Seasons 52 - Revisit

My in-laws were in town, and we had this gift certificate we had received at the holidays for Seasons 52, so we figured it would be a good time to use it. I have been a couple of times and have had mixed experiences, so after a couple of years, it was probably a good time to go back. Also, being the beginning of the year, with all those resolutions, I figured something on the healthy side might also be a good idea. Everything on the menu is less than 475 calories.

We all got different things, and honestly, I was more impressed with the food this time than I have been in the past. My daughter, who loves black beans, started with a cup of the black bean chili ($6.25) and it was pretty tasty. It had some bits of beef in it and had a smoky flavor and was rich with beans. There was also a little dollop of cilantro sour cream on top.

Hubby and I got two different things and shared them. We had the mahi mahi fish tacos ($9.50) and the tuna tartare ($12.75). They were both quite good, although both benefited from more acid. I collected the grilled lemons from around the table and used those. The tacos had nice large pieces of the seasoned fish on top of shredded cabbage as well as chunky pico de gallo salsa on top and a drizzle of cilantro sour cream. The fish was pretty tender and with a squeeze of lime (and then some lemon), it added the little extra that it needed. There was also some salsa verde on the side as well as a smooth, smoky red salsa. You kind of needed all of it (and secretly kind of wished for more of the sour cream) but once you got it all on there, they were tasty. I was impressed that you got three of them for the calorie count.

The tuna was very good quality, even if there wasn’t a ton of it. There was a layer right below the tuna made up of a tropical salsa—mango and some red pepper—and it added a bit of sweetness that was nice with the tuna. There was also a layer that was described as wasabi avocado mousse, but it was actually pretty chunky—more like a chunky guacamole, which I prefer to a “mousse” anyway. A generous squeeze of the lemon, and this was really good. My only complaint is that the proportion of tuna to everything else was a little uneven. The Hawaiian sea salt crisps they served with it were damn tasty too. Very thin and light and super crisp. I’d eat either of these two items again.

My daughter ordered the cedar plank-roasted salmon ($19.95) and was also very pleased with it. She got the dill-mustard sauce on the side, but I enjoyed it with my bite of the salmon. I appreciated that they didn’t cook the salmon to within an inch of its life too. Maybe a touch more done than I would cook it myself, but still tender. The cedar plank did impart a slightly woody, smoky flavor and the fish itself was nicely seasoned. It was served with simple (read not really seasoned) potatoes and veggies (mostly carrots and asparagus). I would eat this dish with that sauce again as well—it was right up my alley, although I might ask them to cook it to medium rare. You can order a lobster tail for $9.95 to be added to a meal, so we added it to my daughter’s dish and that’s what my son ate. It was roasted as well and had a nice woodsy flavor like the fish. And a pretty good deal at less than ten bucks.

My mother-in-law ordered the blackened steak and blue

cheese flatbread as her main ($9.75) and it was pretty good too. I think they have improved the crust a bit since my first visit and it stayed crisp and help up to the steak, mushrooms, spinach, blue cheese and caramelized onions. I just had one small piece, but I enjoyed it. My kids had a couple of those little dessert shots (“mini indulgences”) and they loved them. They now love this place just because of those little desserts.

Like I said, I don’t know if we just ordered better and got lucky, or if they have done a better job with seasonings, but I enjoyed this visit much more than previous ones. Most things I had before just seemed very under-seasoned and forgettable. I also think that knowing the basic calorie count is reasonable when you are trying to watch what you’re eating is a nice benefit as well.

Seasons 52

8650 Keystone Crossing

Indianapolis 46240

317/846-5252

www.Seasons52.com