced New York City as the best..Chicago never was in the running...LOL Let the wars begin

You have got to be kidding,Chicago has some of the finest restaurants in the world.Charlie Trotters,Alinea, and Tru are 3 that i've tried and are as gooooooooooooooooood as it gets.If you want the experience of a lifetime try Charlie Trotters,but you only have until August.Charlie will be closing after 25 years,because he wants to take on other challenges in his life, while he is still on top .Philadelphia will never replace New York City,not even close, unless your looking for a cheese steak sandwich.

[jblum315]

There are excellent restaurants everywhere in this country. Even in Maine, Virginia, South Carolina, Missippi, Utah, Kansas. You just have to find them.

[jblum315]

Even in Florida.

[cappyjon431]

A truly outstanding restaurant is Bern's Steakhouse in Tampa. It has been rated the best steakhouse in America by Guyot.
2012 Top 10 Steakhouses in the U.S. | Gayot (http://www.gayot.com/best-restaurants/top-10-steakhouses/main.html)

Bern's also has the largest wine cellar and after dinner drink offerings in the country. As a plus it offers a tour of the kitchen that everyone seems to enjoy. If anyone in your party orders seafood, they can know it will be fresh when they see it swimming in the large saltwater tank. Not only a great meal, but an enjoyable evening. - No plane ride required.

I agree. The wine list looks like a phone book and last time I was there they offered a bottle for $43,000 (a littlesteep for my modest budget).

The wait staff is phenomenal and they must undergo extensive training before ever setting foot on the floor. They even have to work on the company's organic farm for six weeks as part of their training.

We try to go 2-3 times a year, it's one of our favorites.

[Whatever]

$100.00 + $$$ for two not including the dessert. Funny, but, after visiting Bern's, we had steak about one week later at the Cattle Baron and believe it or not, the steak was just as good if not better for 1/5th the price. Either a bad night for Bern or a very good one for Cattle Baron. Bye the bye, this thread is supposed to be for the Villages, so, who cares about steak houses in Chicago, L.A., N.Y. Etc. I cannot drive to those locales within 1:15 hrs.

Putting your favorite eating place on this thread that is not within travleing distance is a waste. If you want, why not start some threads about eating places in your home town so that people who are visiting or on vacation will at least have some idea as to where they might get a decent meal?

How about dinner locales and suggestions to those travelling N/S along 95, 75, 81 or E/W along 10, 20, 40, etc.:mmmm::mmmm:

[MrMark]

$100.00 + $$$ for two not including the dessert. Funny, but, after visiting Bern's, we had steak about one week later at the Cattle Baron and believe it or not, the steak was just as good if not better for 1/5th the price. Either a bad night for Bern or a very good one for Cattle Baron. Bye the bye, this thread is supposed to be for the Villages, so, who cares about steak houses in Chicago, L.A., N.Y. Etc. I cannot drive to those locales within 1:15 hrs.

Putting your favorite eating place on this thread that is not within travleing distance is a waste. If you want, why not start some threads about eating places in your home town so that people who are visiting or on vacation will at least have some idea as to where they might get a decent meal?

How about dinner locales and suggestions to those travelling N/S along 95, 75, 81 or E/W along 10, 20, 40, etc.:mmmm::mmmm:

Several comments:

Comparing Berns to Cattle Baron is like comparing Dom Perignon to Ripple wine. One is top shelf and the other is repulsive.

Sixty miles to go to Bern's or other great restaurants 30+ mile from TV is not a problem to those of us who enjoy truly good restaurants. If you don't know the difference, by all means, go by golf cart.

[cappyjon431]

$100.00 + $$$ for two not including the dessert. Funny, but, after visiting Bern's, we had steak about one week later at the Cattle Baron and believe it or not, the steak was just as good if not better for 1/5th the price. Either a bad night for Bern or a very good one for Cattle Baron. Bye the bye, this thread is supposed to be for the Villages, so, who cares about steak houses in Chicago, L.A., N.Y. Etc. I cannot drive to those locales within 1:15 hrs.

Putting your favorite eating place on this thread that is not within travleing distance is a waste. If you want, why not start some threads about eating places in your home town so that people who are visiting or on vacation will at least have some idea as to where they might get a decent meal?

How about dinner locales and suggestions to those travelling N/S along 95, 75, 81 or E/W along 10, 20, 40, etc.:mmmm::mmmm:

Sorry that you had a bad experience at Bern's (either that or you can't tell a world class piece of beef from mediocre meat). I've eaten at some of the more well known steak houses in NY, Miami, Kansas City and Chicago and none of them compared to Bern's. I've eaten there at least a dozen times and they never had an off night when I dined there.

Granted, they are not cheap, but for a special occasion (birthday, anniversary, etc.) it is a wonderful experience.

The OP did not say "in TV", but in the vicinity of TV. I guess it all boils down to the definition of "vicinity." Certainly Bern's isn't a place you would hop into your golf cart for a quick dinner, but many on this board do travel to Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, etc. on occasion and I see nothing wrong with a poster sharing info on one of the better restaurants that is not too far away. You might not want to drive an hour and a half for a great meal, but I'm sure others might on occasion.

[chuckinca]

you might want to expose them to Johnny Rockets,, it is got to the most interesting place you will ever go, as to how bad the food, service, and lack of cleanliness can be achieved and still stay in business and pass health department standards.I really believe Hellen Keller works there. There is a true miracle worker there.
As far as the village gourmet club web site, it is a great piece of history for TV if you want to know what a place to eat at was like in 2006, it is there.. the site is not the most current... I have found Sukar is great! I believe there son sells real estate for TV.


I think Johnny Rockets is much better than it was this time last year and prior. It's a burger, fries and a coke joint with 50's motif not a dinner place.


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