"Tomato Eats has removed their hot bar food section, which is disappointing because I tried it once and really enjoyed it at the price of $10.99 per pound. Unfortunately, management explained that it's been discontinued due to a lack of a food guard to protect the food."
Tomato is like a Whole Foods buffet but behind glass. I was so happy to find it in the Castro Valley Natural Grocery Store. There were several oldish looking veggies but I bought them anyway because to be at a buffet in the age of Corona is my nirvana. I got the home fries, a dish mash of carrots, zucchini, and maybe onions, an amazing carrot dish, garlic mashed potatoes, a mini biscuit and some kind of over-cooked kale. It was all delicious! It was pricey at $10.99 a pound but like I said...I would almost pay anything to get a smorgasbord! Now sadly not all the help is great. One gal with pink hair was awesome and she helped my husband but the other helper who helped me was very unhelpful a...
The selection was quite limited. Besides the pre-packaged burritos kept warm under a lamp, there was a self-serve soup station and some desserts available in the cold case. I was really hoping to find a fresh Farmer's salad. I settled for the summer corn soup, which was just average. I had anticipated corn chowder, especially since the clam chowder ran out shortly after noon and wasn't available for the rest of the day. You pay for everything at the cash register. Overall, I was disappointed in several ways. They've really reduced the options here. I might have enjoyed the baked goods more, but I was in a hurry.
I'm giving this Tomato Eats a 3.5 rating. I've tried a few different things from their hot bar, as well as their roasted chickens, and the quality is good. In general, I find their hot bar selection very limited and unchanging, plus usually some of trays are empty. Another thing that disappoints me is that it's got a deli sign but the deli menu is only salads. If you want a sandwich, they have pre-made ones in a refrigerator nearby in the grocery store. A deli where you can only order salads and not sandwiches? Seems weird to me. Not a huge fan of pre-made sandwiches packaged in wasteful plastic containers.
For the first time, I ordered Thanksgiving dinner from Tomato Eats. They offered an 8 lb. turkey, perfect for a small family, and sides al a carte. The bird was cooked on a rotisserie with an amazing combination of herbs and stuffed with organic apples, onions and herbs. Result was moist, delicious and with crispy skin! I added potatoes au gratin and blistered green beans (yum as well) and was in Thanksgiving bliss! I'm a great cook but my turkey never was this good...they do the fuss and muss and I get a great meal? No contest! Number of meals are limited so I'm already trying to sign up for next year LOL
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Tomato is a prepped food/fresh soup dispensary within Castro Valley Natural Grocery. the foods are scooped for u, it isn't self-serve. it's adjacent to the cashier station. prepped food was $10.99/lb.? didn't see what was available. probably all foods were covered. seemed higher than whole foods. soups are 8 oz. (3.99), 12 0z (4.99) 16 oz (5.99) samples weren't available. eats: red chicken pozole (5.99) had a nice flagrance/smell, went for it. -tasted like a spicier version of minestrone soup had an heavy oilness at the finish, 3.5 stars, wouldn't reorder.
We hired their catering services for my son and daughter-in-law's wedding this past weekend, which had over 100 guests. Both the food and service were outstanding! I can't emphasize enough how delicious everything was. The marinated tri-tip, chicken (Cacio E Pepe with Cream Sauce—absolutely amazing), green beans with mushrooms and bacon, and garlic mashed potatoes were all cooked to perfection. The salad and sourdough bread were also excellent. All my friends and family who attended the wedding kept praising the food. I highly recommend them for catering!
Tomato Eats has removed their hot bar food section, which is disappointing because I tried it once and really enjoyed it at the price of $10.99 per pound. Unfortunately, management explained that it's been discontinued due to a lack of a food guard to protect the food.
