Lemon or Pineapple?

UrbanHonking.com and Sweet Tomatoes Present...

Each month the world's greatest buffet restaurant, Sweet Tomatoes, offers a for-a-limited-time-only theme based on a particular ingredient. I don't eat a lot of Pineapple or Lemon, so in my two most recent visits I chose to only eat from these specialty items in order to determine which is the better food, Lemon or Pineapple?

The Meal Of Pineapple

1. Crunchy Island Pineapple
Description: Our most exotic salad. Golden pineapple, crisp carrots and red bell peppers, crunchy wonton strips, and the clincher: A delicious pineapple vinaigrette. Genius.
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2. Pineapple Coconut Slaw
Description: A tropical vacation for your tastebuds. Sweet, juicy pineapple. Shredded coconut. Crunchy green cabbage. Aloha!
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3. Pineapple Gelatin
Description: Our pineapple gelatin is made with a combination of pineapple juice and water for an exotic punch of big flavor.
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4. Fresh Pineapple
Description: Fresh pineapple is an excellent source of vitamin C! Just one serving of fresh pineapple (2 slices) contains 60 calories and 25% of your recommended vitamin C. Sweet.
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5. Curried Pineapple & Ginger
Description: We combine garlic, curry & fresh ginger along with crunchy carrots, red bell peppers, scallions and sweet pineapple to give it a sweet taste... with a little kick.
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6. Wowie Maui Focaccia w/ Ham
Description: We top our scratch-made dough with delicious ham, juicy pineapple and mozzarella cheese, then bake it to a tropical, golden brown. Hot diggity!
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7. Carrot Pineapple Muffin
Description: Send your tastebuds on the ultimate vacation with this tropical oat bran muffin made with pineapple, banana puree, carrots, brown sugar and a hint of vanilla. No ticket required.
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8. Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
Description: It'll take you away to the islands! Indulge in our made-from-scratch golden brown cake perfectly topped with juicy pineapple and a sweet brown sugar glaze. Oh my!
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Conclusion: While impressed with an array of eight food items featuring pineapple, including savory options, it felt like they took some shortcuts here. Jello? Fresh Pineapple? C'mon... Plus the flavor of the actual pineapple was not as featured as I had hoped. While I enjoyed the novelty of the meal, over all it felt a little desperate.
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The Meal Of Lemon

1. Summer Lemon with Spiced Pecans
Description: Bring the taste of summer to any time of year. Tart lemon flavor, sweet caramelized pecans, dried cranberries & blue cheese crumbles... So refreshing, it feels like lunch on the veranda.
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2. Lemon Rice with Cashews
Description: We combine refreshing lemon juice with toasted cashews, crunchy celery, scallions and tender white rice for a tart & toasty taste!
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3. Strawberry Lemonade
Description: Made from 100% fresh California Strawberries.
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4. Lemon Chicken Orzo
Description> Real lemon zest and lemon juice give this soup a subtle tartness. With tender chicken, orzo pasta and fresh herbs, this light, refreshing soup is sure to please!
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5. Tangy Lemon Muffins
Description: The burst of flavor and the name come the tangy lemonade, real lemon zest and real lemon juice. Tart. Tasty. Terrific.
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6. Hot Lemon Lava Cake
Description: A warm lemon river erupts from this made-from-scratch lemon lava cake. We bake it to perfection, add our tart lemon glaze, and then sprinkle it with powdered sugar. Pucker up!
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7. Lemon Gelatin
Description: Get jiggly with it! This lemon gelatin is so refreshing- you'll feel like its summertime again!
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8. Lemon Cream with Capers
Description: Refreshing and light, we start with tender penne pasta, fold in our subtle cream sauce and accent it with capers. Delicious!
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Conclusion: Lemons? Really? Wow. I'm sort of surprised with what they have managed to come up with. And the food is noticeably better! The pasta is even good, which is the first time I've ever had pasta I didn't dislike here! Overall I think the tartness of the lemon worked so much better than the sweetness of the pineapple. I really enjoyed this meal, and I loved the Lemon Rice!!
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Winner: LEMON!

Final Thoughts: What happened? After "Lemon Month" there is no more theme ingredients! Just a few featured items... But I want more than a new item or two, I want to eat novelty based meals! I would return month after month and enjoy the meal regardless of how high or low I rated it. I'm a little bummed out.