Turners vs Rose Plantation
 

The Admiral has a big b-day coming up-I wanted to go to Bern's via limo-but her frugality kicked in-we both imbed-so its got to be fairly local

looking for objective comparisons--I told her Bern's with limo and the good stuff would be $2K

Burns with a great dinner and two bottles of good wine and a limo runs about $700 to $800. And I had the driver wait right there for about 2 and 1/2 hours. Been there done that.

And I do know good wine. Got my own cellar with about 800 bottles.

My 2 favorite restaurants in the area. Ambiance I would go with Rose table lines, china etc. They have a private dining room for 2 to 4 people where the chef designs the menu to your palate. The room is beautiful. They have a full bar of liquor and a decent wine list. If their list does not have you want I would think you could bring your own with a corkage fee.
I love the food at Turners. Jack is a fabulous chef. I ate there Saturday night and had the best prime rib I have ever been served.
Both places are excellent but if it was my special birthday I would opt for the private room at Rose.

I read $2k and my eyes got watery. We went on a 21 day transatlantic cruise 6 years ago ending in Venice with a balcony for less.

Have you considered a 4 day cruise? I think you can each bring 2 bottles of wine.

The Rose corkage fee is $20. Recently bought a bottle perfect of 1986 Chateau Margaux from my cellar. Excellent food.

Corkage
 

Reasonable corkage and a fabulous wine.

Does Culver's have a corkage fee?

Culvers
 

Absolutely the most awful food I have ordered in The Villages. It would be great if they had corkage fee. Drink a bottle of wine and then try to eat their food.

I don't believe your Wine-In-A-Box has a cork.

Depending on the significance of the b-day, for us, it would be Berns and must include the 2nd floor :). Turners has changed their menu and reviews from friends have been disappointing but that is whispering down the line since I haven't been there since the change. There is always Marks in Ocala if you like great steak and shareable sides.. Rose Plantation is ok and has some nice amenities but while I like their steaks, the sides aren't anything spectacular.

Turners
 

Four of us were at Turners Saturday evening and it was outstanding. We eat there frequently and I did notice a change in menu. Maybe a couple of entree's.
If Chat does the private room the chef will prepare a menu just for them. Everyone I know who has done the private room raved.
We were at Bern's last month and I have no desire to return. Crowded and noisy. The best part the dessert room.

A 21 day cruise for 2k? Was it on the Minnow? A big night out for us is in the $100 range.

Where is Berns? (or is it Burns?)

You have a quick wit, and are funny and smart and probably enormously successful too.

And probably humble. I do like humble.

Culvers
 

Comparing Culvers to a restaurant with excellent food is odd.

We usually drive to Tampa and then stay overnight. Have you considered that?

Tampa
 

When we went there we stayed over night. Honestly, I have no interest ever going there again. We had friends who flew in specifically to eat at Berns. All of us walked out and said tourist trap.

It is called sarcastic humor.

Well said.

Bern's Steak House is in Tampa.

We have been in The Villages for eight years today. Since moving here we have eaten in 355+ non fast food restaurants and 175 of them more than once. We have been to Bern's three times including taking the MIL there for her 90th birthday. All three visits have been top notch from all aspects, Spent the night, sans MIL, on one trip for Valentines day. Dessert in the Harry Waugh Dessert room is a mandatory experience. To the question between Turner's and Rose Plantation both are similar as to quality. I would lean toward Rose Plantation because of ambience and adaptability on the menu. They will accommodate requests for alternate sides where the chef at Turner's believes he knows what combination/side I like more than I do. Other options are Fish Bones in Lake Mary and Fancesca's Tratorria in Gainesville if you like Northern Italian cuisine.

The Rose Plantation is our dinner choice for special occasions and a delicious casual lunch with friends. We've never been disappointed.

Culinary Institute of America
 

We lived for many years just a couple of miles from the Culinary Institute in Hyde Park, NY. There are 55 Master
Chef's in the World and 30 of them are at the Institute. It has about 2000 students and about 4-5 individual restaurants and it's own bakery where you can buy bake goods and books and Magazines on food, cooking etc. If you are going to spend foolish money on a or many meals you should direct your attention to the Culinary where you will truly have outstanding meals. Once a year the Culinary hosts what is known as the most outstanding meal in the world. It is for the Master Chefs only and some are assigned responsibilities for their part of the meal. If it for Trout they will be flown in that day from the best sources in the world,etc. We have dined there many times and the service and food is as you would expect it..Outstanding. You will be served by one of the students who is also being watched by a Professor
and marked on the service he/she is performing that day. We have friends who graduated from the Culinary and good friends of the Nurse's there. They said they were called on most of the time for cuts and burns. The main building was a Catholic Seminary. There are many more buildings now. If you go to Hyde Park (Better known for Pres Roosevelt's home) or Poughkeepsie, NY
and go into a Diner you may be served by a Student of the Culinary or the "Short Order Cook" is a student. When I hear of someone spending a huge amount for transportation and a meal I think why not go to the best and really have an experience. Some of the super rich come up the Hudson out of NY, dock their mega boat
at a small dock near the Culinary and have Limo's take them to the Culinary for a meal. Some of the restaurants are reasonable and then there are a couple that are more expensive. :eclipsee_gold_cup:

Thats why we have minimal landscaping ,live in a designer with kissing lanai--we don't do anything to keep-we interested in great experiences -& we're fortunate we been able to have our fair share of great experiences

I have been to the CIA a number of times on business trips to Poughkeepsie (you can probably guess where I worked). Always a treat.

We were there when we live on our boat and docked @ the Poughkeepsie YC-it happened when we commuted from Fl & the Bahamas for the summer to the Great Lakes & the Canadian waters

Ibm
 

I was there many times.

It has changed. No longer so pretentious.
 

Actually Gracie, until that Culver's comment this was a pretty good thread.. Regarding your comment on the poster's wit, I would 50% agree with you.

There are good restaurants all over this country.
 

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Also agree with the CIA comments .. Had the opportunity to host several Quarter Century Lunches back in the day when Big Blue honored such an accomplishment .. Always memorable

We all have very different ideas of what is the criteria for excellence in many different areas. They are our own personal values. What I find yummy and lovely, may not be what another finds yummy and lovely.

I still remember the escargot prepared at the Maisonette in Cincinnati. I remember drinking an amazing Reisling on our back porch in Columbus as a college student.

I like the chili from Wendy's too. And a single with cheese.

Berns is one of my favorite place to dine. And yes, best way is to go by Limo especially with great company to share the totally fantastic experience.
I've been there at least 50 times. My guestimate is to figure $150- $200 a person with a nice drink and dessert but yes you can do it under a $100 with advanced planning. And yes, the restaurant is very accomodating if you tell them you are on a budget. They truly understand they are sometimes a once in a lifetime visit and want u to be happy and of course not stiff them for the check. So, it goes both ways. But bottomline, go to Berns for the experience.

Is there any other dining club at TV besides the Gourmet Club?

Most informative.

Different strokes....which is why we can all keep our favorites in business :)

Profile
 

Some of the Dining Rooms at the Culinary were the Escoffier Room, which at the time was the most expensive and elaborate. They also have/had The Italian Restaurant, The American Restaurant, plus a couple of others. The Escoffier will be changed to The Bocuse. If anyone travels to New York City the train ride on the Hudson to Poughkeepsie is about 1 1/2 hours and a 30 minute ride to the Culinary. At the same time you can tour the Roosevelt home and the Vanderbuilt masion. There is also Marist College and Vassar college. :bowdown:

and the Castle on the Hudson

Excellent wine. Corkage fee very reasonable. I love Rose, but Chat you have been more than once. What about V&A at Disney, Limo, stay on property, Limo home

It was still quite youthful. Deep dark red. This one had a fill of mid-neck, the lowest of the three I have. Gonna wait a few more years on the others.

Eyeing a 1989 Chateau Palmer for my next corkage fee dinner. Does anyone know of other nearby fine dining establishments that have a corkage fee?