The ultimate food review: a test of courage and campus food
Are you hungry for some food on campus? Do you have a few bucks to spare? Then the Vista Dining center above the Student Union might just be the place for you.
I was recently adventurous enough to try out a selection of their foodstuffs from every section of the restaurant, which had a surprisingly high variety for such a small area. Since I am a vegetarian, I was unable to sample any of the meats that would normally go with some of these items. However, I was still able to easily find an option for me in each of the sections, which is more than some places offer.
Here is the full list of items in the order I got them, what I thought about their quality, and price.
Cheese Pizza slice | $2.55
The pizza low-grade, but technically edible. It reminds me of the pizza that was served in my high school cafeteria.
Wheat Bagel | $2:50
Very doughy, and not in a good way. It tasted incredibly cheap.
Build your own sandwich | $4.95
Untoasted wheat bread with spinach, avocado, tomato, onions, ranch dressing, and American cheese. I wasn’t expecting much, but this turned out to be one of the highlights of the meal. All of the ingredients tasted fresh and delicious, always a good sign.
Build your own burrito | $5.99
Plain tortilla with pinto beans, lettuce, tomato, Mexican cheese, white rice, salsa, sour cream. Another surprisingly good item. I usually can’t stand burritos because of how the beans taste and how the burrito itself seems destined to cause a huge mess, but this was so well-constructed that I actually found myself enjoying it.
Fries | $1.95
You can always tell a restaurant’s quality by its fries. These ones looked amazing, and tasted adequate.
Mug Root Beer from the fountain | $1.45
I thought I would check this out to see if the fountain machine was calibrated properly, as sometimes the soda will not come out right in certain restaurants. This, however, tasted exactly like Mug Root Beer.
Overall, the food quality is above average. There were a few pitfalls with the pizza and the bagel, but they are more than made up for by the quality of the sandwich and burrito. My suggestion would be to only get the things that are made in front of your eyes, and try to avoid the stuff that was pre-made 20 years ago if you can.
As for the restaurant itself, I was blown away by the extremely pleasant staff and well-designed layout of the interior. The menus were clear and easy to read, making it a snap to find a meal that meets your dietary restrictions (vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, etc.). As for prices, it’s a little more expensive than the local Dairy Queen, but the quality of the burrito and sandwich sections more than makes up for it.
Go check it out, if you’re interested. It could be fun. It could be dandy. It could be… great!
I give the food a 3 out of 5 on the Vista Dining room scale.
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