Recent food writing
Two partially written restaurant reviews. And, yes, I know the phoenix reference is trite.
Sweet Tomatoes, Cary
What distinguishes Sweet Tomatoes from every other buffet, is the company's commitment to fresh, wholesome food and an ever-changing roster of seasonal dishes that include both vegetarian and vegan options. This family-friendly atmosphere has a salad bar boasting over fifty ingredients including several composed salads. One price ($8) also allows you to sample a bevy of soups and a modest hot bar that features my husband's favorite, pillowy foccacia blanketed with cheese.
Not to be missed salads include Joan's Broccoli Madness, a festive mix of florets, crumbled bacon, plump raisins, cashews and red onion in a sweet-tangy sauce. Also worth a taste is their tarragon-laced tuna, the mandarin spinach salad with carmelized walnuts and a nod-to-the-Beatles Strawberry Fields Salad. Arguably one of the most coveted and popular of their recipe items is the Wonton Chicken Happiness. It features tender chicken, crisp romaine, carrots, scallions, herbs and golden wonton strips in a ginger sesame dressing. It is the only signature salad to feature meat, although extra chicken is available for purchase ($2) right before the cash registers. Regretably, shrimp or crab salads are not on the menu. Drinks are not included in the buffet price.
The large dining area can be boisterious, especially during peak times, but it is kept tidy. Friendly staff are brisk in topping off glasses and whisking away dirtied plate and bowls. Be sure to put out your 'I'll be ripe back' card for trips to the hot bars where you can choose from a rotation of baked potatoes, pastas, soups and breads.
---------
July 8th 2012 note on Sweet Tomatoes:
Our Date Day began at one of our favorite casual dining restaurants, Sweet Tomatoes in Cary (known as Soup Plantation out West). Keep in mind, I'm not one to review franchises, but I will make exception if the food warrants it, and Sweet Tomatoes definitely does. We absolutely love their fresh, healthy mentality.
Between the two of us, we sampled quite a bit. From their Summer Tropics themed menu was a refreshing Wild Fruity rice, a citrus-sharpened White Bean and Lime Chicken Chili (very good), a forgettable Creamy Cilantro Lime Pesto Pasta and an admirable Largo Key Lime Muffin with Coconut. It is nice to see them expand their vegetarian and gluten-free selections, an often neglected market. Standouts yesterday were the Tomato Chipotle Bisque and the ever-present Deep Kettle House Beef Chili. Oh, and the lofty Chocolate Brownie Muffins. *yum* Menu misses included the Udon Salad and the too piquant Tuna Tarragon (a composed salad), which we normally love.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Holt Lake Barbecue and Seafood, Four Oaks
Like the mythic Pheonix rising from the ashes, Holt Lake Barbecue and Seafood in Clayton emerged from the embers, stronger and better. It took months for the Barefoot family to rebuild after a fire ravaged the building, but legions of regulars patiently waited for the veteran staff to put on the finishing touches.
Barbecue here is meltingly moist and velvet-soft, pale shreds of meat hacked into a fine hash. If you have in mind to 'gild the lily' there are small carafes of red pepper-spiked vinegar nested at each table. I douse mine liberally, wishing that it had a wee more bite.
Sweet Tomatoes, Cary
What distinguishes Sweet Tomatoes from every other buffet, is the company's commitment to fresh, wholesome food and an ever-changing roster of seasonal dishes that include both vegetarian and vegan options. This family-friendly atmosphere has a salad bar boasting over fifty ingredients including several composed salads. One price ($8) also allows you to sample a bevy of soups and a modest hot bar that features my husband's favorite, pillowy foccacia blanketed with cheese.
Not to be missed salads include Joan's Broccoli Madness, a festive mix of florets, crumbled bacon, plump raisins, cashews and red onion in a sweet-tangy sauce. Also worth a taste is their tarragon-laced tuna, the mandarin spinach salad with carmelized walnuts and a nod-to-the-Beatles Strawberry Fields Salad. Arguably one of the most coveted and popular of their recipe items is the Wonton Chicken Happiness. It features tender chicken, crisp romaine, carrots, scallions, herbs and golden wonton strips in a ginger sesame dressing. It is the only signature salad to feature meat, although extra chicken is available for purchase ($2) right before the cash registers. Regretably, shrimp or crab salads are not on the menu. Drinks are not included in the buffet price.
The large dining area can be boisterious, especially during peak times, but it is kept tidy. Friendly staff are brisk in topping off glasses and whisking away dirtied plate and bowls. Be sure to put out your 'I'll be ripe back' card for trips to the hot bars where you can choose from a rotation of baked potatoes, pastas, soups and breads.
---------
July 8th 2012 note on Sweet Tomatoes:
Our Date Day began at one of our favorite casual dining restaurants, Sweet Tomatoes in Cary (known as Soup Plantation out West). Keep in mind, I'm not one to review franchises, but I will make exception if the food warrants it, and Sweet Tomatoes definitely does. We absolutely love their fresh, healthy mentality.
Between the two of us, we sampled quite a bit. From their Summer Tropics themed menu was a refreshing Wild Fruity rice, a citrus-sharpened White Bean and Lime Chicken Chili (very good), a forgettable Creamy Cilantro Lime Pesto Pasta and an admirable Largo Key Lime Muffin with Coconut. It is nice to see them expand their vegetarian and gluten-free selections, an often neglected market. Standouts yesterday were the Tomato Chipotle Bisque and the ever-present Deep Kettle House Beef Chili. Oh, and the lofty Chocolate Brownie Muffins. *yum* Menu misses included the Udon Salad and the too piquant Tuna Tarragon (a composed salad), which we normally love.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Holt Lake Barbecue and Seafood, Four Oaks
Like the mythic Pheonix rising from the ashes, Holt Lake Barbecue and Seafood in Clayton emerged from the embers, stronger and better. It took months for the Barefoot family to rebuild after a fire ravaged the building, but legions of regulars patiently waited for the veteran staff to put on the finishing touches.
Barbecue here is meltingly moist and velvet-soft, pale shreds of meat hacked into a fine hash. If you have in mind to 'gild the lily' there are small carafes of red pepper-spiked vinegar nested at each table. I douse mine liberally, wishing that it had a wee more bite.