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| - I love the concept of Seasons 52. Healthy food, a menu that changes seasonally, and weekly specials based on what the restaurant can buy fresh. But the beauty of the concept's theory leads to its big downfall. The food is not bad, but it's also not very memorable. Everything on the menu is under 475 calories. That's great considering most restaurant entrees usually are closer to the thousands, but it also leaves you yearning for more flavor.
We started with the garlic chicken flatbread. It was pretty good. Very garlicky. But Seasons 52 is supposed to be "known" for its flatbread. If this is one of the chain's signature dishes, I really would've hoped for more. We had the Salmon and Halibut as entrees. Both were cooked perfectly and had a decent taste. But both plates consisted of fish surrounded by vegetables. It just looked and felt like a bunch of stuff thrown on a plate. I could've done this at home with very little effort. Maybe if the vegetables were pureed and made into a sauce, then this would've have felt like it was worth paying to go out. I'll give Seasons 52 one thing; dessert was awesome. We had the chocolate peanut butter moose and key lime pie. Desserts are put in generous sized shot glasses and only cost $2.50. Hard to say no to that!
The decor is a little out of place to me. It feels like the ambiance is trying too hard to tell you that this place is high class. The brick and fireplace look screams steakhouse, and doesn't really fit with a theme that you are eating lighter, healthier meals. I don't know how Seasons 52's other locations are decorated, but unless this is a consistent look, it's almost as if the place is trying to justify that it's in the Biltmore.
The waiter was pretty good. Brett was honest about dishes he liked and didn't like. He also had a lot of energy and was always around to promptly clear plates and refill drinks. Sometimes it actually felt like he was sticking too close to our table.
I didn't hate Seasons 52. I like the idea behind it, but there's lots of room for improvement. If you're looking to stick to your diet, but not in the mood to cook, then its worth a try. But there's too many good restaurants in and around the Biltmore for me to want to rush right back.
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