I was raised in the South and I like the Speckled Butterbean fare. My wife was raised in NJ and does not like the food.

But I do have to say that the Golden Corral does a have a much larger variety of food. Both entrees and vegetables. And Golden Corral does put out a very tasty and juicy fried chicken. I would match it against the Speckled Butterbean chicken any day.

Blue dog,

I didn't say you could get Southern fare at Publix - just processed foods.

No restaurant that offers a buffet plus many off the menu choices can prepare food freshly. I haven't spent time int heir kitchen - but I would guess that they buy a whole lot from Sysco (or USFood - and not just condiments).

k

Sysco, US Foods, Great Western, Gordon, etc....supply far more than just prepared foods. They supply fresh produce and indredients of great magnitude... I am, and have been involved in the restaurant business for several decades, and to date have not purchased a prefabricated product nor do I very often purchase anything processed at all from these companies. To insinuate that everything that comes off of a purveyor's truck is processed, or that "No restaurant that offers a buffet plus many off the menu choices can prepare food freshly", only marks you as a clueless poser. Perhaps you should reserve your commentary for the topics to which your knowledge is not so limited..

JMHO

I quarantee you - Kate is no poser. (and she said "guess" not "know")

Sunday, do you know specifics about speckled butterbean or are you just making a general statement? Do you (or does anyone) know that they make everything from scratch and fresh?

Speckeled Butterbean in Wildwood , not worth the trip. We experienced poor service, second rate food, and crap brand soda.

I was making a general comment...Never mentioned anything about Speckled Butterbean.
My point was to with the notion that everything that comes from Sysco(or any other purveyor) is a "MRE"... that is a false statement.....it's like saying Publix only sells TV Dinners, or Brown's Produce only sells Frozen Vegetables.
And to say "No restaurant that offers a buffet plus many off the menu choices can prepare food freshly", is moronic.
Based on my last visit to the Wildwood Restaurant, I can tell you (as a Executive Chef accredited by The American Culinary Federation)85% of the food served at Speckled Butterbean is prepared on property.... The other 15%(primarily desserts) is purchased prepared, either because of time, or cost restraints... Not because they can't. Furthermore, I am certain that everything at the webster restaurant is made from scratch.

I also know of a Country Club right there in the villages, doing HUGE volumes, that still makes almost everything from scratch... including BBQ and other sauces, to soups, to salad dressings, coconut cornflake crusted chicken, butchering their own beef, and processing whole fish.
Please give credit to the guys out there still doing things the old fashioned way.

Thanks Sunday - always nice to have a pro around when we have culinary questions. I just think calling a long-time valuable TOTV member a "poser" and "moronic" is harsh and undignified.

If you don't mind what Country Club are you referring to? It would certainly be nice to know when we check them out.

Sunday,

Thank you for your input. My knowledge also comes from an F&B professional (on the operations side of things) who takes a different point of view from you. And, I confess to some hyperbole...

But as someone who has significant food sensitivities to the sodium preservatives (and I say sensitivity not allergies because I merely swell up and get nasty hives/red patches as opposed to my breathing actually stopping).I avoid prepared foods like the plague. For the same reason, I avoid most buffets, because, in my knowledge (gained mostly from buffets in MB, Vegas, and at more conventions than I can count), the preservatives runneth over...

Thank you for your expertise....

Kate,
I apologize for my indignance. I was wrong. I took it very personally, because the message being sent negivavely impacts a great number of livlihoods(including mine)..
It's almost as if I were to say,
" All homes in the Village of Bonita are prefabricated Modulars with stuccoed exteriors.... and nobody that lives in Buttonwood is capable of paying more than $150k for a home.."
The people that live in those communities would probably take offence and retaliate...because what I said simply is not true(at least i think it's not??).
If I read a statement like that, and didn't know any better, my prejudices may prohibit me from having a wonderful home, in a wonderful neighborhood... with great nieghbors like yourself and Russ...
I will certainly bridal my words, in the future.

Thanks Sunday - keep posting.

Well, $6.95 is weekend rates. If you go on the weekdays, it's $4.95 and free coffee if you get there before 8am.

On Wednesdays, they have a breakfast special, $4.95 for the first person and the second is half price, $2.50, and if you get there before 8 am, coffee is free.

I think it's a pretty good breakfast, lot's of choices including fresh fruit !

Never been to the one on 44, but been to their original Butterbean in Webster at least a half dozen times. It's excellent, but everyone that has been to both tell me the one on 44 isn't nearly as good. "You pay your money and take your choice".
By the way the Hayseed across the street form Speckled Butterbean in Webster is also good.

:BigApplause::BigApplause::BigApplause: Yes, please, Sunday! You are truly a gentleman...

.

JumpinJil, The last post in this thread was in March. I don't understand the issue or the problem. Did you just move to The Villages from a place that is close to The Villages?
Some posters are just unhappy people that have no one to listen to their rants and post here. The ButterBean is just a low cost place to eat.