Just got back from my first and probably last visit.

First of all, I have to agree with VillagesPL. It is very confusing when you first go in. It appears to be a cafeteria style buffet where you load up and then pay at the end of the line. I didn't realize that there is another whole buffet station after you pay.

I will say that the food was very good, but this exemplifies the problems that I encountered when I tried to go vegetarian. The entire menu is highly carbohydrate based. After the salad bar, there is basically pizza (which they call focaccia) and pasta. There is also a lot of bread and potatoes.

We tried a few of the soups and they were good except that the chilis were basically thin soups and not thick chilis that I'm used to.

I also think that VPL is right about the menu being misleading. There is an item called roasted eggplant. Turns out that it's penne pasta in red sauce with a little bit of eggplant which I could not find.

It's a great place if you want to load up on carbs, but I have to agree with VPL once again. Other then the plain salad ingredients, there is nothing healthy here unless you want to dine on lettuce, cucumber and broccoli.

Not a place for me. Glad I had a coupon for 20% off, because it would take me forever to eat $15.00 worth of lettuce.

Not a restaurant for those of us trying to maintain a low carb diet either. Like I said, unless you want to stick with lettuce, cucumbers, broccoli and a few other vegetables, you're pretty much stuck with bread, pasta and potatoes.

A little research goes a long way.

I'm not dissecting, I'm just saying I didn't see any of the items that some people are telling me about. That's dissecting? Why are you dissecting my posts?

Sweet Tomatoes Restaurant
 

My comprehension is fine, thanks. And I also went to their website to review things.

That's a good point, there were loads of starches. I think the starches might be the main attraction. There were baked potatoes, potato salad with mayonnaise, bread, muffins, rice and pasta with mayonnaise etc. It's a starch lover's dream. I wouldn't mind so much if they used whole grain, but they don't. Even then I wouldn't eat that much of it, maybe one serving.

The first dish I filled up with lettuce, beans, peas, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, beats, etc. and I really enjoyed it. Where I got into trouble was trying out other items like soups. Putting health concerns aside, I just couldn't stand the high sodium taste. The first few mouthfuls
were tasty, but by the time I got halfway finished I felt like I had a mouthful of salt. When I make soups at home I just salt very lightly or sometimes not at all.

My friend told me she thought the soups were made from scratch by the restaurant. If that's the case, why were they as salty as the standard restaurant soups that come out of a can? I never eat restaurant soups but I tried it this time because she told me how great it was. Ugh!

Some restaurants, like Golden Corral, add extra items after 4:00 p.m. for the more expensive dinner. Eight dollars versus $11.99 or $11.50 They add steak and crab legs etc. We went to Sweet Tomatoes in the afternoon for $7.99. That might explain the difference.

Mark your calendar, VPL...we agree on something! :)

I cut down on my salt intake a very long time ago, and I just can't eat most Sweet Tomatoes soups.

So, why can't one just fill up on salad and not eat the other things? You can have more than one trip to the salad bar, can't you? That way, you don't have to eat their starchy carbs, the salty soup, and sugary desserts.

Last time I was there you were limited to one trip to the salad bar and I was behind many people loading up 2 plates for their one trip thru the bar.
You enter the salad bar and fill you're plate then come to the cashier to pay. Everything after that is all you want but not the salad bar.

I'm not so sure about that. If so, I've broken the rule a few times and never been called on it.

Maybe I should give it a try Polar Bear the next time I'm there.

I was so curious about this, I decided to call...

Yes...everything is all-you-can-eat at Sweet Tomatoes, including the salad bar before the cash registers. :)

Good advice, Carla. Next time, if there is a next time, I'll be ready for it. Now I know what to concentrate on and what to avoid.

I say "if there is a next time" because my friend likes red meat. She may not want to go there again; it'll be interesting to see what happens.

Thanks for the information, I was wondering if two plates were allowed at the salad bar. I filled up one plate about as high as I could. Two plates would be less limiting and easier.

Good to know! In that case, I'll start with one dish and then go back for more.

That's certainly an option, but number one, a lot of the stuff on the salad bar is things like potato salads and pasta salads. Secondly, I'm not interested in paying $15.00 plus tip to eat lettuce, cucumbers and broccoli.

Like I said, the food there is good, it's just not what I'm interested in eating. They advertise themselves as a sort of health food place and as far as I can see, there is very little healthy food there.