First Restaurant for Eastport Announced
 

From Dec. 2 Daily Sun:
"Eastport will be home to Prime + Ember Signature Steakhouse. The restaurant is the first to be announced for The Villages' newest downtown currently in development. Prime + Ember will be operated by FMK Restaurant Group and will offer an upscale dining destination featuring premium steaks, fresh seafood and gourmet pasta. A highlight of the venue will be its rooftop bar where guests can enjoy craft cocktails, live music and scenic views. It joins The Villages Health, The Villages Golf Cars, Citizens First Bank and Hotel Eastport as businesses now under construction at Eastport."

Excellent. I love Chophouse and this will have a roof top bar. FMK has good bartenders that know classic cocktails. 20 minute cart ride from Lake Denham. This is great news.

Just my opinion- we don't need another $34 pork chop.

Where else in the Villages near Eastport can I get one?

We cook our pork chops at home and prefer the thinner ones. But to each their own.

One more over-priced crappy restaurant for FMK and The Villages.

I just find it funny that people comment on things that don’t interest them. I took your post to mean there were already too many higher end steak houses in the area. I’m thrilled with an FMK steakhouse in Eastport. Contrary to Brian’s opinion I think they do a great job at Chophouse and their prices are the same as most steakhouses. That being said, of course I can make a better steak at home for half the price. But eating out is for the experience as well as the food.

Didn't realize you'd confine yourself to that location. When you dare venture beyond Eastport you'll find many things to see and do.

...Or a $60 "steak" :)
Upscale or just Upprice :)
Hooters cant come soon enough :)

In 1999 I took a spill off a rooftop bar in Myrtle after one too many Long Island iced teas

That’s hilarious & so true.

A rooftop restaurant/bar sounds good, especially with visiting friends, but otherwise we are concerned that it will just be another FMK restaurant. Realize they buy in bulk but the food is pretty much the same between their establishments, with a few variations.

Pity the neighbors as sound will carry, especially at night.

Why pity them?
Some like to live close to the action…………

So many cranky old men whining that one of the dozen new restaurants will be a steakhouse.

Fabulous! Considering my two favorite restaurants are Harvest and. Blue Fin, it sounds like a wonderful addition. That roof top bar will be a gathering place!!!

The Villages needs a "lower price" restaurant at ALL TOWN SQUARES....

From Spanish Springs to Brownwood, the choices for less expensive restaurant options are minimal....we like FMK, but need more options.

Why so negative? It’s like people are just waiting to attack on this forum. I don’t have to stay near Eastport. But it’s nice to have something close too.

ETA: did you even read what I was responding to? I was responding to a post implying there were too many $34 pork chops close by and I responded asking where else in the Eastport area is there one.

What kind of "lower price" restaurant are you looking for?

Spanish Springs has Ruby Tuesday's, McCall's, Panera, Flippers, and Ay Jalisco
Lake Sumter has Panera, Thai Ruby, Gators, City Fire, and Johnny Rockets
Brownwood has Five Guys, City Fire, World of Beer, Gators, Fiesta Grande, McCallisters, TooJays, and Island Fin Poke

well I hope it's better than Chop House......

When it is 95 degrees how desirable will a rooftop restaurant be?

The way it's going,it'll be a two horse game inside TV. FMK and the Suleiman's will rule the sit down dining out places.

That bsloan person is always negative. I’m also excited for an upscale any type of place that’s not burgers or sports bar, with craft cocktails. I don’t care about the price. I planned well. I enjoy going out and yes, I can make it cheaper at home which is like comparing apples to oranges.

Exactly. Eating out is about the experience. I love the roof top bar idea. We usually sit at the bar and chat with new people over great classic cocktails.

Boosters?
 

Is Boosters in Middleton or Eastport? It has been open for while.

Options
 

I couldn't agree more. I've been here since -- I'm too old to remember -- and the menu selections at the FMK-operated country clubs are unchanged. Only the prices -- upward.

Ay Jalisco is a go to for us in SS, RJ Gators in LSL, and Island Fin Poke in BW. Island Fin is one of our favorites in the entire Villages.

It's closer to Middleton. It's at the Shallow Creek Country Club. Been there 2 times. It's okay. They could improve some of the food items and the bartenders could use some training on making real cocktails. They have a decent booze selection but don't know what a gimlet or classic daquiri is. Burger and wings were good, but the cheese sauce on the nachos was like the stuff at a movie theater that they pump out of a jug. :D

Ay Jalisco updated their menu recently as well as their prices.
The price change was substantial.

Yet apparently you still go.

I have not been here as long as you. Can you tell me about the years when prices did *not* increase?

Never been to Ay Jalisco since I have two Fiesta Grandes closer. Really like Island Fin just don’t get there often.

Are they all CORPORATE CHAINS? The one chain on that list I do love is Five Guys...best burger in America. We have them here in California. However, sit-down restaurants that are chains or owned by mega restaurant groups are so stale...it's as if they all have a schtick they must follow. Their cocktail pours are measured to the drop. LOCALLY owned gets my business, if that's even possible in TV.

Save yourself the trouble of finding out, assume that they all are corporate, and go elsewhere. You would be wrong but hey, it makes the generalizations easier.

Prices
 

I go there because they are convenient for post golfing dining and drinks. As best I can recall,
prices stayed pretty much the same until this past year. But, mostly, I was being critical of the menu also being pretty much the same since way back when.

As it should be. Who wants an unbalanced cocktail? I hate bartenders that don’t measure. Too much lime, not enough sugar, too much rum? All makes for a crappy drink and most bartenders that think they can measure by the count are wrong.

You must be one of those 10%-ers that actually prefers 5 Dudes over In-N-Out. Momma said there'd be people like you.

In-N-Out vs. Five Guys vs. Shake Shack: The First Bi-Coastal Side-By-Side Taste Test
In-N-Out and Five Guys Compared Review: Cheaper Is Better - Business Insider
https://www.reddit.com/r/burgers/com...uys/?rdt=47587

Add me as part of the 10%. It might be simply because I can get 5-guys here but rarely visit the land of In-N-Out. Or, it might be a whole-meal choice and you just can't beat the 5-guys fries. Either way, it's hard not to stop by when I'm in the bleachers at Brownwood.

Since your only experience of TV is from utube, and are looking to visit for the first time n March, might want to wait a bit before critiquing the mega restaurant groups in TV. What one thinks is fine dining, others think mediocre at best. Some love ihop, McD’s, Waffle House, others travel out of the bubble to find better food, not so much better prices. Food tastes are regional, so adjusting is inevitable.

Many are good with menu prices, others want the same experience under $10.00. It’s all about expectations, where you dine previously, and how you choose to adapt. That said we dine at home with exceptional food, with perfectly paired wine. If we choose to dine out it’s is rarely in TV. Although if looking for something after golf, Boosters can deliver a mid rare burger, which is very hard to find, something perfectly cooked in all our years here.

Lol, AsianThree Colicchio

I cannot stand a bartender who doesn’t measure. It’s a lazy bartender, not a mixologist. Consistency is key when making a good cocktail and of course, quality ingredients.