There are few around I like for different reasons. Little Italy Deli in Inverness (dinner only Friday and Saturday) Fun place and very authentic Italian. La Cuisine in Ocala, very nice french bistro, Chathams Place in Orlando, great food and wine list, Berns in Tampa, Goblin Market in Mt Dora, these meet my criteria for good food and nice places. I find Mark's Prime in Ocala to be very noisy and like Harry's much better. Sky Fusion is also very good.

What is so sad that of the 120 or so restaurants in The Villages there is not one that for me rates above mediocre. There are a hand full I will go to, but nothing that even comes close to being really good. That is probably my biggest disappointment with The Villages.

Forgot about the Goblin Mkt, very good but the distance is out of our comfort zone, because we enjoy a cocktail or ,two

Turner's in Leesburg only has two tables that will seat six, because they mean to keep it quiet and peaceful. Many Villagers don't like that because they like to dine in groups. You can make a reservation for two or four. I'm not even sure they will take a rez for six. So you are guaranteed quiet there. It's not what I would call exactly elegant, but a nice setting and the food is good. There are better restaurants of the kind you are looking for over on the Gulf Coast, but that's pretty much a two-hour drive.

However, I'll come over and sit with those big guys when you want a break. No charge.:)

About an hours drive to Orlando you have a plethora of fine dining establishments. One of my favorites over the years is Christini's off Dr. Phillips. It's in a strip mall ( so one size does fit all) along with Morton's. Excellent classic Italian. True story: a few years ago, we dined there before going to watch the Final Four Championship game. I had on my team shirt(white) and a waiter spilled a wonderful Antinori red on it. The owner came over, got me a shirt to wear ( Hugo Boss), while his daughter took my wine stained shirt home to wash! Now that's service! They made me a customer for life.

While in the Army I spent a little over 9 years in Germany. In Germany there are gasthauses and restaurants. A gasthaus is a lot like a US bar and grill, informal and can be a bit noisy. The menu selection is limited but the food is very good. A restaurant is more refined in that you have clean linen tablecloths and cloth napkins, and the décor and atmosphere is usually very nice. They aren't noisy, and boisterous people are asked to tone it down or leave. The prices aren't cheap but not expensive either. Yes there some very expensive restaurants there but we preferred the smaller owner operated ones with limited seating capacity. My wife and I really miss that type of dining in the US. To get that here you have to go to a larger city and have to eat beans and rice for a month to make up for what you paid for that one meal. I guess there just aren't enough people looking for that kind of dining experience in the US for a restaurant like that to be able to stay in business.

I in part agree with you on your post, however, Legacy Restaurant has what these people are looking for. Actually " Cody's " IMO is very close to a " Gasthaus ", as you described.

Your own home at your own dining room table with your own music with your own steak from your own grill made by your own hands with or without your favorite people creating your own atmosphere. Nothing Better!

Except that you have to go to the store and buy everything, prepare it, cook it, and then clean it all up. Not the same.

I can't help but laugh at the recommended "Quiet" restaurants. There are no quiet restaurants in TV. There are some great restaurants in TV, but they are not romantic, intimate, or quiet. I can give you some really good suggestions, but, you have to drive at least 40 min to one hour. Just my opinion..

"I never made a mistake in my life. I thought I did once, but I was wrong."

So, what is this LOPEZ you're talking about. Is that the Nancy Lopez country club?

It was never the "Nancy Lopez Restaurant". It started as Lopez Legacy but Nancy took her name off it only months after it was open. I presume for liability reasons. John McDonough, owner, had to have menus, license, website and signage changed a long time ago. It's been just "Legacy Restaurant" for many years. Still is.
She licenses her name, and gets a fee, for the Country Club part only, which is separate from the restaurant business.

Skip

For geographical clarity it has long been known as The Legacy at Nancy Lopez CC.

This nit picking has to stop! :)

It's always been Lopez to us!