Monthly Archives: September 2010

by | September 30, 2010 · 4:06 pm

Tour de Hamdel: I’ve Lost My Mojo Melt Edition

In case you’re late to the Hamdel party, click here to find out what the tour is all about. Last time, I had the Acuna Matada.

After two disappointing sandwiches in a row, I felt like I’d lost my Hamdel mojo. For such an egregiously unhealthy bunch of sandwiches, dry meat and insipid sauce made each bite a calorically devastating exercise in sensory deprivation. In order to get my mojo back, I decided to try the mysteriously titled Mojo Melt—hot roast beef, melted American cheese, coleslaw, and Russian dressing on a toasted hero. Continue reading →

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by | September 26, 2010 · 5:23 pm

No Lack of Choice at Collis Café

Melissa A., Dartmouth College


Orientation has finally come to an end, which means that the seemingly ceaseless parade of free food events has also concluded. This, of course, led me to transition from Medlife organization meals and Ultimate Frisbee team dinners to the actual dining halls on campus. Over the past few of days, I have grown to frequent Collis Café, the dining location that lays in the heart of one of the biggest hot spots on campus, the Collis Center. With its wide variety of options, charismatic staff, and fantastic service, Collis Café attracts hordes of students. Continue reading →

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by | September 25, 2010 · 6:23 pm

New Haven Noodles (Part 1): Ivy Noodle- Lightning Fast Lo Mein

Zach B., Yale University

The New Haven food scene pales in vibrancy and variety next to nearby New York City or Boston. Even so, certain types of restaurants do abound around Yale, including pizza, Thai, and noodle houses. New Haven noodles range from diner food to sit down restaurants, and similarly differ in quality. I decided to visit three Yale staples and gauge their quality for myself: Ivy Noodle, York St. Noodle, and Bentara.

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by | September 24, 2010 · 4:26 pm

Shish Isn’t Just For Kebabs

Nathan S., Macalester College

Surrounded by the copious sandwich shops and pizzerias on Grand Avenue, a single restaurant serves up traditional Mediterranean cuisine to community members, commuters, and college students alike. Shish offers an affordable alternative to traditional American fast food with gyros, falafel, hummus, and tabouli. The café offers a small dining space with an additional room (although sometimes not enough to hold the crowds) in the back to accommodate food rushes. Due to the relatively small café size and convenience, many patrons (college students in particular) chose to phone ahead of time and pick their order up. Continue reading →

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by | September 23, 2010 · 6:23 pm

Crude Pizza: A Different Type of Oil Dependency

Caleb P., New England Conservatory

To a cash-strapped student in the Northeast, making each dollar stretch as far as possible evolves from a budgeting strategy into a daily bargain-hunting experience. In Boston, Cappy’s Pizza’s and Subs near the Back Bay Fens serves a competitive bargain to all students looking for a filling meal at a low price. With single slices of pizza larger than the size of one’s face, Cappy’s, as locals call it, definitely delivers the illusion of value, regardless of one’s lunch budget. Continue reading →

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by | September 22, 2010 · 10:54 pm

Tour de Hamdel: Acuna Matada, Not a Problem-Free Sandwich Edition

If you missed what this whole Tour de Hamdel thing is about, click here. Last time at Hamdel, I had the Cubano.

How did the Hamdel cooks distort The Lion King‘s “Hakuna Matata” into “Acuna Matada?” Seriously uninspired spelling bodes poorly for this sandwich. More importantly, what does the Acuna Matada, a hero with Arizona chicken salad, melted Muenster cheese, tomato, and hot peppers have to do with its Disney song namesake? Does lion taste like chicken? Is Arizona in Africa? Is anything about this sandwich at all African? Continue reading →

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by | September 20, 2010 · 2:53 pm

Sherman Serves Quantity, Not Quality

Daniel B., Brandeis University


In terms of food, Sherman Dining Hall at Brandeis University seems designed for those few predestined to be human garbage disposals– one can have an obscenely large meal lasting the course of an entire day in this buffet style eatery, with the sole catch being that most of the food they consume should probably be shoved into an actual trash can immediately. In all fairness, most of the food could be described as “edible.” Continue reading →

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by | September 19, 2010 · 5:25 pm

Only an Ordinary Burger, Nothing More

For me, a white truck selling food can mean only one thing: ice cream. Perhaps this nostalgia for my childhood leaves me a little skeptical of food trucks which abandon the cold treats and cheesy tunes for more adult fare. Whatever my own personal reservations on the subject, it is clear that many college students do not feel the same way, as increasing numbers of food trucks are springing up around college campuses. In particular, OnlyBurger, a popular food truck in Durham, North Carolina and at Duke, has taken the idea and run with it. Continue reading →

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by | September 17, 2010 · 3:08 pm

Tour de Hamdel: Cubano Missile Crisis Edition

For an introduction to the Tour de Hamdel, its sordid history, and an explanation of my own journey into the Hamilton Deli’s infinitely dense menu, click here. Last time at Hamdel, I ordered the NYPD.

Attached to the Hamdel’s menu board like an afterthought, a dangling piece of laminated plastic proudly describes the Cubano: sliced pork, ham, melted Swiss cheese, pickles, and mojito sauce. Continue reading →

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by | September 16, 2010 · 2:58 pm

Mediterra Brings Mediterranean Flair to Tiger Town

Marc P., Princeton University

The town of Princeton, New Jersey occupies a sort of no man’s land equidistant from Philadelphia and New York, and seems to have painstakingly isolated itself from the Jersey of Snooki and JWoww. That is to say that the Orange Bubble, as Princeton students call it, enjoys (or suffers) a relative dearth of fast-food and chain restaurants, aside from the painfully ubiquitous Starbucks and Panera just across from the north end of campus. Nevertheless, the town offers a wide variety of restaurants and cuisines ranging from the Hoagie Haven’s calorie bombs to the universally praised fare at Elements.

But for today, we’ll take a look at Mediterra, just down the road from the Bent Spoon, which offers a tasty, upscale take on classic Mediterranean food. Continue reading →

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