Carrollwood's Plate offers tasty small bites at a fair price

State of plate: The menu tops out at $19 for a grilled entrée — your choice of steak, salmon or tuna — served with portabella mushrooms, peppers, onions, squash and zucchini. Most other options fall between $4 and $6.

• Portions are small, but intentionally so. Diners are encouraged to sample multiple dishes in a single sitting. You can try the duck empanada, tuna taco and beef satay without overspending or overeating.
• I ordered four small plates and a warm bowl and spent less than $60.

Best bites: By far, my favorite dish was the steak bowl: a generous portion of grilled steak over sushi rice, with caramelized onion, broccoli, sweet potatoes, carrots and avocado — all for $14.

• Plate's velvety tomato soup also stood out — made with thyme and coconut curry, and topped with goat cheese and croutons. At $6, it overdelivers.

Four-word review: Satisfies palate and wallet.