[rjn5656]

Will be taking my wife out for her birthday tomorrow. Would like to try something different in or near the villages? Any suggestions?

[The Great Fumar]

My wife wanted to go somewhere new and different for her birthday, so I showed her the kitchen......Now we're not speaking !!!

fumar ...

[Freeda]

http://cuveebistro.com or www.ipanemaocala.com Both are excellent for special occasions. There is also a nice restaurant and bar in the Hilton Hotel in Ocala if you want a change of pace like that. If you take CR 475-A from TV to Ocala you will have wonderful scenery for the drive. I think Ocala is just about the right distance to go, for that 'getaway' feeling without a long drive if you just want to go out for the evening.

Other possibilities would be a trip to the beach and spend the night. If so, I'd think of the Clearwater or St. Pete area and one nice restaurant there is in the Marriott hotel (actually this is on Gulf Blvd. a few miles south of Clearwater) - a steak (also has seafood, etc) restaurant that is called 'Watercolors' or something similar to that; or Shepards, a hotel with a restaurant on the beach in Clearwater.

[K9-Lovers]

Try Vic's Embers Supper Club in Leesburg. Here's a link:

http://www.vicsembers.com/

[SALYBOW]

We were once taken to Pasta Faire in Bellview. It is a nice Italian restaurant that also has a stone oven . They serve rotisserie chicken which my husband deemed very good. It is a bit of a drive but it is also reasonable. Ambiance wise, it is better than Olive Garden. The night we went there was a wedding reception being celebrated in a seperate room so it is a decent ambiance. Just a thought.

[l2ridehd]

Try Goblin Market in Mt Dora. One of the better places close by. If willing to go further, Burns steak house in Tampa is excellent.

[BBQMan]

Originally Posted by l2ridehd

Try Goblin Market in Mt Dora. One of the better places close by. If willing to go further, Burns steak house in Tampa is excellent.

Both great recommendations! If you want to spend the night consider Chalet Suzanne in Lake Wales. Like Berns, a lifetime golden spoon awarded restaurant. The attached motel is very interesting in that every room is completely different. On occasions when I have been there, people congregate (a glass of wine helps) and check out the different rooms.

If you do not want to stay overnight then the Goblin Market is probably your best bet.

[BowleesCreekYachtClub]

You can do Chalet Suzanne in great style - charter a small plane out of Leesburg and fly in!!!!!

[terry elsmore]

that made me laugh - and I bet it had a lot of truth.

[Bill-n-Brillo]

Originally Posted by The Great Fumar

My wife wanted to go somewhere new and different for her birthday, so I showed her the kitchen......Now we're not speaking !!!

fumar ...

...........and she showed you the door, perhaps????

Bill

[swrinfla]

rjn5656:

True, I've missed your deadline, but from a personal point of view, budget not a consideration:

Lopez Legacy Restaurant. Right here in TV! And, be sure to order the Lobster al Forno appetizer! I'd even be happy ordering 3-4 servings with nothing else!

Note that there is an on-going special on Monday night, where a lobster dinner is something like $22 whereas any other night it is closer to $36.

SWR