[BrianL99]

After being in The Villages for almost a year, I had my first dinner at a Country Club, last night.

It sort of reminded me of Howard Johnson's, in the 70's. Dated decor, old silverware, wrapped in a paper napkin ... mashed potatoes, served with an "ice cream scooper". The food was ok, but was more like the kind of food you would find at a casual Mom & Pop restaurant, on a back road somewhere.

Without mentioning the name of which country club I was at, is it reasonable to assume all the country clubs all fairly similar?

[VIN574]

No.

[Babubhat]

Stick to bar food and drinks. Quality of preparation may vary by the day depending who is cooking. Not uncommon with short staffing to have “chef” fill ins. That is a term very loosely used here

[Inexes@aol.com]

No, I would say each has it's own following..... read restaurant reviews. But don't expect gourmet dining as you would in private country clubs in other areas. Lopez and Havana seem to have the best ratings....

[retiredguy123]

The term "country club" is a misnomer. They are not country clubs, they are just restaurants. I agree with your assessment. In my opinion, they are all mediocre, with the possible exceptions of Palmers and Lopez, and they are all noisy.

[village dreamer]

most of the country clubs food is just so,so. nothing great.

[ThirdOfFive]

The restaurant at Lopez is the best. Crowded, though, and tends to be VERY noisy at peak times. Outside dining, if available and weather permitting, is the best way to go.

[Keefelane66]

I always say it’s either a SYSCO or Cheney Bros menu

[Papa_lecki]

Originally Posted by BrianL99

After being in The Villages for almost a year, I had my first dinner at a Country Club, last night.

It sort of reminded me of Howard Johnson's, in the 70's. Dated decor, old silverware, wrapped in a paper napkin ... mashed potatoes, served with an "ice cream scooper". The food was ok, but was more like the kind of food you would find at a casual Mom & Pop restaurant, on a back road somewhere.

Without mentioning the name of which country club I was at, is it reasonable to assume all the country clubs all fairly similar?

Considering the country cub restaurants are owned and operated by different ownership groups, NO

[Garywt]

Glenview is the second highest rated restaurant in the Villages behind only Red Sauce. I have not come across a dated club restaurant so I definitely would be interested in which one. I think I have been to 5 so far. Glenview is our favorite so far, we love to go to lunch at the club.

[BrianL99]

Originally Posted by Keefelane66

I always say it’s either a SYSCO or Cheney Bros menu

Sounds about right. I mentioned Howard Johnson's and I was a "cook" there, when I was in High School. "Chefs"? "Cooks"? We were "food warmers". I think Howard Johnson's was the first restaurant to put Microwave Ovens in use ... sure made our jobs in the kitchen, a lot easier.

[JSR22]

Originally Posted by Garywt

Glenview is the second highest rated restaurant in the Villages behind only Red Sauce. I have not come across a dated club restaurant so I definitely would be interested in which one. I think I have been to 5 so far. Glenview is our favorite so far, we love to go to lunch at the club.

The best restaurants in TV in alphabetical order:
Blue Fin
Bone Fish
Coastal Del Mar
Chop House
Harvest
Havana
Lopez
Mezza Luna
Palmer
Prima
Glenview and Red Sauce are average at best.

[Michael 61]

Originally Posted by Garywt

Glenview is the second highest rated restaurant in the Villages behind only Red Sauce. I have not come across a dated club restaurant so I definitely would be interested in which one. I think I have been to 5 so far. Glenview is our favorite so far, we love to go to lunch at the club.

What source are you using for your ratings? Neither of these two are any where near the top according to Yelp.

[JSR22]

Originally Posted by Michael 61

What source are you using for your ratings? Neither of these two are any where near the top according to Yelp.

They are not near the top. We eat dinner out 3 to 4 times a week. They are not in our rotation.

[Babubhat]

Can anyone explain why the country club restaurants are so inferior to chop house in bluefin with the same ownership?