RESTAURANT REVIEW: Sweet Tomatoes in Arlington
Sweet! Take in all the fresh fare at this salad-soup spot
Special to the Star-Telegram
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THE CUISINE: Salad bar, soup bar, muffins
THE CONCEPT: If you want to pig out but feel good about it, Sweet Tomatoes, a flourishing chain that emphasizes "from-the-farm-to-you" freshness, is the place to do it. The Sweet Tomatoes that opened in the new Arlington Highlands shopping center in south Arlington is the 112th Sweet Tomatoes location and the first in Tarrant County. There's no question that many of their offerings are healthful, and Sweet Tomatoes makes it even easier for diners concerned about what they put in their mouths, with a Web site that identifies vegetarian and vegan selections (there are lots of both).
THE FOOD: Sweet Tomatoes diners are encouraged to take two plates as they go through the cafeteria-style salad bar line. That's because first-time customers almost always fill up their first red plate with the fresh, attractive build-your-own salad ingredients at the front of the line, only to discover that there's a line of five or six prepared salads that follows.
Signature prepared salads include a Caesar salad, broccoli madness and a tuna tarragon salad that we found to be too light on tuna. From there, head to the soup bar, which features a rotation of eight made-from-scratch soups that change every two weeks. The Canadian cheese soup on the day we were there was nicely smoky, but our favorite was the Greek-style chicken lemon rice soup, which had a complex, slightly tart flavor. A popular low-fat chicken noodle soup is always available.
Not yet full? There are petite muffins, focaccia and baked potatoes, if you really want to pack it in. A dessert bar includes fresh fruit, some sort of pudding or mousse and soft-serve ice cream with -- in the cute-food department -- teeny-weeny cones. We liked the lively flavor of the lemon lava cake but found the chocolate brownie muffin too muffinlike for a dessert. There's also a popular and reasonably priced ($8.29) Sunday-morning buffet with offerings that include sweet cinnamon biscuits, biscuits and gravy, zucchini frittata, Mediterranean sunrise pasta, Belgian waffles and scrambled eggs.
THE ATMOSPHERE: The unusual-looking building is supposed to look like a farm on the outside. Inside, there are lots of friendly servers available to clear plates so you can bring on the next course.
YOU SHOULD KNOW: Sweet Tomatoes will open early (8 a.m.) for Mother's Day brunch. Prices are $7.69 for weekday lunches, $8.29 for weekend lunches and $9.39 for dinner, with the only extras being drinks ($1.99) and cups of chicken to put on top of salads, for $1. Kids younger than 3 eat free; ages 3-5 are $2.99; ages 6-12 are $4.69. There's a 10 percent discount for seniors (60 and older).
THE DETAILS: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday; 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday. No alcohol sold, smoke-free, wheelchair-accessible. Major credit cards accepted.
Sweet Tomatoes
4001 Matlock Road
Arlington
817-557-1809
