[Allegiance]

Originally Posted by dotti105

On the spur of the moment, today, I booked a table at Katie Belle's for my hubby and I for this evening. I called to make the reservation, It was a $6 charge to reserve the table. I was told there was a $10 min per person.

"Rocky and The Rollers" were there tonight and we considered ourselves lucky to get in.

We went to the late show as the early show was sold out. The late show started about 9:30-9:45. To make it easier for the servers, they stagger the seating times. 9:00, 9:15 and 9:30. We were scheduled for 9:15 but arrived a few minutes early to get the lay of the land. The staggered seating times are to accommodate the wait staff, so that they are not trying to give prompt service to the full house at one time. We were seated by 9:05.

The entrance is lovely, very spacious with a beautiful stairway going up to the restaurant and also an elevator.

Once upstairs, we found a lovely "supper club". The place is spacious and very attractive. The reserved tables are directly in front of the stage and dance floor. Tables were about 4-5 rows deep and 4-5 rows across. We had a table near the rear and I was worried about being able to see the band, but that was not a problem at all. The tables are spaced with generous room between them so that everyone in the dining area can see the stage, which is raised.

There is a quieter dining area off to the side between the elevator and the bar. I don't think those tables require a reservation. They also do not appear to have a direct view of the stage. The bar area is raised with several high top and standard dining tables there also. The view from that area of the stage seemed like it would be great.

The salad bar is at the opposite side of the restaurant from the bar. There are tables there which have a view of the stage, but slightly off to the side. There were also tables behind the reserved section, with partitions which I think would have a limited view of the stage, but could enjoy the music.

The place looks GREAT!! The stained glass ceiling is still there and gorgeous! The Front Stained glass window is beautiful from inside and everything looks first class, attractive and spacious. The tables are very attractive with hammered copper designs under glass.

I was concerned about the dance floor, as on the diagram on line, it looked tiny. In reality it is plenty large enough. "Rocky and The Rollers" had everyone on their feet dancing and there was not a problem with space.

Rocky played form 9:30 to 11:00 and did a great show! We had a wonderful time and will enjoy taking visitors there!

The menu looked good! My husband ordered the shrimp and scallops Alfredo, I had the Katie Belle's fried shrimp which were very lightly battered, fresh and delish! We both had the salad bar and it had a very generous selection.

All is all, it was a wonderful evening and we plan to go again! There were many regulars who enjoyed being there and we didn't hear a single complaint.

We actually enjoyed it much more than the original Katie Belle's. Most likely, because we came on the scene in the last 2 yrs and the old Katie Belle's always looked dusty and in need of a deep cleaning. That is not to criticize it. I know it was well loved and a favorite of many.

Katie Belle's now is more of a "Supper Club" with live entertainment, a format that we thoroughly enjoyed. I am glad we gave the new Katie Belle's a chance. It was a wonderful evening! We recommend it highly!

Thank you for a detailed review. Did they make people leave at 11pm, or could you stay and have a drink or two?

[John_W]

With the music and food all upstairs, what is on the first floor?

[Mleeja]

Originally Posted by Bogie Shooter

But if you haven't experienced the new format how do you know it is so bad?

Originally Posted by Eastwind53

We are glad you enjoyed your time at Katie Belle's. What you described is the reason many of us will not attend the new Katie Belle.s. We do not believe this format will survive when the renters and snowbirds go home.

Good question Bogie. How can a restaurant that provides good service, good food at reasonable prices not survive? By having closed minded people say stuff like they will not go there because after the snowbirds and renters leave restaurant will not have enough business to survive... The way I look at it...it will just be easier to get a good table.

[Darlene Lansing]

I have to commend Dotti , a very complete report of exactly our experience ! We stopped in there to just take a look on Friday nite , to our surprise we were able to just walk in , walked straight up to the bar and order a drink , it was full except we stood off to the side of the bar taking it all in , it is a beautiful place and we had a delightful time .

We were lucky enough to get a walk-in table ,back by the salad buffet , it was a perfect table not too close to the speakers .

We ended up ordering dinner , we had the shrimp,scallop Alfredo and split it , $19.95 , incl salad . Very tasty .
,we will definitely return on a regular basis !
Our waitress was Jackie !!!!! Fabulous

[Darlene Lansing]

The first floor is empty ,
My husband has a good idea !!!!!���� HOW ABOUT A CASINO ON THE FIRST FLOOR ,OFFER PKGS WITH DINNER UPSTAIRS ??????????????????????

[WhiteDover]

Glad that You Had a Very Nice Experience. I On the Other Hand Did NOT Enjoy It At All. The Owners Took a Perfectly Good Place to Dine Out, See Shows, Etc. and "Modernized It." Won't Ever Go Back Again But Hopefully, Many Will Give Katie's Their Own Try.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by WhiteDover

Glad that You Had a Very Nice Experience. I On the Other Hand Did NOT Enjoy It At All. The Owners Took a Perfectly Good Place to Dine Out, See Shows, Etc. and "Modernized It." Won't Ever Go Back Again But Hopefully, Many Will Give Katie's Their Own Try.

Katie Belle's was getting grimy and well worn and needed a facelift. All that grease and grime in a restaurant takes it's toll. Glad the owners did a makeover and in so doing hopefully made it profitable.


Some seem to have emotional ties to a place to dine, drink and see entertainment that others reserve for a place like a church or national monument. I didn't know this before.


We don't go that often to any one restaurant or theatre to get attached. I am glad to read Dotti's positive review.

[coalminer]

Sorry but I do disagree. We had a party of 8 that attended the 6:30 show that evening. We were disappointed mainly because the atmosphere that was Katie
Belles is gone. It is no longer a place where you can go to let your hair down and dance like you are 25 years younger than you are. In your post You described it as a Supper Club atmosphere and I agree completely. If that is what your looking for its at Katie Belles. If your looking for a place to let your hair down in a safe enviroment with other folks your age the new Katie Belles not the place.

[Vinish]

Originally Posted by coalminer

Sorry but I do disagree. We had a party of 8 that attended the 6:30 show that evening. We were disappointed mainly because the atmosphere that was Katie
Belles is gone. It is no longer a place where you can go to let your hair down and dance like you are 25 years younger than you are. In your post You described it as a Supper Club atmosphere and I agree completely. If that is what your looking for its at Katie Belles. If your looking for a place to let your hair down in a safe enviroment with other folks your age the new Katie Belles not the place.

Can you help me to understand what makes the previous incarnation of KB's suitable to "let your hair down" but not the newer version? Also, what do you mean by "let your hair down". This is a bit of a nebulous phrase which probably means different things to different people. I apologize if my questions seem critical. Such is not my intent. I've never been to either the old or new KB's and just want to know what the differences are. Why can't you dance like you were 25 years younger at the new version? Thanks.

G'day,

Vinish

[VApeople]

Was the music really loud? I have a problem with loud music and I have walked out of several wedding receptions for this reason. We never go to a restaurant where the music is too loud for us to talk comfortable. Maybe indoor music is just not our thing.

During our visit in November we very much enjoyed the music at Spanish Springs and Lake Sumter because we could sit as far away as we liked and we could avoid sitting directly in front of the stage.

[Bonny]

Originally Posted by VApeople

Was the music really loud? I have a problem with loud music and I have walked out of several wedding receptions for this reason. We never go to a restaurant where the music is too loud for us to talk comfortable. Maybe indoor music is just not our thing.

During our visit in November we very much enjoyed the music at Spanish Springs and Lake Sumter because we could sit as far away as we liked and we could avoid sitting directly in front of the stage.

If there are bands like Rocky & The Rollers & Uncle Bob's Rock Shop playing inside a building such as Katie Belles and you don't like loud music, then I would suggest you don't go. I'm assuming you have never been in Katie Belles before when bands were playing.
I like loud music if I'm going to dance & have fun. Loved Katie Belles and I'm sure I'll still love it the way it is. Haven't made it there yet, but I will soon.

[raynitsche]

We stopped in Saturday night and sat at the bar. I like it and my wife not so much. The music was free for us at the price of beer and wine. Very clean and friendly. You can pick up a printed monthly schedule at the podium at the top of the stairs when you enter. Next will be the food.

[gbrown95]

We have been fans of Katie Belles along with our friends for years so we decided to visit the new supper club version together. The room was beautiful and well appointed, the dance floor was bigger than we expected, and we expected a great dinner experience before a movie. We viewed and ordered one of the specials. It came out in a timely manner with several issues and we wrote that off to the new style. Getting the problems resolved took quite a while. The portions were very small and not well prepared and the server seemed confused and didn't follow up very often. Then came the checks after a very long wait and the confusion continued. Our party gave it a thumbs down for a dinner revisit but may try the evening entertainment approach, but no dinner. We thought maybe we picked the wrong special and got the wrong waiter but can't bring ourselves to try try again. I usually say if you can't say something nice say nothing at all but I think Katie Belle's deserves to know so they can do better.

[coalminer]

It felt more formal. The lights were bright and R&R played mostly slower songs, not much good fast dance music where you could "let your hair down". Of course the show was over promptly at 8:30, which seems early by most standards. All the tables were set with candles and wine glasses and a drink menu which again contributed to the supper club atmosphere. Without being critical, if your looking for that atmosphere, go to Katie Belles. I was disappointed because in my opinion the old Katie Belles is gone.

[ghoffman]

Originally Posted by gbrown95

We have been fans of Katie Belles along with our friends for years so we decided to visit the new supper club version together. The room was beautiful and well appointed, the dance floor was bigger than we expected, and we expected a great dinner experience before a movie. We viewed and ordered one of the specials. It came out in a timely manner with several issues and we wrote that off to the new style. Getting the problems resolved took quite a while. The portions were very small and not well prepared and the server seemed confused and didn't follow up very often. Then came the checks after a very long wait and the confusion continued. Our party gave it a thumbs down for a dinner revisit but may try the evening entertainment approach, but no dinner. We thought maybe we picked the wrong special and got the wrong waiter but can't bring ourselves to try try again. I usually say if you can't say something nice say nothing at all but I think Katie Belle's deserves to know so they can do better.

We had an almost identical experience! Service was terrible, food came out barely warm, and small portions. Our party consisted of 3 couples and the server screwed up all 3 checks. We all agreed that we would only go back for a show, but never eat there again!