Restaurant Update Citrus County Fall 2025

We took a little time off this summer and, so have not been to many restaurants until recently, We returned for dinner at Bayside Kraft Kitchen,  Back Water Fins Grill and La Casa di Norma.  Our favorite places for lunch are still: Jimmy T.‘s New York Deli,  New England Café, Panera Bread and Cattledog  Coffee Roasters.  We did try the new Central Cafe and Bakery in Inverness for lunch.

Bayside Kraft Kitchen (Crystal River) on a Friday when we were there, was missing a chef so SERVICE was not very good. With eight of us for dinner, they delivered our meals, like one at a time instead of everybody getting their meal at once. And, in fact,  the last person to receive the meal had to send the overcooked  steak back. Not in a hurry to go back there.  Pam: salad with chicken okay;  Linda salad with shrimp spicy (too spicy); Pat’s chewy ribs not recommended; Don’s steak sent back; Art and John  red snapper special was good; Lloyd’s chowder; and shrimp pasta  good and Joan lobster tails were good.

Backwater Fins Seafood  (Crystal River))  is worth the half hour ride there. It’s been a while since I were there, but their clam chowder is still the best!  On Fridays, they have all you can eat haddock for $15. 

Our group ordered the following food and everybody was very happy: Clam chowder or crab bisque; Red fish, Haddock, Seafood pasta; Fish tacos; fried shrimp ; oysters, crab balls (all bread not much crab); Cole slaw is good.

We love the size and quiet dining at  LaCasa di Norma (Crystal River).  Food is excellent.  Art enjoys veal marsala, Mike and I like the crab ravioli with shrimp and Karen had the red snapper fresh catch.

LUNCHES:

Central Cafe and Bakery (Inverness)  We stopped for lunch and split a Ham and Cheese sandwich…fries are spicy and salty!   As a bakery they offered only one kind of pie.  Cookies were okay. Not in a hurry to return. 

The New England Café (Beverly Hills) serves a good seafood salad, tuna melt and Cuban. At Jimmy T.’s DELI  (Hernando) :  Art likes his chicken noodle soup almost  every time he goes, and we’ve had Cubans there, tuna melts,  club sandwiches and pressed crispy wrap.  Good chicken salad too. 

Panera Bread ’s (Lecanto)  menu is always worth checking out. We had a nice sandwich, soup and “everything” cookie there recently. 

Cattledog Roasters (multi locations) on Friday they have an excellent lobster roll for $9.00, and the Inverness location has live music at lunch time. We like their pecan cranberry chicken salad  and spinach salad.

Black Diamond Club now that we have  the dining room open again:  I did like their lobster roll special for lunch and chicken pot pie blue plate Sunday dinner.  I like the chicken salad. We eat breakfast there every Sunday.