The Sweetest Thing

When we returned from vacation last week, I had all these intentions of jumping right back into blogging and posting on a regular basis. Then...the reality of life hit. The issue of being sick slowed me down. The routine of spending most of the day on the computer at work discouraged me from spending more time in front of my laptop when I got home. And what little energy I had was being consumed by our new chocolate lab puppy, Maggie. For people who post to a blog on a daily basis, I don't know how you do it. This whole "being a grown-up" thing is exhausting. But alas, I'm feeling better and have a little more energy and I've got a variety of posts to get out there - including a number of restaurant reviews from all the places we've been to in the past couple weeks.

When we arrived in Florida to start our vacation, we had done our research. There happened to be a Sweet Tomatoes between the airport and the condo, making it a perfect spot to kick off our week of feasting. For my wife, a meal at Sweet Tomatoes is a magical experience. She eats more than anyone I know (and still remains skinny) and she loves vegetables, so she could easily spend two or three hours eating at Sweet Tomatoes. If you've never been, Sweet Tomatoes features an all-you-can-eat (huge) salad bar along with a variety of soups, breads, and other dishes. It's about $10 per person and one of the only "healthy all-you-can-eat" restaurants I can think of.

This particular Sweet Tomatoes, which was in Orlando, had a rather odd layout. I think the space was under renovations but the various food stations were rather spread out. The salad bar was at the entrance of the restaurant and it was a little difficult to make return trips (it didn't deter us) and then the soup seemed to be over in a corner. Maybe they were trying to incorporate some exercise into multiple trips to the different sections of the restaurant?

One Plate...Amateur!

The quality of the food was consistent with every other trip I've had to Sweet Tomatoes. The vegetables on the salad bar tasted very fresh and there was great variety. And I always enjoy trying the different pre-made salads they provide, particularly the Wonton Chicken Happiness salad, which makes me very happy. There was also a nice selection of soups, and I thought the Red Beans & Rice stew was the standout. And with it being an all-you-can-eat setup, you can try anything you want and not worry about whether or not you like it. It's always a lot of fun for Nicole and I - giving us an excuse to be adventurous eaters on a budget.

This was a great way to get our vacation started. We had been eagerly anticipating the meals we would get to have in Florida, and Sweet Tomatoes was definitely a place that was on the list. Afterwards, we were ready to hit the beach and enjoy a week of rest and relaxation...AND MORE EATING!