Quiet Romantic Dining Recommendations
 

I don't see any recent threads, so thought I would ask. We enjoy the occasional night out to a restaurant that is quiet, darkish, soft music and maybe candle lit for dinner.

Any suggestions in or out of the bubble - restaurants like that seem to be a dying breed!

I think you can pretty much forget about the quiet part.

Chop House in Sumter Landing, Turners in Leesburg, The Rose Plantation in Fruitland Park, Mesa de Notte in Ocala

Thank you!

Another high five for Rose Plantation. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Looking for darkish?

Try Mesa Luna Colony Square, it's quiet and don't forget to bring a seeing eye dog :icon_wink:

Don

If you are willing to go to Orlando there are plenty. We have 2 dogs so Orlando only works if we kennel them. Which we do once in a while.

Go to the Rose Plantation, word to the wise avoid Mezza Luna, unless you have a need to eat the absolute worst ,imitation, facsimile of Italian food in TV

Yup, we too have two, which is why we sometimes have a romantic diner at home, but it is nice to let someone else cook occasionally and our best wine at home typically comes in boxes :)

Dinner at Home
 

There are several places to get great quality food to cook. Lighthouse Seafood Market on 466 has excellent fresh fish, and you can order Maine Lobster. We belong to Costco and I buy their prime meat. Sam's close by has prime but I'm not a huge fan. Fresh Market on 466 carries very nice products. If you are looking for a great dessert Miz Kathy's sweet shop is an excellent bakery.

The place that I think comes closest to meeting your requirements is Francescos, if you go after 7 PM, when they are not crowded, and get a private circular booth. Some of the other places mentioned have good food, but they will not be darkish and quiet, especially during the main dining hour.

I don't get how people can recommend a restaurant off of a strip mall (Francescos) on 441- quiet romantic- have you all for got what class was-

unless you've never ever experienced a really super experience--where the waiter made you salad table side, the sommelier offered wine for your approval and the maitre'd made zabiogne for you and you special person table side--followed with cognac and nice deserts

Someone who appreciates it :)

And the waitress with crumb brushes to keep you table cloth clean...

I am not knocking Rose Plantation. It is good. But, I have been there, and it was not quiet or romantic.

Same with the new Chop House. They are always busy and the carpet helps but it's still pretty noisy.
Try Mark's Prime in Ocala on the square on a week night.

Skip

Berns steakhouse Tampa, 813-251-2421 and you won’t be disappointed.
Bob

Cant go wrong with Marks Prime steakhouse in Ocala

Not so much dark and quiet but Miz Kathies Cottilion (sp) in Wildwood, is a good spot for a good and romantic dinner.

Legacy Restaurant Telephone 352-753-1475...Plus they will take a reservation. Located at Nancy Lopez Country Club...The Villages

I second Lopez as the best in TV.

Francescos is very good. Just because in a strip mall doesn't make it bad. Guess it doesn't meet the standard of having a "zabiogne" made for you. Really? Not what the original post was about.

Thank you.

Well Excussse me. I am not so Highbrow that I would exclude Francesco's just because it's in a Strip Mall. In fact we go there often and Yes, their little Alcoves are very nice for a Romantic evening. The food is excellent. The ambiance excellent and the minute you walk in the door it screams great Italian. It is quiet, you can actually carry on a conversation. We love Lopez, but it's far from quiet. The food is excellent, but if you're looking for quiet, there are few in The Villages that qualify!

Another vote for Turners in Leesburg. The largest table is for 4 so no howling, cackling drunks trying to out talk one another. It’s not that far.

One problem with going somewhere late, hoping it will be quieter, is that the wait staff often let you know by their actions that they want to go home

Confirms one is most likely in the wrong restaurant!!

:bigbow:

I like your suggestion but suggest you top off the evening by staying in Tampa. In or close to TV, Lopez or Rose Plantation perhaps on a week night. Quiet is hard to come by in and around TV.

Might want to try Fusion Sky, in Ocala--pricey, elegant, dress code

The OP asked for a quiet, romantic spot around TV, not a restaurant where you need to take out a bank loan.

There are few around I like for different reasons. Little Italy Deli in Inverness (dinner only Friday and Saturday) Fun place and very authentic Italian. La Cuisine in Ocala, very nice french bistro, Chathams Place in Orlando, great food and wine list, Berns in Tampa, Goblin Market in Mt Dora, these meet my criteria for good food and nice places. I find Mark's Prime in Ocala to be very noisy and like Harry's much better. Sky Fusion is also very good.

What is so sad that of the 120 or so restaurants in The Villages there is not one that for me rates above mediocre. There are a hand full I will go to, but nothing that even comes close to being really good. That is probably my biggest disappointment with The Villages.

Forgot about the Goblin Mkt, very good but the distance is out of our comfort zone, because we enjoy a cocktail or ,two

Turner's in Leesburg only has two tables that will seat six, because they mean to keep it quiet and peaceful. Many Villagers don't like that because they like to dine in groups. You can make a reservation for two or four. I'm not even sure they will take a rez for six. So you are guaranteed quiet there. It's not what I would call exactly elegant, but a nice setting and the food is good. There are better restaurants of the kind you are looking for over on the Gulf Coast, but that's pretty much a two-hour drive.

However, I'll come over and sit with those big guys when you want a break. No charge.:)

About an hours drive to Orlando you have a plethora of fine dining establishments. One of my favorites over the years is Christini's off Dr. Phillips. It's in a strip mall ( so one size does fit all) along with Morton's. Excellent classic Italian. True story: a few years ago, we dined there before going to watch the Final Four Championship game. I had on my team shirt(white) and a waiter spilled a wonderful Antinori red on it. The owner came over, got me a shirt to wear ( Hugo Boss), while his daughter took my wine stained shirt home to wash! Now that's service! They made me a customer for life.

While in the Army I spent a little over 9 years in Germany. In Germany there are gasthauses and restaurants. A gasthaus is a lot like a US bar and grill, informal and can be a bit noisy. The menu selection is limited but the food is very good. A restaurant is more refined in that you have clean linen tablecloths and cloth napkins, and the décor and atmosphere is usually very nice. They aren't noisy, and boisterous people are asked to tone it down or leave. The prices aren't cheap but not expensive either. Yes there some very expensive restaurants there but we preferred the smaller owner operated ones with limited seating capacity. My wife and I really miss that type of dining in the US. To get that here you have to go to a larger city and have to eat beans and rice for a month to make up for what you paid for that one meal. I guess there just aren't enough people looking for that kind of dining experience in the US for a restaurant like that to be able to stay in business.

I in part agree with you on your post, however, Legacy Restaurant has what these people are looking for. Actually " Cody's " IMO is very close to a " Gasthaus ", as you described.

Your own home at your own dining room table with your own music with your own steak from your own grill made by your own hands with or without your favorite people creating your own atmosphere. Nothing Better!

Except that you have to go to the store and buy everything, prepare it, cook it, and then clean it all up. Not the same.

I can't help but laugh at the recommended "Quiet" restaurants. There are no quiet restaurants in TV. There are some great restaurants in TV, but they are not romantic, intimate, or quiet. I can give you some really good suggestions, but, you have to drive at least 40 min to one hour. Just my opinion..

"I never made a mistake in my life. I thought I did once, but I was wrong."

So, what is this LOPEZ you're talking about. Is that the Nancy Lopez country club?