Katie Belle's Dinner
 

My husband and I ate dinner last night at Katie Belle's and it was terrific! The restaurant is beautiful decorated well and very nice comfortable furniture. The menu has been completely revamped and upgraded along with a new very good wine list. Entree's come with Caesar salad or salad bar, a side dish and warm crusty bread with herbed olive oil for dipping. Appetizers included clams casino, jumbo shrimp cocktail, seared ahi tuna, spinach artichoke dip and more, We split the ahi tuna and it was excellent. There are a lot of entrees. Several fish which can be prepared baked, broiled or blackened and accompanied with choice of several sauces, chicken, veal,
rack of lamb, lollypop pork chop, crab cakes, pasta dishes. We both had very well prepared fish. Side dishes were very good. Service was excellent and we will return often. A 100% positive experience. Don't listen to the bashers who have never been there. Go and enjoy!

:BigApplause:

:bigbow:

Great review.

Of course, I'm sure we'll see some of "the usual suspects" posting how the "new" Katie Belle's was the worst dining experience of their lives, etc, etc, etc......:1rotfl:

Glad to hear you loved the new Katie Belles
 

Glad to hear you liked the new KB. I can't wait until we get back down to TV to see and experience it for ourselves. The Owners did not invest all that money to see it flop so hopefully there will be more people than not who like the change.

Fantastic!! Thanks for the review!! :BigApplause:

That's awesome. Glad to hear. The Villages does everything top notch. Can't wait to give it a try.

Katie Belle’s has issued the following list of the most frequently asked questions about the newly remodeled venue in Spanish Springs Town Square:

• Has the menu changed – yes – totally.

• Hours of Operation – Sunday closed (except for special occasions), Monday and Tuesday hours vary depending on our special events, Wednesday and Thursday 3:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 3:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.

• Happy Hour – Wednesday thru Saturday 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. – all alcoholic beverages are half price (happy hour not available on bottles of wine and during special events).

• What is going into downstairs – retail tenants – we do not know who.

• Do you have to make reservations for dinner – at this time, we will not take reservations for dinner – at some point, Village residents will be able to make reservations for a dinner table.

• Is there a time limit on dinner tables – in order to satisfy as many guests as possible, we plan on tables being occupied for a maximum of two hours for dinner.

• Is Katie Belle’s doing Sunday brunch – no

• Will the entertainment be the same – the entertainment will be very similar – due to the size of our restaurant, entertainment will be for seated guests only. We will not be able to have standing guests during the shows.

• Why can’t we stay all night – we have created two distinct areas in our restaurant. One is for dining and the other is for shows – as any restaurant that serves dinner, we have to turn tables, so, in our dining area, we need the tables available for the next set of dining guests (no cover charge in our dining area) – in our show area, we will charge a small cover charge to pay for the production of the show. On Wednesdays and Thursdays, there is only one show for the night. Your cover charge will enable you to stay for the entire show, if you desire – on Friday and Saturday nights, there are two shows. You can purchase tickets for both shows and stay all night. On top of the cover charge, there will be a minimum purchase per show.

We will be going for sure!!

:BigApplause:

A review from someone who was there!!! Sounds great!

I will looking forward to seeing a show and or have a dinner.

We did the pass through last week and haven't had a chance to try the food yet. Our opinion (shared my many we have talked with) on New vs Old Katie Belle's is > while its not bad it clearly doesn't have the class or atmosphere of the old Katie Belles which was unique and a real attraction that most residents were proud to take their quests and show off the "resident only" restaurant and entertainment center. Dancers have now lost the afternoon music many enjoyed and even most nights since they are now "shows". So from a dancers point of view and those who enjoyed a unique experience I think its lost that pazaz - but for those who expected better dinning it sounds like it will be a step in the right direction. To be honest we liked the food and drinks at Katie Belles, very reasonable and entertainment that was great. Cattle Barron's food was a step up and enjoyable with prices that were still reasonable. You couldn't beat the atmosphere downstairs or upstairs.

I would have expected the new KB's is first class. As most new restaurants, have plenty of help, first class food, etc. The Snowbirds will love it, best in the county today… bet KB's will fail in a year as the CattleBaron Club did..

Why would you expect this new restaurant not to well? Similar to Lopez, Palmer and Hemingway's that are doing fine. Actually I think Katie Belles was better. The Sharon across the street will bring in ait of peiple.

Two posters say what I suspected.


Out with the old and in with the new. I am sure that there will be romance at the new one too.

Right on. The change was made just to make more money.

Is this just a guess or based on a visit?

You don't have to spend your money there.........

Its called a business.

Have you ever heard of private enterprise?

To make payroll and actually pay the workers, performers and management, "making money" is an essential goal.

Without "making money", private-sector businesses have to close.

But of course...and I am a devout capitalist

I got stopped by troopers once traveling through a southern state. the troopers motion me to follow them to town. They told me I had to pay a fine then and there. I was short on cash and so wired home to my wife to please send some money. While in that town I discovered the Judge's name plastered on every building within sight....and it was a small town. So the moral to my story is there is private sector business then there is PRIVATE SECTOR BUSINESS

Personal Best Regards

Bonnie, you are falling down on the job.:cryin2: You should have been there already!!!:a040:

I'll definitely get there soon. Gonna let the newness die down. :D :beer3:

Waiting.

Waiting.

Waiting.

Waiting for your report.

:highfive:

I am sure it's great for what it now is. Sad that it's gone and many feel we lost an amenity. Praising the developer or vouching for their right to make money will NOT take away that feeling. *HAROLD*SCHWARTZ would walk around the original town square, mingle and asked the villagers how he could make their lives more happy. He lived in his manufactured home and was happy to be a real villager.

i wish the owners would open a real dance hall saloon type place and charge a cover charge at the door. surely it would be a successful business and replace the void of a great dancing venue which many of us feel. just not the same to go and dance at a rec center or on concrete in the square. when survey time comes around, those who would like this should mention it as a request. we have plenty of places to go to eat!

Harold loved his family, I betcha, and would be proud of all they have done, but most of all he would be proud they were still working, even though they certainly don't have to. This place now is the vision of Gary Morse, gone now, and his children who I think are doing a great job


I am a huge fan of the free market and the work ethic and of taking good care of what you have. I think that the area near Katie Belles is changing, many of the original folks have moved to the village of Heavenly or to Freedom Point or back home near their families. The Sharon is there and good venues for dining before or a drink after will be used a lot. People in the very new areas are fifteen miles away from Katie Belles. I don't know if that matters but is worth noting.


I think the loss of a large dance floor is probably the biggest change. I enjoyed watching some lovely dancing by residents. But life moves on.


Most of the restaurant kitchens in the Villages use pre-made entrees, purchased from large businesses who employ excellent chefs who figure out recipes and then meals are pre assembled and probably frozen ahead of time. In fact not only in The Villages but in all chains too. I for one do not think this affects the taste in a negative way and often beats the heck out of some kid who might be cooking back there.


As for Katie Belles, we will see. Remember how folks were all upset about the Sharon?

I remember how upset people were when they stopped the salad wheel they used to bring to the tables at Katie Belles.
People were upset when they took the upstairs and made it Cattle Baron.
In 16 years, we've seen a lot of changes and it always works out.
We used to enjoy talking with Harold at Cafe Ole' back in the day. Being from Michigan, it gave us a lot to talk about.
Thank you Harold and the Morse clan for everything you have provided for us in our golden years. Never imagined retired life was going to be like this. We love it here !

So happy that the restaurant was redone.........but what about us, The Village residents
Katie Belles was our restaurant, now anyone and everyone can go in
I think they made a big mistake when they made it open to the general public.

Ah yes. "resident only", that term seems to be going the way of the dial telephone. I think Katie Belles and the Alamo have something in common. They're both been over run by outside forces. I believe that non-residents already get enough entertainment here as it is. The three squares leading the list. If the Villages with it's supposed 100,000 residents can't keep Katie belles afloat then maybe it wasn't meant to be. I've been going there since 2008 and thought is great the way it was. It seem that The Villages is going from a " friendliest hometown" to another tourist destination.

when you do go, pls. describe how the show vs. non-show seating is arranged. used to be when upstairs you still heard & maybe saw the show. now?

Well, perhaps we Village residents didn't go there enough to make it profitable? In the future, when only Villagers can make reservations, we should step up and fill in all the dates and times if we want it to be exclusive. They have to make a profit in order to stay open.

TV isn't a non-profit development. We've only been to Katie Belle's once, but now with a glowing report, another trip is in our future.

I was considering getting tickets for Uncle Bob's Rock Shop. We have seen them about a half a dozen times at the old Katie Belle's. Things are now different. They have two shows, each 90 minutes long. If you wanted to stay the evening you would have to pay for a seat for each show and probably move tables. They do remove the tables in front of the stage for a dance floor (same as old Katie Belle's). This comes from the ticket office.

Just FYI....You also have a minimum you have to spend at both shows.

It is $10. I assume you would have to spend $20 total if you got tickets for both shows. I think the tickets are $3 per show. This is about the same as with the old Katie Belle's, if you wanted a guaranteed seat, but you only needed one ticket for the whole evening. The food minimum is now higher if you wanted to stay the whole evening, compared to the old Katie Belle's, but we were always well over the minimum anyways so the new policy is not an issue. Having to buy two sets of tickets and probably moving tables to stay the whole evening seems like a bit of a bother. It is what it is.

I agree. That is $26.00 to stay the whole time. I would definitely spend that with food & drinks, no problem. :thumbup:

I went to Katie Belles last night! It is so gorgeous! I love the atmosphere!
We had the salad bar and an appetizer! There are many positives there, but I think we have to realize, it is not the same Katie Belles. It is the "new" Katie Belles!

Things that have changed from the perspective of me and hubby:
No sandwiches on menu, the menu is beautiful and has many yummy things on it. The least expensive is fried shrimp @ $16.
No pitchers of beer, lol,
They had a huge sangria special last night that looked awesome though!

Really weird, even though the seats were empty in front of the band, they require you to pay the cover charge up front to sit there. I don't think I will do that again, unless I have guests. I feel sorry for the entertainment. You get some of your energy from your audience when performing. No fun to play to empty seats! There were only 30 people in the entire restaurant and that includes those at the bar. We got there around 8:30. The band had just stopped playing and didn't come back on until almost 9:30.
For us, we will probably go when it is a special occasion. Like the new, but miss the value of the old? Gotta try that huge Sangria!

How was opening it to the general public a mistake? As I understand it the residents didn't really support Katie Belles. The came to dance and didn't spend much money which was one of the reasons for the change. So if the general public can help make it successful I don't know how you can say it's a mistake.

"Outsiders" can go into any country club to eat also so why all the complaints about letting them into KB?

Seems to me that the $26 (That might be per person) would be in addition to the menu charge for food and drinks. Could be pretty expensive, especially if the food is as rotten as when KB was on the main floor.

Took longer than I expected, but we have our first winner!!! See post #3

Katie Belle's
 

It is 3 per person for the show
You need to spend 10 aper person for food or drink
All it amounts to is 6 for 2 people to see the show
The food is excellent and the new menu has a lot of interesting choices
Upscale diNing in a beautiful restaurant.