This afternoon, I had lunch at Sweet Tomato (aka Souplantation), a predominantly southwestern/western chain. I'd first eaten at one years ago, down in Southern California, but had little recollection of how absolutely amazing this place is.
The buffet consists of several different components; there is a salad bar, a soup station, a section consisting of pasta/baked potatoes/etc., a muffin and bread section, fresh fruit, and dessert. The selection within each section varies based on location and day—according to the website, each restaurant's menu appears to rotate on somewhat of a monthly basis.
Upon walking in, I tackled the salad bar first. The bar contained several ready-made salads (including a fantastic Asian chicken salad and a black bean and couscous salad) as well as an array of cut vegetables so one can create his/her own.
Once I completed eating this portion, I moved onto the soups, which were tasty, but I didn't have a craving for on this particular day. Then I moved onto the gold mine: breads and other baked goods. I grabbed some pizza, a cheese breadstick, and buttermilk cornbread. They were fantastic, and seconds may have been involved. There were also some delicious-looking muffins as well as a frozen yogurt machine, none of which I found as exciting as the more savory portions of the meal. I capped my meal with one last breadstick, and it was fantastic.
One of the things I most enjoy about this kind of buffet is how lightweight most of the components are. I think it really allows you to indulge more fully in everything you put on your plate.
As an added bonus, I feel a lot better when I walk out of this type of buffet than I do when I depart a Chinese buffet. Must be the lack of MSG.
Every location has it's own list of chains that inundate the area (Peet's Coffee, for instance, is very popular on the West Coast), so that's one of the things with which I'm gradually becoming familiar. Souplantation/Sweet Tomato is only one of the area's many offerings, I'm sure.
I know there are also plenty of great, independent restaurants to be discovered in the Bay Area, and I look forward to seeking them out, too. But I can never pass up a good buffet.
The only thing that could top this is a breakfast buffet. An endless supply of breakfast food....what could be more perfect than that?
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