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10/10/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 10/11/2024 06:58

Here’s the Scoop on BU’s New Dining Options

Here's the Scoop on BU's New Dining Options

Sincerely, a BU Today intern and seasoned on-campus eater

Diners can customize their bowls with different varieties of hot sauce at the GSU's new Latin eatery El Comal.

Student Life

Here's the Scoop on BU's New Dining Options

Sincerely, a BU Today intern and seasoned on-campus eater

October 10, 2024
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Tell BU Dining What You Think

In a constant quest to make on-campus eating options more enjoyable, Dining Services takes a multifaceted approach to finding new restaurants, director Jon Webster says. That includes analyzing student feedback, seeing how restaurants perform, and keeping an ear to the ground for national trends.

As orders file in at the GSU's newest restaurants, Webster encourages all students to make their voices heard about what options they want to see on campus.

"If there's someone out there who thinks we're really missing the boat somewhere, we want to talk to them, we want to hear from them," he says. "We want to understand how to do this better for you guys."

Do so on this survey form or through the Dining Services website.

With a newly inaugurated president and a revamped online student portal, changes abound this semester at Boston University. And for a school offering one of the highest-ranked dining services in the country, it's only fair that the spirit of change comes to the food it offers, too.

This semester, three new restaurants are serving up innovative flavors at the George Sherman Union: El Comal, Urban Table, and Dipped. Over at Marciano, Concept Kitchen, a new dining concept dreamt up by Aramark executive chef Jari Pohjolainen, allows students to scan a QR code and vote for what food concept they want to see next, says Jon Webster, Dining Services director. So far, there's already been a smokehouse barbecue concept and an Italian station.

Dining Services decided to switch up its food options after students requested more vegan, vegetarian, and global cuisine, Webster says, as well as customizable meals.

"These additions aim to make the dining experience more diverse and exciting, catering to students' preferences," he says.

As a senior, I've watched the GSU evolve to meet student preferences for three years. In fact, I'll willingly date myself by admitting I still remember when Halal Guys was a fixture in the central food hall. So with wisdom gleaned from many a past Grubhub order, I headed to central campus to try the new offerings. Here's the scoop on whether they're worth those precious dining points.

El Comal

Vibrant Latin American flavors meet generous portions at El Comal, which offers tacos, nachos, burritos, quesadillas, bowls, and more. Webster says Dining Services introduced El Comal to the GSU because the central food hall lacked a Latin food concept, which he says has been "extraordinarily trendy" in recent years. A recent report reveals that Gen Z is the first generation to prefer both Mexican and Chinese cuisine over Italian, which for a long time was America's go-to food order.

I'm certainly included in that statistic, which is why I happily tucked in to my El Comal burrito with grilled vegetables, which came with a side of chips and sour cream. As a vegetarian, I've unfortunately seen my fair share of underseasoned, underwhelming veggie burritos. This one, however, packed flavor into every bite, and the unique blend of vegetables (carrot, zucchini, and onion) was well-spiced.

Keep in mind that I'm vegetarian, not vegan. Because when I bit into the burrito, I was disappointed by the seeming lack of cotija cheese. Despite this, the combination of rice, beans, and vegetables was filling and left me with a considerably healthier feeling than some orders from nearby Chipotle and Taco Bell. Better yet, it only put me back $10.50.

The chips and espinaca (spinach) dip also came in a generous portion, but this time at a slightly less reasonable price: $8.50. Still, the cheesy, creamy dip delivered a satisfying punch with its chili flavor, and the thick-cut chips were salty and satisfying.

Urban Table

Just a few steps away is Urban Table, a hybrid between two healthy-food giants of a bygone GSU era: Greens and Grains and Charles River Bread Company.

Webster says Dining Services noticed the two former restaurants used similar ingredients and introduced Urban Table as a mixture of the two, serving sandwiches and salads.

The new menu offers a wealth of options, like hearty bowls from a variety of cuisines (Mediterranean, Korean, and Italian, for example) and signature sandwiches, both with meat and plant-based. This spread helps make up for the fact that the make-your-own option for sandwiches and bowls hadn't carried over from the two former restaurants.

I ordered the za'atar cauli bowl, which, between well-spiced cauliflower rice and a soft pita, was surprisingly filling, for $11. Goat cheese and green goddess dressing were the heroes of this plate, accomplishing the daunting task of making a bowl of veggies tasty and interesting.

The dish's freshness initially engaged my taste buds, but around three-quarters of the way in I encountered a problem: too much cauliflower in my bowl. The proportion issue could have been solved by a few more beets, but there were none left, and I couldn't bring myself to eat five bites of straight cauliflower to finish the bowl.

Despite this problem, I felt Urban Table did a commendable job refreshing the menu of its predecessors. Sure, some of us are still lamenting the end of make-your-own sandwiches. But in the meantime, mouth-watering options like the honey chicken bacon sandwich or the Mediterranean couscous bowl make that a little easier to swallow.

Dipped! At Rhett's

If all that healthy eating has you fiending for a sweet treat, the GSU's new dessert shop, found at the Rhett's counter, is here to help. Dipped offers all kinds of confections, with generous portions and indulgent flavor combinations that make the slightly steep prices worth it (cake pops start at $4, dipped cheesecakes at $7).

After a long day of classes, I decided to go for the big guns and ordered a $7 caramel turtle cheesecake dipped in chocolate and topped with Biscoff cookie crumbs. As someone with an insatiable sweet tooth, believe me when I say this dessert tested my limits.

At first, it was heaven. Gooey caramel and a hard chocolate shell covered a tart, creamy cheesecake slice, and each bite contained a satisfying combination of soft, hard, tangy, and sweet. Biscoff crumbs over the slice and chocolate sauce on the plate provided extra interest. But by the time I reached the cheesecake's soft chocolate filling, I found myself wishing for less chocolate and caramel so I could taste the cheesecake better. By the last bite, I couldn't imagine eating sugar again for the next week.

Despite finding the dish a little too rich, I'm glad the GSU finally has a dedicated dessert spot (I still remember the days when a Starbucks cookie was one of the only on-campus dessert options). And a few days later, when I indulged in an ice cream sandwich, the portion was considerably more manageable. So whether celebrating the end of midterm season or a particularly grueling workout, Dipped is your place to go for a well-deserved sweet treat.

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  • Sujena Soumyanath (COM'25)

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  • Jackie Ricciardi

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    Jackie Ricciardi is a staff photojournalist at BU Today and Bostonia magazine. She has worked as a staff photographer at newspapers that include the Augusta Chronicle in Augusta, Ga., and at Seacoast Media Group in Portsmouth, N.H., where she was twice named New Hampshire Press Photographer of the Year. Profile

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