[BBQMan]

The Silver Cricket may be the best value in restaurants close to TV. I have been there on several occasions and find the quality at least equal to Outback, Glenview or Arnold Palmer. (No it's not up to Nancy Lopez standards). The price is something else again. One of their most ordered items is The Delancy Street brisket. It may be the best home style brisket I have ever had. The price at dinner is $9.99 and includes salad or soup, main course with two sides and a desert. Try finding that within TV.

This is a family owned operation that enjoyed great success in south FL (Hollywood to be precise) and moved up here because one of the owners (Rebecca) mother was aging and they wanted to be closer. Wish more of our kids could do that. The Silver Cricket serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. I have tried all three and dearly love the lunches and dinners, but cannot say the same for the breakfasts. JMHO

This is a restaurant you can afford to go to on an everyday basis when you just do not feel like cooking. When I have lunch there, I always have enough left over for dinner, with perhaps just a bowl of soup in addition. The service is good and at least one of the owners is always on the floor. Dinners range from $9.99 to 12.99 with an incredible variety. There is only one dish priced higher and that is the jumbo prime rib, that costs $15.99.

FYI, I have no financial or personal tie to The Silver Cricket. I grew up in a restaurant family and can recognize the real thing when I see it.

[jojo]

Where is the restaurant?

[bobfl]

Silver Cricket Restaurant, 360 S. Highway 27/441., Lady Lake, FL. 3.1 mile drive from The Villages. 561-4441. B/L/D. At the corner of Route 27/441 and Griffin View Drive, once occupied by Sakura Japanese Steakhouse, a half mile south of Lady Lake. Opened June, 2009. Open daily except Monday from 7 AM to 8 PM and for Sunday Brunch 9 AM to 3 PM only.

[uujudy]

Thanks for the recommendation, Bob. We have passed the restaurant on the highway a few times, and I have to admit that I usually steer clear of restaurants that have insects in their names... (Silver Cricket is a little too close to Golden Cockroach in my mind ) but now I'll give it a try. Thanks for the tip!

[conn8757]

We are going to try it also. Always looking for a good restaurant at a good price.

[LELANDJANE]

We passed it last night about 7:00 and it didn't look open!

[marianne237]

On your recommendation, tried this restaurant today for lunch. We were pleasantly surprised. Had the prime rib open face and it was really good. The menu looks appealing and we both agreed we'd return.

[Shirleevee]

Originally Posted by uujudy

Thanks for the recommendation, Bob. We have passed the restaurant on the highway a few times, and I have to admit that I usually steer clear of restaurants that have insects in their names... (Silver Cricket is a little too close to Golden Cockroach in my mind ) but now I'll give it a try. Thanks for the tip!

UU...Sailor & I had breakfast there yesterday and were very surprised. It was excellent. Their lunch, dinner and catering menu look good too. Someone told us their Brisket is to die for. We are going back!

[Russ_Boston]

They get a good rating/write-up on the TV restaurant review page:

http://thevillagesgourmetclub.home.c...b/page2.html#S

[Floridagal]

Went to Silver Cricket twice and enjoyed it both times. Will go back again.

[army one]

I have been to the Silver Cricket several times, for b-fast and dinner. Have been satisfied with the food, service and price. I made the mistake of stopping by for b-fast on a Monday. They are closed on Monday's. Overall would recommend to anyone.

[scout]

The place is true to it's name, I had a dead fly in my salad. This really turned my stomach but the server was apologetic and quickly replaced my salad but it was hard to eat after that. I really expected an owner to come to the table instead of letting a busy server handle such a complaint when she had other customers and was working quite a number of tables. As we were leaving I was told that a woman who was sitting in a corner and had a sloppy appearance was actually the owner Rebecca but I thought she was just another unhappy customer as she sat the whole time at a table never pitching in to help the overworked server but just sitting and scowling. .

As a retired restaurant owner I always did everything I could to make sure my staff was able to take care of the customers and make their job as easy as possible. Number 1 rule for restaurant owners; take care of your servers they make or break you business. I had servers stay with me 9, 12 and 15 years, I noticed the server at the silver bug was very stressed and had too much to do, being the only person on the floor except for a very old woman greeting people at the door. I predict a high turnover for servers here and there are bugs in the food.

We won't be going back.

Scott & Tilda Dunleavy

Village of Silver Lake

[golf79]

Went yesterday for Breakfast for the first time. Not memorable. Eggs were fine as was the Bacon. Things they call "Home Fries" are a poor excuse for the real thing. They were cubes of Potato deep Fried and pretty soggy(gritty) in the middle. Will try the place for Lunch but if you want a much better Breakfast for a similar price, go just next door to the Cottage Inn or a couple of miles further down the road to Pete's Diner.

[scout]

Judy,
Don't bother, I got a DEAD FLY in my salad! So, your philosophy of steering clear would be correct! The service was good but the server was alone and harried and the owner Rebecca was standoffish and had a very sloppy appearance. Just our observations.
Tilda

[purdue42]

We tried it also about a week ago, it was OK but the atmosphere was lacking and boring. Bad music playing on what sounded like a radio, the server had no knowledge of the menu and could not answer simple questions we asked such as "Do you have an end cut?" I had the Brisket and soup but the soup, (chicken noodle) was cold and tasteless and the brisket was way too salty and too much fat. My wife had the prime Rib and enjoyed that but her plain lettuce salad was wilted and brown in places and the rolls were tiny and cold. They only had beer and wine and we would have enjoyed a cocktail. The ice tea tasted like it had sat around a while as did the coffee. We liked this place better when it was a Japanese Steakhouse a few years back. There is no sign out front and the building could use a coat of paint anything but the ugly pink.

A woman greeted us at the door, not elderly though, maybe 58-60 or thereabouts, she had a sloppy appearance but don't know if she was the owner.

There are much better restaurants in the Villages, so don't waste you money.

Vance

Portland Maine, Village of Chatham