| rev:text
| - Okay, we tried it tonight. I went with my two small children - aged 2 and 6. The 2-year-old was free, and I found out he will continue to be free when he turns 3 in a few weeks. That 's nice.
Field Kitchen was better than I expected it to be, but my question is - why mess with a good thing? Sweet Tomatoes was awesome. Field Kitchen is just okay.
I asked my 6-year-old daughter to tell me what she liked more about Field Kitchen than Sweet Tomatoes and here is what she told me:
Cranberries
Okay, then I asked her what she liked more about Sweet Tomatoes than Field Kitchen, and this is what she told me:
Field Kitchen doesn't have a Sundae bar (Field Kitchen doesn't carry any toppings for the frozen yogurt - not even sprinkles!)
Field Kitchen doesn't have pizza
Field Kitchen seems really big, which she doesn't like - she told me it was overwhelming
She tried the Rotisserie chicken and didn't like it. Waste of money.
Other than the pizza and sundae bar, my daughter actually ate pretty much the same thing that she would have it we were at Sweet Tomatoes, and for the same price. So some things changed, and I suppose that she eats more healthfully without the sundae bar and the pizza. Is that the point?
Here are my PROs and CONs about Field Kitchen:
PROs
Nice presentation on the salad bar
Pesto pasta salad
Salad was fresh and delicious as usual
CONs
- Price went up for less food (with coupon, Sweet Tomatoes dinner was $8.29, now Field Kitchen is $8.99)
- Salad bar no longer has banana squash.
- My favorite salad dressings were gone - Catalina and fat-free ranch
- The layout is confusing; I had to ask several different times to find things "Where do I get a water cup?" "Where is the ice cream?" I also wandered around looking for the bread.
- Soup selection included with the salad bar is mediocre at best.
- Cornbread is way too big, and does not taste very good - the Sweet Tomatoes cornbread muffins were much better
- Bread selection is tiny - where are the chocolate muffins? Blueberry? Fun flavor-of-the-month muffins? Foccaccia? The bread tonight was too fancy and my kids wouldn't even try it.
- No more potatoes - sweet, white, or otherwise
- No more grapes, fresh oranges, or sugar-free pudding
- Service was terrible; we were pretty much ignored after we sat down; no one offered us a to-go container or even checked on us so we could ask for one
- I usually tip at Sweet Tomatoes, but it's most always warranted. The automatic 7.5% gratuity is insulting. I usually tip more than that. Although today 7.5% was about right for the service I received.
- I get the point of the cards - how else can you keep track of an a la carte restaurant? But, it's gross. Are they cleaned between users? I had to take mine into the bathroom with me. No, nothing gross happened but it could, right?
- The buckets of silverware on the table have to go. My daughter LOVED having it, mind you, but my kids couldn't keep their hands off of the silverware. They kept touching it, and not just the handles. I pulled the silverware out so that the next person wouldn't use it, but is everyone else as considerate?
- My kids didn't like the rotisserie chicken. I'm a vegetarian, so I can't judge it,but normally they eat chicken. I wasted $1.49 on that plate of chicken. Oh well. Live and learn.
Well, that's it.. my Pros and Cons about Field Kitchen. We will probably go back, but not near the frequency we used to go to Sweet Tomatoes (was once per week). Field Kitchen is mostly okay. I just don't understand why Sweet Tomatoes felt the need to change so much? They had a great thing going - the place was always full and busy whenever we went (Wednesday nights normally, but we've gone other times, too). Tonight I saw several people walk out when they realized the Field Kitchen was so different. One family even sat at their table and studied the menu for about 5-7 minutes before walking out. The problem is - Field Kitchen is not unique. You could go to Paradise Bakery and get a very similar experience.
It wasn't terrible, but it just wasn't great.
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