[sharonga]

I HATE CHAIN RESTAURANTS and that's all there is here. Never cooked at home as much as I have since moving here. Everything is full of salt. Yes, we also leave The Villages to find decent restaurants.

[redwitch]

As hard as it may be to do, the trick may be to lower your expectations. If you're like me, you're used to good restaurants even in suburbia because they're competing with San Francisco restaurants. That makes a huge difference in quality.

The factors I've found that make it difficult to find a truly good meal here are (1) enough people aren't willing to pay the price for a good meal; (2) for many, their taste buds have dulled and, therefore, cooks (not many chefs here) don't have to work as hard to make a meal be good; (3) folks are willing to settle for lower quality to save money so they can eat out most nights.

I have found that food quality does seem to go up during snowbird season (wonder if it has something to do with a willingness to send back a bad meal -- something we frogs seem to be hesitant to do).

[Happinow]

This has been a topic of discussion many times. I guess it depends on what you are looking for. One mans fine dining is another mans McDonalds. Everyone's taste is different but it seems most of the restaurants cook the same. I find Lopez and Palmer an exception the the rule. We wondered the same thing when we moved here. I think it's because there aren't many independently owned restaurants. Most of the restaurants have a pub feel to them. No real good dining. Just greasy fried pub food. I was in Spanish Springs yesterday and a couple who were visiting And thinking of buying here, asked me where a good Italian restaurant was and I was embarrassed to say there wasn't any. I think you either get use to it or cook more at home. That's what I did.

[Carl in Tampa]

I lived in New Orleans for several years and often ate at Antoine's, Broussard's, Brennan's and Galatoires as well as private spots that tourists never learn of, such as Bozo's.

I simply don't expect to find cuisine and service of that quality in a retirement community.

Speaking directly to that point, can you name a retirement community that has the type of restaurant you are looking for?

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

We've had a few bad experiences but mostly it's been fair to excellent. Little Joey's reminds me of the little Italian restaurants that we had in my home town just outside Boston. Carrabas is excellent as is Longhorn Steakhouse. For Chinese food, Koyami is excellent although the portions are very small. Sakura has excellent Japanese hibachi meals and sushi.

We didn't like Luiginos at all or Red Sauce down at Lake Sumter Landing. The Thai restaurant down there is very inconsistent. We went there when we first moved in and loved it. Went back six months later and it was pretty bad.

Overall, the food her is fair and it takes a while to get used to the slow service.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

We've had a few bad experiences but mostly it's been fair to excellent. Little Joey's reminds me of the little Italian restaurants that we had in my home town just outside Boston. Carrabas is excellent as is Longhorn Steakhouse. For Chinese food, Koyami is excellent although the portions are very small. Sakura has excellent Japanese hibachi meals and sushi.

We didn't like Luiginos at all or Red Sauce down at Lake Sumter Landing. The Thai restaurant down there is very inconsistent. We went there when we first moved in and loved it. Went back six months later and it was pretty bad.

I watch many of the Patriots games at Gators Dockside in Spanish Springs and usually have lunch there. Their burgers and salads are very good. Typical pub lunch food. Not great, but very good for lunch. TooJay's is OK, but I thought very overpriced.

Overall, the food her is fair and it takes a while to get used to the slow service.

[Villageshooter]

We are just a bunch of old people All we want is cheap Just look at the places around Golden corral is packed It is one step above the Food kitchen for homeless people as far as quality goes cleanliness it's filthy but it's packed every night, They have to almost give the food away here for people with coupons to come The high dollar places with good-quality good service just can't make it Some Saturday morning going to Bob Evans and watch the people coming in there with coupons Go to Dunkin' Donuts and people are Cheating the coupon codes so they can have a free doughnut these are not people that are willing to pay sensible prices for sensible food. It is what it is just like people tell me when I complain about the place if you don't like it move. I tried to go to as many places as I can off of Morris property, The little mom-and-pop places care about their customers and have pride in the food that they provide. This does not solve your problem however it does explain some of the reasons for it.
L

[mixsonci]

Originally Posted by G&P SSSKI

You could always eat at home

This is the kind of comment that is not necessary. The OPs question was real and he was looking to see how others feel and their opinions, not sarcasm. We can always eat at home, but going out to a restaurant is a nice change and many people probably eat out quite a bit. This is the same kind of sarcasm I received with one of my questions. Not nice.

[Golfingnut]

Originally Posted by oldyeller

Why is it so difficult to get a good meal in the Villages? Over the years I have been to all of the restaurants here in the Villages and have found it difficult to get a good meal. That doesn’t mean I haven’t had a good meal in The Villages but lately it seems to have been hit and miss and mostly miss. Palmer and Lopez are for the most part the exception but they are not immune. The other night I went to EP and against my better judgment I had their prime rib special with au jus. I ordered it two years ago at another restaurant (it was bad) but thought I would give it another try. It was terrible, a thin cut of beef with gravy disguised as the au jus. Granted it was a good price but I am willing to pay extra for a good cut of prime rib. Another night I had the special at MCC, all you can eat tilapia, terrible! Last year we had friends in town and who ordered steak, at I forget where, it was embarrassing what they brought out. I have found that except for the simple stuff like a salad or a sandwich most of the entrees are at best sub par. I realize there are a variables that determine whether a restaurant can turn a profit or not, especially here in The Villages and I didn’t buy a house here for the food but it would be nice not to have to throw the dice every time you order food here in The Villages.

When you order the special especially if it is at a discounted price, you could be getting a product that is close to expiration and even a bigger problem is specials are often cooked up too far in advance of the expected rush and loose quality before being served. Hence, the saying, you get what you pay for. Go back to one of these places and order the highest price dinner on the menu and report back to us about the quality.

[jblum315]

Originally Posted by redwitch

As hard as it may be to do, the trick may be to lower your expectations. If you're like me, you're used to good restaurants even in suburbia because they're competing with San Francisco restaurants. That makes a huge difference in quality.

The factors I've found that make it difficult to find a truly good meal here are (1) enough people aren't willing to pay the price for a good meal; (2) for many, their taste buds have dulled and, therefore, cooks (not many chefs here) don't have to work as hard to make a meal be good; (3) folks are willing to settle for lower quality to save money so they can eat out most nights.

I have found that food quality does seem to go up during snowbird season (wonder if it has something to do with a willingness to send back a bad meal -- something we frogs seem to be hesitant to do).

What Redwitch said

[graciegirl]

I think that I must not have a sophisticated palate as some who complain about the food here on campus.


. I love to cook and I have tried some challenging dishes over time and frequently have friends over to dine. I have eaten at five star restaurants over time and Sweetie and I have gone to several European countries in the past and have eaten some very satisfying meals. I lived in the Midwest and we are accustomed to just plain old roasts and lots of vegetables and fruits and have had some excellent teachers all around us in the art of baking and cooking. And I can comfortably follow most recipes and find cooking easy and fun.


I have had some decent meals here in The Villages and some good meals and some excellent ones. I feel that the prices are very fair for the quality of food we are served and I have NEVER felt that I could say the food was poor here generally.


I know that most of us are trying to outlive our savings and I no longer feel that I can spend over a hundred dollars for a meal for two often. I think that most of the restaurants here do a good job of giving most of us what we want.


I enjoy the big ole' Nathans hot dog and a soft drink at Sam's Club sometimes at lunchtime when I am shopping that costs $1.49 as much as my favorite places here to dine, Carrabas and Nancy Lopez.


Very much looking forward to the good stuff we are having today at our own table.


Very grateful for all of the good things, including a very good meal from time to time.


Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. Hope you share it with someone who smiles at you and give you several good hugs.

[2BNTV]

Have you tried Oakwood for barbeque ribs and Vic Embers for steak?

I don't have descriminate taste buds, but that's me. It's very rare that restaurants will cook to the quality of one's use to at home. I don't mean that scarcastically, because my mother cooked and had a restaurant. I noticed that some people gave her instructions, on how they wanted something cooked. It was a different world, back in the sixties!. I have found very few restaurants, that made something of the same quality, better than mom cooked, but again, that's just me.

I have yet to try Little Joey's, up on 441, on the left side, going north. Hopefully, it will be good.

BTW - It's hard to screw up breakfast, and their are several places that serve a great breakfast. For example, Rae Rae's in Fruitland Park, Cracker Barrel, Billy's Cafe and Sonrise. Gracie likes Bob Evans. An Ohio based company. I am looking forward, to going to Rae Rae's as I heard it was great!!

[gomoho]

Gracie - I believe you are onto something with us trying to outlive our savings. I would be willing to bet most of us need to remain conscious of what we spend on eating out and need prices to be reasonable to do so; therefore, the food is usually adequate. I think dining out in The Villages is designed to satisfy your social desire rather than your palate. The conflict comes in when people choose to dine out every night, I suspect that gets very boring when it comes to food. I learned early on having special friends in my home for dinner works much better - food is good, we can hear each other, and it is very relaxing. To each his own.

[mickey100]

Originally Posted by oldyeller

True, I have also but the question remains, why is it so difficult to get a good meal in The Villages?

I think Redwitch's comments were on point. Personally we don't eat out every night, its once a week for us, so perhaps that makes our standards higher? On my one night out I'm not going to go to a place like Golden Corral, I prefer a place with good food along with ambiance. But I do know there are a lot of people that just don't cook, and they are probably looking for bargains/cheap food, and Villages restaurants cater to that. And with the influx of snowbirds in the high season, all the restaurants are packed, so unless a place is absolutely horrible it will get a lot of customers. Although you'd think there might be at least one high end restaurant around. After all, even though we are a retirement community, it is one the size of a small city.

[elainecohen]

I cannot recommend the Cotillion...we have had a couple of bad meals there (extremely salty) and also bad service...one time it them 45 minutes to bring out an overcooked hamburger...will not go back.