[KathieI]

I agree with Wandatime that its probably a learning curve of who prepares your personal choices the best and consistently.

I also like Lil Bits for breakfast, have been eating there a lot for the past year and never had a bad breakfast. Service is excellent, restaurant very clean. I have had some of their sandwiches and they are excellent and freshly cooked as well.

I like ToJays but pick the times when it isn't crowded and you will probably get better service and a better presentation of your order (warmer, etc).

I eat out just about every night at Country Clubs (mainly because I follow the music and where I can dance) and Bonifay has some good meals, you'll learn what you like to order. Salads are excellent and some entrees are very good. I haven't really had a bad meal yet.

Lunch at Mallorys is very nice (again, pick your time it can get crowded) and I love their pizzas and burgers and salads.

Cane Garden is my choice for a special occasion. I've had their nightly special many times and they were excellent. I also had very good Filet Mignon there and it was superb.

Havana (or Hemingway) since the turnover of management has improved 125% - excellent food, service and its now a clean place. I recommend it highly.

Off campus, is Eaton's Beach in Weirsdale. Great view of the lake, very good food and great service. But can get very very crowded, so pick your times again.

BTW, I'm not a foodie but I would never drive very far to have a meal. I would rather find a place within the villages that I personally enjoyed and found them to be consistent in quality of food and service.

That's my opinion. I hope you come back and try everything like I did and hope to see you dancing around town. Say hi to the old broad with red hair and glasses if you see me.

Regards, KathieI

[kleeh]

Originally Posted by Doro22

The best seafood restaurants are in the Fl Keys. The Fishouse in Key Largo, mm - 102401. Fresh from the ocean. The Green Turtle Inn in Islamorada - mm 81. And on Cudjoe Key - mm 22.5 -The Square Grouper. Very reasonable. All excellent. But closer by...in Tarpon Springs we like Rusty Bellies. I realize all are kind of far but to get "fresh". Seafood you have to go to where the action is.

With the advent of airfreight and fridge trucks it is now possible to have fresh in Kansas. But assuming not to TV, how that frozen fillet is prepared, with or without care, heavy or light hand with the oil and/or sauce is within the capability of any restaurant. Don't you agree? And it doesn't add to cost. It is only about what the consumer is willing to accept. Just because we are growing old should mean we have to settle for lack of care. BUT PLEASE, understand that I have only eaten in four establishments and may not have picked their best items, causing me to not see them in their best light. That is why I asked for recommendations. A few of the responders seem to feel that my experience and request was an overall slap on TV. Restaurants are only a very minor part of TV experience...right? But eating out should be an enjoyable experience which would include the care in which the food was prepared and presented...AGAIN I am not talking about haute cuisine.

[kleeh]

Originally Posted by KathieI

I agree with Wandatime that its probably a learning curve of who prepares your personal choices the best and consistently.

I also like Lil Bits for breakfast, have been eating there a lot for the past year and never had a bad breakfast. Service is excellent, restaurant very clean. I have had some of their sandwiches and they are excellent and freshly cooked as well.

I like ToJays but pick the times when it isn't crowded and you will probably get better service and a better presentation of your order (warmer, etc).

I eat out just about every night at Country Clubs (mainly because I follow the music and where I can dance) and Bonifay has some good meals, you'll learn what you like to order. Salads are excellent and some entrees are very good. I haven't really had a bad meal yet.

Lunch at Mallorys is very nice (again, pick your time it can get crowded) and I love their pizzas and burgers and salads.

Cane Garden is my choice for a special occasion. I've had their nightly special many times and they were excellent. I also had very good Filet Mignon there and it was superb.

Havana (or Hemingway) since the turnover of management has improved 125% - excellent food, service and its now a clean place. I recommend it highly.

Off campus, is Eaton's Beach in Weirsdale. Great view of the lake, very good food and great service. But can get very very crowded, so pick your times again.

BTW, I'm not a foodie but I would never drive very far to have a meal. I would rather find a place within the villages that I personally enjoyed and found them to be consistent in quality of food and service.

That's my opinion. I hope you come back and try everything like I did and hope to see you dancing around town. Say hi to the old broad with red hair and glasses if you see me.

Regards, KathieI

THANK you, Kathie. What a wonderful response to my request...just what I was looking for. And I totally agree about preferring to finding enjoyable restaurants within TV rather than getting in my car and driving elsewhere...that would not be one of the reasons I would choose to move to TV. I hope I do see you on the square, I definitely will boogie on up and give you a big "HEY!" Thanks again.
PS I've made a copy of all your suggestions and am going to try every one of them.

[kleeh]

Originally Posted by Wandatime

It is a learning curve to find the "good" restaurants, or okay restaurants that have one or two good items on their menu. I love fine dining but am more than happy with a clean restaurant with good food and friendly service. My personal experience with restaurants on campus is as follows:

McAlister's Deli or Crispers for a good, fresh fast lunch
Glenview CC for a good, leisurely lunch (and a fantastic view)
Cane Garden CC for their tuna fish salad, but service can be inconsistent
Ricciardi's for a date night. They also have fun group events
Nancy Lopez and Arnold Palmer CC for a little more upscale evening dining

I was not impressed with Too-Jay's, Bonifay CC or Mallory CC. That is just my personal opinion.

Thank you, Wanda, you among several others have provided me with exactly what I asked for in my opening request. I am adding these to my growning list and am looking forward to trying. I don't know much about what is meant by "fine dining," unless it means what I mean by "fine": attentive but not hovering service, no excessive grease or sauces, not just fried menu items, nicely steamed/ sauteed/or grilled veggies...definitely veggies other than iceburg lettuce, on the menu, hot food served hot, moist not dried out from overcooking or laying for excessive time under a heat lamp. That is definitely my definition...all things that don't add a cent to restaurant's overhead, but adds huge value to the diner's experience. Thanks again, most appreciated.

[Skip]

Originally Posted by chuck90199

You might want to look at the Villages Gourmet Club website to get an idea of the quality of the restaurant you're planning to go to. We've found their ratings to be pretty accurate.

The Villages Gourmet Club Restaurant Review Site

thanks,

Chuck

I agree. You can read over 1500 reviews on their site plus get an average rating with their Star System (3-15 Stars) for each listing. They cover 750 restaurants within 100 miles. The reviews are written by Village residents, not anonymous writers (like restaurant owners themselves) and they take no advertisements. I refer to it a lot. Sure, you can get a bad meal anywhere, even Legacy, Palmer or Hemingway. But numerous reviews average out the raves and complaints. Great website and well respected club.

Skip

[kleeh]

Originally Posted by Bogie Shooter

You stated in the OP that you don't eat out that much. Don't know what that means.........but I would not decide to move, or not move, to a community that didn't provide the ultimate in dining.......not that much.
BTW over a 100,000 are surviving on the restaurants located here. And these restaurants seem to be doing quite well.

No what I stated was that we DIDN'T eat out that much while we were enjoying our Lifestyle Preview. Then I listed the four restaurants where we ate and what our experience had been. I agree that our decision would not be mostly based on the restaurants but pleasurable dining out experiences add to the reasons for picking a community. And just because 100,000 sheep are grazing in a particular pasture doesn't mean they are enjoying all the greens found there...just means that is what is available. HOWEVER, I do not believe this is the case in TV, and that is why I asked for recommendations. Again I will state my understanding of a fine dining experience and if you have some suggestions, I would love to add them to my growing list: We enjoy attentive but not hovering service; foods not served with excessive oil/grease; not floating in sauce (cheese or other); tender crisp steamed/sauteed/grilled veggies; VEGGIES other than iceberg lettuce; not steamed in foil baked potatoes (white or sweet); clean. None of which would increase the overhead of the restaurant, but would add enormously to the perceived value by the customer. Again if you have suggestions, I would love to receive them. Thank you.

[kleeh]

Originally Posted by Skip

I agree. You can read over 1500 reviews on their site plus get an average rating with their Star System (3-15 Stars) for each listing. They cover 750 restaurants within 100 miles. The reviews are written by Village residents, not anonymous writers (like restaurant owners themselves) and they take no advertisements. I refer to it a lot. Sure, you can get a bad meal anywhere, even Legacy, Palmer or Hemingway. But numerous reviews average out the raves and complaints. Great website and well respected club.

Skip

definitely will utilize, Skip, thanks for adding to Chucks recommendation.

[Wandatime]

Originally Posted by Skip

I agree. You can read over 1500 reviews on their site plus get an average rating with their Star System (3-15 Stars) for each listing. They cover 750 restaurants within 100 miles. The reviews are written by Village residents, not anonymous writers (like restaurant owners themselves) and they take no advertisements. I refer to it a lot. Sure, you can get a bad meal anywhere, even Legacy, Palmer or Hemingway. But numerous reviews average out the raves and complaints. Great website and well respected club.

Skip

I checked out the website and while I personally disagree on just a couple of their ratings for restaurants I have tried, this is a great resource and will provide me with numerous new restaurants to check out. Thanks for sharing.

[scrapple]

We like to eat out as much (or more) as the next person, and we value diversity a bunch.
that said, these are a few of my favorites

We go to Orlando for
Dim Sum
Vietnamese
Indian buffet

Sanford
The Willow Tree (best German place nearby, and the evening entertainment "Schunkel Abend" is lots of fun)

Villages:
Katie Belle's breakfast buffet is my guilty pleasure
Lil Bits has good breakfast, TooJays not bad
Osso Buco dinner at Evans Prairie
Pizza at Flippers
Las Tapas (be adventurous, try the Arroz Negro)
BangBang Wednesday at Bonefish

Wierd dale
Eaton's Beach is Very good, and they provide shuttle service for large groups

Leesburg
Ichiban Chinese/Sushi buffet

[Northwoods]

Kleeh - We love The Villages... it was the right move for us. But I understand what you are saying. We've been here for 8 months and our experience has been that people value good food at reasonable prices. The long lines at many restaurants prove that. You can get a good/very good meal here, but our limited experience has been that you're not going to find a restaurant that offers creative/innovative/exceptional cuisine. You mention that with 110,000 people there would be demand, but my impression has been that cost weighs heavily on dining decisions here. We've found restaurants that we enjoy very much... but we have not yet found that restaurant that offers the creative cuisine that you're looking for.

[kleeh]

@Scrapple said, "...Villages:
Katie Belle's breakfast buffet is my guilty pleasure
Lil Bits has good breakfast, TooJays not bad
Osso Buco dinner at Evans Prairie
Pizza at Flippers
Las Tapas (be adventurous, try the Arroz Negro)
BangBang Wednesday at Bonefish...."

Thank you for TV recommendations...that is what I was looking for and do appreciate them.

[kleeh]

Originally Posted by Northwoods

Kleeh - We love The Villages... it was the right move for us. But I understand what you are saying. We've been here for 8 months and our experience has been that people value good food at reasonable prices. The long lines at many restaurants prove that. You can get a good/very good meal here, but our limited experience has been that you're not going to find a restaurant that offers creative/innovative/exceptional cuisine. You mention that with 110,000 people there would be demand, but my impression has been that cost weighs heavily on dining decisions here. We've found restaurants that we enjoy very much... but we have not yet found that restaurant that offers the creative cuisine that you're looking for.

I am not sure you do understand what I have said. Will you please post my quote (s) stating what you have contributed to me? I don't recall saying anywhere that I was looking for "creative cuisine" or anything about "110,000 people there would be demand." Please post my quote. Thanks

[NYGUY]

Originally Posted by Northwoods

....we have not yet found that restaurant that offers the creative cuisine that you're looking for.

I think the one exception that comes closest to creative cuisine is Tapas in Brownwood!!

[JoMar]

Originally Posted by kleeh

I am surprised that there wouldn't be a mix of mediocre to high dining in a community of residents as large as TV. Disappointing that I have to get in my car and drive to Orlando for a good meal. Perhaps finding these adequate keeps a restaurateur from striving to be better.

There is a limit to those that will spend the money for fine dining. There have been many threads on this subject and as I have heard, market studies done by fine dining chains have not found this market financially receptive. There are also many threads on here that think the food in TV CC's is over priced.

[kleeh]

Originally Posted by JoMar

There is a limit to those that will spend the money for fine dining. There have been many threads on this subject and as I have heard, market studies done by fine dining chains have not found this market financially receptive. There are also many threads on here that think the food in TV CC's is over priced.

I remain puzzled as to why well prepared, by my definition of the phrase, food cost more. Again, my definition of well-prepared food is not greasy; not overly ladened with sauce; not cold when it is supposed to be hot; no soggy over cooked veggies; veggies other than iceberg lettuce; not over or undercooked. And as an added plus for what I consider a "good" restaurant, attentive but not hovering service and clean environment.