[Chatbrat]

Hats off to two restaurant groups for turning around failed restaurants

FMK for turning around a dismal failure into two top notch restaurants, the Blufin & the Chop House

And the Suleiman family for resurrecting the Havana, Lopez Legacy & finally the Glenview

Went to the Glenview yesterday, really good for a medium $$ dining experience and they have Stoli Elite

[gatorbill1]

Originally Posted by Chatbrat

Hats off to two restaurant groups for turning around failed restaurants

FMK for turning around a dismal failure into two top notch restaurants, the Blufin & the Chop House

And the Suleiman family for resurrecting the Havana, Lopez Legacy & finally the Glenview

Went to the Glenview yesterday, really good for a medium $$ dining experience and they have Stoli Elite

Hope the two super power restauranters don't buy anymore. Would be forced to eat outside TV even more than I do now.

[JSR22]

[QUOTE=Chatbrat;1708440]Hats off to two restaurant groups for turning around failed restaurants

Totally agree. We use to go to Ocala at least once a week to eat. Since BlueFin, Chop House, Lopez, Glenview and Havana have stepped up the game we eat in TV much more frequently. Having dinner at Chop House tonight. Love the food, service and ambiance.

[Aloha1]

Was at Blufin again, last night. Outstanding food and service. Only knock was they should have Luxardo cherries for their Manhattans. Crab Stuffed Shrimp was delicious and different: deconstructed with lump crab around the shrimp instead of a breaded stuffing.

[JoMar]

Originally Posted by gatorbill1

Hope the two super power restauranters don't buy anymore. Would be forced to eat outside TV even more than I do now.

I gather you aren't a fan of any those two management groups?

[gatorbill1]

Originally Posted by JoMar

I gather you aren't a fan of any those two management groups?

There are better places to eat without taking out a loan. We eat out a lot and must watch our finances more than some "fat cats" with big pensions.

[retiredguy123]

I went to Bluefin last week. The crab cakes were fair. To me, a great seafood restaurant should have:

Raw oysters on the half shell
Raw clams on the half shell
Steamed clams in a bucket
Spiced peel and eat shrimp
Steamed jumbo blue crabs with Old Bay seasoning
Broiled lobster tails
Fried catfish
Broiled or blackened scallops
Broiled or blackened salmon
Broiled or fried seafood platter with hush puppies

The next time, I will go to O'Shucks and eat oysters. I sure miss Fairfax, Virginia, where I could go to Captain Pells and get a dozen steamed blue crabs any time.

[Northwoods]

We went to Blue Fin tonight... very good! I also love Chop House and Lopez (and Havana!!). I love it that you have choices where you can get a good meal.

[dominojc]

I agree Chop House and Blue Fin are nice.. for a special occasion as, IMHO they are pricey for just a dinner out. As for Country Clubs Mallory, Tierra del Sol and Cane Gardens would be my choices. Went to Glenview the other day and it just didn’t seem clean to me. Odor walking through the bar area and also bathroom hallway. The service towards the 6 of us was also sketchy, several (5) different people so no one really knew what was going on with the order, and a few of them were very curt. Don’t think I’ll go back. We are lucky to have so many choices .. for me I prefer a casual eatery, and a Bluefin or a Chophouse once in awhile.

[dewilson58]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

I went to Bluefin last week. The crab cakes were fair. To me, a great seafood restaurant should have:

Raw oysters on the half shell
Raw clams on the half shell
Steamed clams in a bucket
Spiced peel and eat shrimp
Steamed jumbo blue crabs with Old Bay seasoning
Broiled lobster tails
Fried catfish
Broiled or blackened scallops
Broiled or blackened salmon
Broiled or fried seafood platter with hush puppies

The next time, I will go to O'Shucks and eat oysters. I sure miss Fairfax, Virginia, where I could go to Captain Pells and get a dozen steamed blue crabs any time.

I dew enjoy.

[HoosierPa]

Same thing with The Oaks on 44 Restaurant & Lounge. Major turnaround. Great food & service. Had prime Rib there last night that was great.

TheOaksOn44.com

[Chatbrat]

We used to go to the Cane very often, haven't set foot in the place in 4 months--the food & dinginess were a turn off & the old bar persons we knew have flown the coop--

[Bay Kid]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

I went to Bluefin last week. The crab cakes were fair. To me, a great seafood restaurant should have:

Raw oysters on the half shell
Raw clams on the half shell
Steamed clams in a bucket
Spiced peel and eat shrimp
Steamed jumbo blue crabs with Old Bay seasoning
Broiled lobster tails
Fried catfish
Broiled or blackened scallops
Broiled or blackened salmon
Broiled or fried seafood platter with hush puppies

The next time, I will go to O'Shucks and eat oysters. I sure miss Fairfax, Virginia, where I could go to Captain Pells and get a dozen steamed blue crabs any time.

I only eat my raw oysters fresh anytime. In 4 months blue crabs will be climbing into my pots. Large can of Old Bay is waiting!

[jmtruax]

Both groups have done an outstanding job and we certainly appreciate the service and the quality. We are very fortunate to have such a great selection of restaurants in The Villages and very surprised that your experiences haven't been as good

[bilcon]

We had our family here for the Christmas Holidays and went to all the above mentioned good restaurants with the exception of Lopez. We were going there Christmas Eve (8 of us), but when I saw they had a special Christmas Eve menu, I scraped the idea. The special menu prices were way over their regular prices. Why? They have no problem filling the restaurant on a daily basis. $47 for prime ribs? We went instead to the Chop House and had their regular menu which was great. Nice going Fred.