My family & I went to this restaurant recently. We had seen the advertisement in a hotel magazine during a stop in nearby Gainesville . Based on the adverstisement we reserved for lunch. We were the second table to arrive when they opened at noon. The place was charming , the hostess & waitress very nice. We ordered some fied green tomatoes & mushroom appetizers that were brought promptly & were delicious. We should have left after the appetizers.

I ordered a delmonico steak " Certified Prime" $24.95 & my wife ordered the fish special $19.95 . My teenage kids ordered cheeseburgers. The place filled up quickly. I dont know if it was what we ordered , both items were advertised on the menu or perhaps since we were tourist & not local folks, but our lunch order took an hour & five minutes to arrive. We were the second table to sit & the last (I kid you not) to be served.

Once it came the food was marginal. The steak was small , fatty, gristly & cold. The fish was good and the burgers were ok. They had obviously been sitting for quite awhile since nothing was hot. The sides were average. We waited 65 minutes & ate in 10.

Perhaps this is a fried foods & french fry restaurant because that is what many seemed to order. They advertise beef, quail & venison....I cant imagine what those would taste like. This place is not cheap..... what is upsetting are the prices. For $24.95 you should get a good steak like you do at any steakhouse.... Ruth Cris, Mortons etc which will serve you an awesome steak for $24.95.

I left feeling ripped off.........never agin.

Cross Creek may be familiar to those who remember Marjorie Rawlings' award-winning novel, "The Yearling". The Yearling is the name of this special restaurant that is in Cross Creek, a tiny settlement. It's probably 20 miles south of Gainesville, maybe 10 miles east of I-75, and definitely worth the journey. It's not far from Micanopy and close by the Marjorie Rawlings State Park (which is a great place to visit).

Eating here is like a step back in time, maybe 50-60 years back. Picture a sandy parking lot, spanish moss on the trees, screen door that mostly works, tin roof, etc. Inside you'll find some good ole cracker cookin: fried gator (outstanding), fried okra, grits, biscuits, greens,... and some regular vittles for those of you who need it.

On Friday and Saturday nights, Willie plays the blues, and people from as far away as Jacksonville or Tampa drive over just to hear Willie. He is the genuine article. Probably in his 80's now, he expresses himself through his music; you can FEEL the blues as he plays and sings, sometimes a harmonica, sometimes a stringed instrument, sometimes both.

This is not fancy food and it's not a fancy place. But for atmosphere and a sample of oldtime Florida cracker life it's hard to beat