1. Au Bon Pain
Au Bon Pain is a little bakery chain that opened up on campus in early February. I go there quite often and you'll see why later on.
Chicken Paprikash Soup: So this soup contains chicken, red peppers, spaetzle (a type of egg noodle), and generous amounts of paprika, hence the name. I might say, that this is really delicious and very flavorful. The right amount of protein and pasta balanced the number of veggies in the salad. And the soup base is thick, which I don't usually prefer, but it is really nice.
Create Your Own Salad: So I had chicken, spring greens, feta, edamame, and a balsamic dressing. The dressing is just right, not too tangy, sweet, nor salty. But it pairs well with everything with the salad. I am impressed.
Mango Smoothie: This is really delicious, but a disappointment because I could taste more bananas than the mango. Next time, I'll ask more for less bananas and more mango.
Newport Turkey Sandwich: So the sandwich contains turkey with avocado, NY cheddar and honey mustard on country white bread. I ordered the sandwich as just the turkey, NY cheddar, and country white bread. Nothing else. This is a how sandwich, so the cheese will be melted. I am impressed with the sandwich - the toasted bread with the turkey and mild cheese are a good combination. It SLAPS slaps.
Overall: The restaurant lets you customize your order, which is really impressive. Honestly, this is the best restaurant at the new student center. Rating: 9.5/10
2. 1907 Grill
This place is a sit-down type of place. I haven't tried it yet- but it's for a reason. The menu does not have a lot of options for picky eaters and it SUCKS. And being a flexitarian (no red meat diet to be specific) and allergic to most tree nuts prevents me from having ALL of the burgers. Honestly, the only option I would is a side of fries WITHOUT the poutine. But then again I've heard from friends who tried their food that it's really the most disgusting burger place. Rating: 1/10 (sorry people but I had to do it but 1 point for a sit-down place in the new student center)
3. Simply Natural Creamery
So the things I got from there were chocolate ice cream and jelly beans from their candy/snack bar.
Ice cream: For a small creamery can we just applaud for the fact that there are diverse flavors from our typical savory vanilla and chocolates to the fruity flavors to the ones with nuts and candies in it. But for a person who is a strictly chocolate ice cream kinda girl, I will say the chocolate ice cream beats most of the grocery store options. Plus, it's local so it has a fresh flavor.
Candy/snack bar: Okay, the candy and snack bar wins it for the student center food. May be limited, but it has options for every taste. I usually get the cocktail mix jelly beans and it SLAPS.
Overall: This along with Au Bon Pain, Starbucks [and Panda Express on good days] are the only relevant food places at the new student center. Rating: 10/10
The new student center at ECU has great as well as not-so-great options. I would LOVE to see 1907 Grill replaced with a New York-style pizza place. And that's all that I got to say.
