Come Saturday I’ve got a date I’m looking forward to in Lakeland, a two hours drive from my flat in Orlando.
Now although I’ve never stepped foot inside of Lakeland, save for our last date, she’s insisting I pick the locations we spend our time at. Unfair right? Perhaps…but then she’s just as happy starring at me while I try and come up with ideas for what we should do with our collective day off as she is letting me buy dinner for her.
So it’s a pickle.
Quite frankly I’m lost. I’m not finding any good Lakeland message boards with reviews, or online Lakeland paper sites. We ate out at a great Italian restaurant named CDB last time. We both love Italian, but I’d rather try something else this time unless there’s another Italian place someplace out there that’s outa this world. I’m looking for medium ranging prices (think $7-25 plates). Neither of us like spicy foods, and we’re not looking to get stuff out of our gourds. We’ll be eating around 4:00, so no dinner exclusive places. Oh, and we both love ambiance and art.
Any ideas dopers? Asking here for reccomendations is a long shot, but I don’t have anything else to go on and the balls totally in my court.
Carrabas is right out. I refuse to eat there after I took my Gradma and Mother there for Mother’s Day a few years back. Portions were too small, prices too high, and the overall quality of the food didn’t impress me. A nice mom and pop Italian restaraunt can trump every worthwhile quality Carraba’s has to offer no problem.
I’d love to see the Polk museum, but we already have more intimate plans in mind for when we are done eating .
If all else fails maybe we’ll just head to the cutesy downtown area and eat at a random trendy place.
The Bonefish Grill has a kind of interesting ambiance, I guess. Frankly, Lakeland restaurants aren’t much for atmosphere…they’re pretty cookie-cutter.
For some good steaks, you might try Louis Mack’s on South Florida Avenue. They’re a tad expensive, but not over the $25 a plate limit you set.
Best Chinese food in town IMHO is Peking House further north on South Florida Ave.
Carrabas is good for Italian food, but it’s your typical chain.
Harry’s in downtown Lakeland is a very neat little place with Cajun quisine, but you said you don’t like spicey…
You got that right! You know you’re in trouble when there’s a plaque on the wall on the TacoBell across from the mall identifying it as the “Best Mexican restaurant” in the Lakeland Ledger poll. :eek: (Yes, I really saw this!)
I’d just have her meet you at DisneyWorld. There’s no end of very good restaurants, both on Disney property and in the immediate Kissimmee area.
I don’t live in Lakeland, FWIW (I live in Plant City, just a bit west on I-4), but all my in-laws do.
The one we love is near Lakeland in Plant City and is called The Branch Ranch and it is excellent. We always go there when we are down that way. they give the directions as: Directions
I-4 to Exit #17. Go North 3/4 mile on Branch Forbes Road. Turn Right.
We will drive the extra bit to go there. it is worth it. Home cooking, good food, large servings and a homey atmosphere.
I was about to suggest Harry’s (another link) but then I noticed someone else had. It’s a chain, but they have the ambiance thing goin on. And I’m pretty sure you can find something that isn’t spicy (we’re talkin Florida cajun here). It’s in a pretty cool part of town too, with some bars (live music) nearby, a little park, romantic walk, etc etc…
Also, I hear the Lakeland Linder Regional Airport has a good restaurant, Tony’s Airside, if you want something a little different. It’s a small airport (free parking, heh), and the restaurant is easy to find inside the main building (“FBO” or “terminal”).
The Branch Ranch in PC is closed, from what I hear. Another one bites the dust eh.
Well, have fun. So weird to see someone asking for restaurant recs in Lakeland.
"There are two places downtown that might suit his needs-both are on the edge of the downtown district-one has a view (more or less) of Lake Mirror and the Promenade if they ask to sit on that side of the restaurant. “The Antiquarian Restr. and Bay Street Gallery” is in the Historic Downtown District…it is small - features local artists work which changes … EXCELLENT food… not too expensive- light almost like French cooking… The restr. itself is more quaint then pretty, reminds you of the small artsy restrs. in Soho (as it used to be)…locally owned… but it has the gallery and you have to go thru’ the historic district to get to it…AND they usually have a line…but probably not at 4:00. 211 E Bay St
Lakeland - 863-682-1059 -he will need to call to see if they serve at 4:00-but right around the corner is Michael’s Coffee House which has great coffee, a little jazz or folk guitar on the weekends, and sandwiches.
The second place is the Terrace Hotel -Terrace Room. It is in a lovely 19 20’s renovated hotel in downtown Lakeland- across from Lake Mirror and the promenade which houses Barnett Park, Hollis Gardens- Art… It’s butterflies right now-they are all over the downtown area-big stain glass or metal or …well you get the point. The Terrace room has ambiance, good food, and is a little more formal the the Antiquarian…but you are in Lakeland so nothing is really formal… Prices at both places probably fit his needs… (again it is in Lakeland)… If he doesn’t like either of these they can always walk down the street to Harry’s…or another coffee/arts house…etc etc… It depends on whether they like big and airy with marble floors and great urns of plants… or small, quaint, and artsy… with art all around… Terrace Room-329 E. Main St Lakeland 863-688-0800…he can also look the Terrace Hotel up online…oddly enough…www.terracehotel.com…and see photos.
Now-if that doesn’t his the spot…have him email me at my yahoo address and I’ll tell him where the best mom and pop rest. in Lakeland is… no ambiance…no art, unless you count that she collects salt and pepper shakers… but Great country cooking and nothing over $8.00. "
Peking House might be about right…I’m going to look into that. Thanks.
Taco Bell? Best Mexican restaraunt? shudders
Hmm…anything outside city limits might be too big of a trek for this coming Saturday, but in future dates maybe.
Different is good, but I’m aiming for romantic. A little persuasion can turn any kind of ambiance into something sweet, but an aiport might be hard to tool with. In any other situation, I’d be all for it.
And I’m suprised Lakeland has such a reputation for being overly chain friendly. Isn’t it supposed to be one of the largest cities in Florida? Or did I read that Polk was one of the largest counties? Ah…I don’t feel like Wikipediaing it. Still, with as beautiful as a place as Lakeland is, you’d think it could afford a few more mom and pop places. Nothing else in it struck me as cookie cutter.
Wonderful, wonderful response. Please, give the woman a hug for me next time you see her. Detailed advice like this goes a very long way when planning a date. Tell her she’s helped a guy swoon a great woman.
Capitol responses all around everyone. I think these will suffice. I’ll let you know how things go, if not in this thread then in another.
Before we got to the restaruant, the date turned into something of a debaucle. So much so, it’s not something I can really write about for another few months.
All I can really say is that me and her both agree she really fucked up.
With having said that, I would like to thank you all again for your responses.
What? No. Lakeland has a population of approximately 90,000, so it’s the largest city in Polk County. Polk is (in area) one of Florida’s largest counties at around 8 times the size of our smallest. However, Lakeland is not – despite their protestations to the contrary – a large city. If not for Publix’s headquarters, it’d still be all cow farms.
You have to go an hourish either way – Orlando metro or Tampa Bay – to get to a “large city” atmosphere, and even then I think it’s kind of a stretch to call it that.
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