Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael 61
In follow up to my post from a few weeks back, where I sorted and listed the top ten highest rated restaurants on Yelp in TV, I’ve done the same, sorting out the bottom 10 rated restaurants that are within the confines of “the bubble”, excluding fast -food type franchises. Here are the dishonorable mentions:
1) China Wok
2) Panera Bread
3) Cody’s Roadhouse
4) Margarita Republic
5) Beef O’Brady’s
6) Orange Blossom Country Club
7) Bob Evans
8) Golden Corral
9) Ay Jalisco
10) Gator’s Dockside
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I consider Ay! Jalisco the best Mexican restaurant in The Villages and one of the very best restaurants in The Villages, period. (I’ve loved Mexican food for fifty years and lived in Southern California for years, so I’m used to the spice.). Try their Cadillac Margarita. I love the Enchiladas Rancheros. It is also one of the few good non-chain restaurants open on Monday night. (Outside The Villages, south of Wildwood on 301, I recommend Casa Agave.) On the Villages Gourmet Club site, Ay! Jalisco has the same high rating as Coastal Del Mar and is half a point different from Chop House.
The difficulty with all of these rating sites is that while they serve a useful purpose, the ratings can be affected by people who don’t understand the food. That’s why it is useful to actually read what the reviewers write instead of going by the numbers. Some people give a restaurant 1* because there was no lemon in their water, or too much ice. Or the salsa was too spicy or not spicy enough, or the guacamole was different from how they had it at some other restaurant. (There are so many delicious but different ways to make guacamole.) Or the texture of the beans is different (not realizing that the runniness of refried beans shifts all day as they cook.) Or the rice isn’t the way they like. Go by reviews from people who know what they are talking about.
For example, Amrit Palace in Ocala has superb Indian food and draws a lot Indians to eat there. The waiters are knowledgeable and can guide you in your choices. But if you have never eaten Indian food, or you grew up in some benighted part of the country where people cook without spices, you may hate it. In that case, ideally, you should not be allowed to review the restaurant. That’s why I say, read the reviews and look for reviews by people who know what they are talking about. Discount the comments by cranks and those who have never eaten that sort of food. Some are legitimate, but others are overrated.
I’ve also enjoyed Cody’s a number of times. I’ve had much worse here in The Villages. I don’t have anything to say about the others on the list. But disliking Ay! Jalisco is perverse and just plain ignorant.