Souplantation

With Costanza and his son out-of-commission due to illness, we had to change up our eating plans (no fried stuff for them!).  As if my taste buds hadn't already suffered enough from expensive mediocre theme park food and even more expensive sub-standard Downtown Disney food, I had to think fast on my feet.  Hence, I went back to the well and remembered our 2 visits to Sweet Tomatoes in Florida.  It was an out-of-body experience where I saw things that are not normally seen during Theme Park vacations - vegetables and lots of it.  Sure, the food was standard fare, but it was healthier, inexpensive and all-you-can-eat.

So that was the plan, eat something lighter and cheaper in the likeness of Sweet Tomatoes.  Well, it was if we planned it all along as we were only minutes away from a location of Souplantation.  To my son's horror, the sight of endless veggies almost made him turn around and run.  He, of the "I love junk food" variety, had to suffer watching us stack our plates full of salad before we even hit the other options.  And really, the selection was impressive, fully stocked and fresh.  We could choose from pre-made Salads, made-to-order Caesar and build-your-own.  He ended up taking a few croutons, so to not be left out.

With the same setup as Sweet Tomatoes, we paid at the end of the salad bar.  There, we added drinks to our bill which was quite reasonable ($9.00 for adults and $5.00 for the kiddies over 5).  After that, I headed straight to the Soups which included Big Chunk Chicken Noodle, Deep Kettle House Chili, Santa Fe Black Bean Chili, Yankee Clipper Clam Chowder, Split Pea & Potato Barley and Seven Vegetable.  Although nothing was particularly awesome, they did the trick while not being super salty.  Right beside this section, there were some pastas including the kid-friendly mac n' cheese.  Directly across, there was a selection of flat breads, baked goods and baked potato with all the fixin's.

Off course there was also a dessert section consisting of a few simple items that included fruit gelatin, grapes, rice pudding, oranges, chocolate mousse and soft serve ice cream.  As you can clearly see, the food at Souplantation ain't exactly gourmet nor exciting.  But for a family on vacation that hasn't seen much in the way of vegetation (other than in the park), it is a great way to get a relatively healthier meal at a great price.  Naturally, being kid-friendly is another draw as well.

The Good:
- Kid-friendly
- Inexpensive
- Healthy options

The Bad:
- Limited selection
- Food is average