Chop House, 2 strikes and you are out!!
 

Last night was our second visit to Chop within the last 10 days.
The first visit was a Friday evening and the place was completely packed. Our party of 3 was seated in the bar and it was quite noisy (yes we had reservations). The first problem was it took such a long time for our server to come to our table. We all 3 ordered "dry" martinis straight up (2 with Bombay Sapphire and 1 with Tanqueray) . When they finally came, the server placed the drinks on the table and then she was gone. We toasted to our birthday guy.. and those with the Bombay looked at each other and said the drink didn't taste right. It was very watered down. We looked for our server but she wasn't seen for at least 10 minutes. By that time we had drank about 1/2 of the martini. We mentioned to the server that the martini was sub-par. She responded that the bartender was new and took a long time making the martinis. Also the food was mediocre and just not what we had at Chop House before. I had the creamed spinach and it came with a thin layer in a bowl that had been put in the broiler, and it was slightly burnt. Overall a less than satisfactory meal. We never saw a manger in our area or we would have let them know.

Last night a group of 6 went for dinner after a show at the Savannah Center. Two in our party ordered the Chop House Chateu. Both started to eat and both removed the bite from their mouths, fat and gristle. Both of the dishes were extremely tough. One said that he thought that the steak knife was dull. One of the dishes was basically raw in the middle. We advised the server and a manager came over and asked what was wrong. To her credit she immediately had the plates removed and both of the guys ordered the Chop House Burger. Both the Chateau and Burgers were taken off the bill. Almost everyone else had completed their dinner by the time the replacement meal came out. (One of the burgers was undercooked.)

Just another disappointment from Chop House. We will not likely return there.

Went there when it first opened...got a sandwich, it was embarrassingly small for $18. Then, on top of that
it wasn't even filled...terrible. I think it's an FMK place, which would explain the sub par food.
I'll give it another shot just to be fair but if it happens again. See YA!

So if FMK is sub par.....where do you go for dinner that meets your expectations?

Our experience is if a restaurant is not meeting expectations, management will make changes or they will close.
I would give Chop House 3 or 6 months, then try again.
Happens all the time.

We are a Chop House frequent(er).
Always good food, good service.
One of the very few better eating establishments in The Villages.

Better Food Outside the Bubble
 

This is why we eat in Ocala or Orlando often. I would much rather be stuffed with good food and drink than overpay at the Chop House for a stuffy almost nothing meal. Mark’s and Ipanemo serve great meals. Heck even Pasta Faire is better than what’s in the Bubble. Orlando also has a whole slew of restaurants either chain or independent that outclass any restaurant in the Villages.

Whether it is fine dining or casual, none of the restaurants in the Villages really fill our needs. I don’t need my chair pulled out and my napkin spread by my server for a great meal. I just need good food with at least fair presentation to be happy. Diner’s need to get out and explore the area. There really are quite a few restaurants better than the Chop House.

Explore and have fun!

We have never had a bad meal at Chop House, Costal Del Mar, or Blue Fin.

Meeting one's expectations really has a lot to do with the reputation a place is trying to live up to. McDonald's meets my expectations because they aren't trying to be a Chop House or Ruth's Chris. Truly great places don't make mistakes, good servers don't deliver sup par food and drinks then make up stories about the cooks or bartenders being new or incompetent. in great places the manager checks the tables frequently to ensure His or Her guest is pleased with everything they are paying for.
Jmho.

"Happens all the time". Maybe so, but it shouldn't. 3 strikes and your off the list. Too many choices. Don't need to revisit places that don't measure up.

The problem with most of the restaurants in The Villages is the lack of competition.
The goal here is volume not quality of food or atmosphere and this is a perfect place for this, you have a captive group willing to spend money.

I'm a New Yorker where there are restaurants on almost every block, running all types of price ranges and when you have that amount of competition you better deliver what the customer is paying for, or your survival will barely last months.

I've been to all of the restaurants mentioned here this morning and what I've found the food generally fair, the service up to par, but the overcrowding to the point where it was unacceptable. If you want to enjoy a decent meal either with a significant other or a small group of friends, I suggest you leave The Villages and the surrounding area and I'm sure you'll find what you are looking for.

I miss the ethnic restaurants from Maryland. Indian, Thai, etc. So much atmosphere and great food. I know there's a Thai restaurant in Lake Sumter. It's so so. Orlando is probably the place to go for all that.

Love the Chop House

Are you sure? It is not listed on the FMK website. Bonefish is a chain of 170 restaurants.

Can you say, Monopoly?
So don’t go to the chophouse. Now where?
Another one of their restaurants?
That’s what happens when pretty much two entities own all the restaurants within the villages.
Who wins? They do.

We have eaten there in a couple of occasions and everything was spot on.
Recently however three of us had a steak dinner there and the only thing that was good was the steak.
The tuna tatar was more like soup, potatoes and vegetables were cold.
There were no mushrooms available however the server was awesome and it kind of smoothed things over a bit.
But the food was definitely sub par for a 350 dollar bill.

Chop House
 

Good to know that the Chop House is still unsatisfactory and we don't have to waste our time trying it again. We last visited about a year ago and had a terrible meal.

Everyone is different
 

Everyone has different taste and experiences. Some love it and some hate it. With people being from all over will always have certain expectations. Here in TV it seems the concern is not to impress its to make money. The latter seems to be more important. If you place it packed its a success in their eyes. One thing we have said is we were NOT moving here for the great restaurants. Leaving the bubble is always an option for some if willing to drive the distance.
Good luck in your journey to find the perfect spot.

Totally agree

Chop House is not that good. Quality of the food doesn't match the price. Not impressed with FMK restaurants.

I’ve been to a lot of great restaurants in S Florida and in Europe. I’ve been quite happy with bluefin, harvest, and especially Prima. Are they five star? No . But theyre a solid 4 star for me. Food has always been good and I’m happy with the service. What’s nice is at Prima You can bring your own wine if they don’t carry it and only charge a $20 cork fee. Much better than paying $60 for a $25 bottle of wine

Same O Same Blah FMK
 

The FMK group is all the same. If you like overpriced, reheated, salty crap loaded with preservatives, go for it. If you have tastebuds, go elsewhere.

Nowhere in The Villages. Ocala, Tampa or Orlando.

Chop House
 

We have been to the Chop House and have had nothing but good food and good service. We were there this week and told our server, Avery, that we were going to the movies and could we order right away. She took our orders and our food and drinks came promptly. We even had time for dessert. Restaurant was quite full but our experience there was very positive.

Boar Tenderloin
 

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Same experience
 

Food was mediocre at best and very overpriced. I think they are low on servers like every other restaurant so we must give them some grace on that point.


The first visit was a Friday evening and the place was completely packed. Our party of 3 was seated in the bar and it was quite noisy (yes we had reservations). The first problem was it took such a long time for our server to come to our table. We all 3 ordered "dry" martinis straight up (2 with Bombay Sapphire and 1 with Tanqueray) . When they finally came, the server placed the drinks on the table and then she was gone. We toasted to our birthday guy.. and those with the Bombay looked at each other and said the drink didn't taste right. It was very watered down. We looked for our server but she wasn't seen for at least 10 minutes. By that time we had drank about 1/2 of the martini. We mentioned to the server that the martini was sub-par. She responded that the bartender was new and took a long time making the martinis. Also the food was mediocre and just not what we had at Chop House before. I had the creamed spinach and it came with a thin layer in a bowl that had been put in the broiler, and it was slightly burnt. Overall a less than satisfactory meal. We never saw a manger in our area or we would have let them know.

Last night a group of 6 went for dinner after a show at the Savannah Center. Two in our party ordered the Chop House Chateu. Both started to eat and both removed the bite from their mouths, fat and gristle. Both of the dishes were extremely tough. One said that he thought that the steak knife was dull. One of the dishes was basically raw in the middle. We advised the server and a manager came over and asked what was wrong. To her credit she immediately had the plates removed and both of the guys ordered the Chop House Burger. Both the Chateau and Burgers were taken off the bill. Almost everyone else had completed their dinner by the time the replacement meal came out. (One of the burgers was undercooked.)

Just another disappointment from Chop House. We will not likely return there.[/QUOTE]

me too, maybe i'm just lucky but i've always had a great meal there, and had the manager stop by each time.

Just went there for my 50th anniversary. Double Tito’s on the rocks, not diluted. Beef Wellington may be the best I ever had, same for the creamed spinach. Baked potato was perfect. If you don’t like the chop house you can’t possibly like any other joint in TV!

Swooner, how long have you been working there?

Sure you can! If you buy a $20 bottle of wine and it exceeds your expectations you should be pleased. But, if you buy a $200 bottle of wine that is maybe a little better than the $20 bottle, that should be disappointing. Your expectations should be 10x what your $20 actually lived up to at its price range. Anything less should be considered failure at its price range of $200.
Example? Today we had dinner at Toojays in Brownwood. We enjoyed our meal. We paid nothing close to what we would have at the Chop. Food tasted good, service was fine. But we didnot have Chop expectations. We had deli expectations, which were well met.

Prima’s

I’ve always had great meals and drinks at the Chophouse.

Regarding ordering a martini they are all “up” and none are straight unless you don’t want any vermouth at all. I would recommend just ordering it as dry as you want and specify the gin. Unless you are a secret agent. Then you tell them to shake it. Otherwise they should all be stirred. :D

Last night I made a grilled ham and cheese sandwich with couple of leaves of lettuce from our garden thrown in. Yum. My wife and daughter had tasty meals from Panda Express delivered. Free delivery btw. Yum. Watched a recorded jeapordy episode while we ate.

No wait staff complaints. No food complaints. No drink complaints. Simple. Enjoyable.

Delivery is never free. You have to give a good 20% tip anyhow. But the rest is fine unless you are looking for the experience of eating out. If it was simply a matter of food and drinks quality I’d always stay home as my steak is the best I’ve ever had and I make a better cocktail than, probably, 95% of bartenders. Yet I still go out to eat often.

We consistently enjoy delicious food and attentive service at Havana CC restaurant. Also have repeated good experiences at Glenview CC, Nancy Lopez CC, and Palmer Legends CC restaurants. Each of these are definitely “cut above” the FMK restaurants. That said, we do enjoy lunches at Evans Prairie CC.

You make a good point. I seldom have a meal out that exceeds the quality of the meal I can prepare at home. When I dine out, I’m looking for excellent service, nice ambiance, and passable food quality. Steaks in particular are rarely better prepared dining out than what I grill at home.

While visiting The Villages on a lifestyle tour, we dined at the Chop. Someone needs to instruct the kitchen on how to make a proper Caesar salad. Don't order one here if you're an aficionado of the Caesar salad. Romaine should be chilled, not room temperature, and torn, not cut with a knife. Thirteen dollars for fifty cents worth of warm romaine? Please. Imagine my disappointment when, the next night, we dined at the Harvest Restaurant and the exact same salad appeared before me! Apparently, none of FMK's kitchens know how to make a Caesar salad. Service was slow, but the server Mark made up for it in charm.

Had lunch at The Chop House once. The food and service where superb. Had a steak filet at Harvest which was great. Great service there too. Harvest and Chop House are both FMK owned. FMK is a great organization. Not sure why the OP had so many problems.

Agreed. Chop House is number one!

In your opinion. Not everyone agrees. Just saying ...

I enjoy Chop House for the convenience. But, as many have posted, restaurants outside of the bubble are MUCH BETTER. I believe there are too many FMK restaurants in the Villages. Basically the same food at each but in a different location. I can understand why the OP has chosen to never return.