Fit 2 Eat

In a word: Thoughtful without being preachy.

The specs: #0754  
Address, hours & details via Isthmus; reviews at Yelp, 77 Square; official web site, Facebook,

Latest Fit 2 Eat news and reviews at del.icio.us

JM ate the salmon tuna steak with fruit salad.
Nichole ate the veggie sandwich with hazelnut beets.
The bill was $15, or $7.50/person, plus tip.
JM gave Fit 2 Eat a B; Nichole gave Fit 2 Eat an A- (see our grading rubric).

We'd bet money that Fit2Eat is the cleanest restaurant in Madison. It's primarily a carryout place in the former Madeleine's kitty-corner from Village Bar at the end of Speedway. (The 50 feet that separate the two might be the shortest distance over the biggest culinary gulf in town, with the possible exception of kosher Cafe O and State Street Brats.) We've used the "jewelry case" comparison before but usually for chocolates (or steaks), not platters of lovingly arranged entrees, vegetables and bakery.

They focus on nutrition with flavor here. There was a selection of 3 or 4 sandwiches, some protein entrees including salmon tuna and meatloaf, and a number of salads from caprese to pasta. The value is decent, too: a sandwich or entree is $5, and small sides are $2.50 (and modestly named, as they're huge. Family size would feed a large family).

There are a few tables, but we picked up lunch for the next day and ate al desko (way back h/t Bekeeblog), several miles apart. That was a first for us if you don't count the Starbucks shenanigans.

Nichole got a veggie sandwich: chunky, light-on-the-garlic hummus; mint pesto with fresh ginger; pickled red onion with a nice bay leaf overtone; and tomato and peeled cucumber, all on house-baked, nutty multigrain bread. It had a lot going on that summed up to awesome - only the leaf lettuce didn't last the night in the fridge very well. Next time she'd ask to hold the delicate leafy greens (and would try to remember to bring the camera to work, because it was a lovely sandwich).

The sandwich was filling enough but there's always room for dessert, especially if dessert is simple roasted beets sprinkled with toasted hazelnuts. For $2.50. Yum.

JM's salmon tuna steak had been grilled and was good and crisp on the edges, and lavishly dressed in a tapenade of capers, olives and tomatoes. He might have overcooked it in the office microwave, because it ended up a bit dry and flaky, tasting of tuna [edit: because, as it turns out, it was - oops!]. A side of fruit salad (honeydew, canteloupe, pineapple, strawberries, grapes) was as generous as the beet dish.

Reflecting on the portion size and  prices later, we were pretty amazed at the value, actually. Just assembling the ingredients for this meal would have put our grocery bill over $15, not to mention the beet-juice and broiler-pan cleanup. So we'd swing by again - it would just require a little advance planning, but luckily they're on the right-turn side of the outbound westside commuters' route.

Comments

[sadiekat]

I'm sorry, but the roasted beets look like animal tongues- blecch. Agreed it's a good take-out place, but the photo is so not appetizing.

[catwoman]

their brownies are to die for!!!

[Sara]

That was a tuna steak, not salmon! And yes, overheating in the microwave is a problem! Thanks for stopping in; glad you (generally) liked the food. Just want to note that the menu changes weekly.

[Timmy]

Is it me or is JM have a pretty bizarre relationship with food for a food blogger?