Greg wrote me with a question: "Do you know of any all-you-can-eat salad bar restaurants in the greater Howard County/Baltimore County area? I am looking for something like the Souplantation or Sweet Tomatoes.
There was a restaurant in Columbia (across from the mall with a view of the lake) about 8 years ago that closed."
I can't think of a salad bar restaurant. I have used the
salad bar at Roots, but I can't think of a restaurant. Anyone?
Sadly, the only place that comes to mind is Ruby Tuesday.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to find something - we're huge fans of the "Hoss's" chain of restaraunts in Pennsylvania. But, there's nothing like it in the area that we're aware of.
Before I read the rest of your post, I was going to suggest Roots. :)
ReplyDeleteThis might not be what you're looking for, but Fogo de Chao in Baltimore has an AMAZING salad bar!
As a former Texan used to places like Souper Salad, I have lamented this lack of salad bar options. Maybe we can start a campaign to bring one to town?
ReplyDeleteI actually was going to write the same thing as Doug S, even with the same "sadly" at the beginning: we've also found that Ruby Tuesday's is really the best salad bar-as-meal option in town!
Fogo de Chao does have the best salad bar I have ever seen.
ReplyDeleteFogo de Chao... *drool* We have always rolled (literally, as you will be more stuffed than you ever thought possible) out of there happy (and broke!).
ReplyDeleteInteresting that commenters are posting about Fogo de Chao because I believe the restaurant Greg is talking about that used to be on the lake is Malibu Grill, which closed years ago. It also was a churrascaria. Alas, there are only two remaining ant they are in Northern Va.
ReplyDeleteOh, Greg. I, too, miss the awesomeness that is Sweet Tomatoes/Souplantation. I have searched all over the web (including FULL discussions on Chowhound on the subject of comparable salad bars) and sent more than one letter to corporate begging for them to open a branch here in the DC/Baltimore area. All to no avail. From what I can tell, nothing around here offers that level of fresh ingredients, wide selection of salad, and soups/breads/dessert for a reasonable all-you-can-eat price. Instead, the best salad bars in the area are paid per pound. And let's just be frank, paying per pound sucks. :-)
ReplyDeleteEmkenton, I would TOTALLY join the campaign to bring an all-you-can-eat salad bar place that lives up to those that our fellow foodies living in the West Coast and Southern regions enjoy.
After we get that done, then could we start the campaign for a Jamba Juice? :-)
Years ago, (over 15 years ago) there was a all-you-can-eat healthy foods buffet in the space that is now occupied by the Red Pearl. It was part of a chain. It was cafeteria style. It was pretty good too. I am trying to remember the name.
ReplyDeleteI remember the Malibu too. In the same space. Nowhere as good as Fogo de Chao. Yum, Fogo de Chao.
Fresh Choice was the name of the place. Not to be confused with Fresh Fields which was a chain of healthy food grocery stores that was bought out by Whole Foods.
ReplyDeleteAnother recommendation for Fogo de Chao. Best salad bar. ever.
ReplyDeleteThe one that I'm remembering on the lakefront in the Malibu Grill/Jesse Wong's/Red Pearl spot was Sergeant Pepper's, which did have a really nice salad bar with some premade salads in addition to making one's own. It also had soups, pizza, and a nice dessert bar. I still miss it sometimes.
ReplyDelete~kam
I also really miss Sgt. Peppers at the Columbia lakefront and am surprised at the lack of salad bars in Maryland (I lived in CA for several years where we had Souplantation and Soup Exchange which were awesome). The only salad bar I've found is Golden Bull in Gaithersburg. It is a bit far but way better than Ruby Tuesday which I think is kind of gross.
ReplyDeleteThe new Nalley Fresh! Over by Performance Bikes and Walmart.
ReplyDelete