Tulane Hospitality, the rebranded dining team, have gradually opened a slew of different eateries on campus since the beginning of the school’s new partnership with Aramark Collegiate Hospitality.
The first new option, Nony, is a delicatessen joint joining the ranks of the LBC’s quick and easy food options. They offer a variety of fixed-recipe sandwiches and the option to make your own for some reasonable prices — between ten and twelve dollars. As a limited-time-only feature, Nony also offers small, personal-sized pizzas. Along with various classic pizza flavors, the Green Wave pizza honors the Tulane University mascot with bright green pesto, topped with chicken mozzarella and tomatoes. This cheesy opportunity fills the void left by the removal of last year’s pizza food truck. For a quick deli-style sandwich, Nony is an easy and convenient stop in any student’s busy schedule.
Boasting convenient and healthy sips and snacks, Shake Smart opened in Lake and River Residence Halls in late August. Customers order digitally through tablets by the door and wait for their items to be ready at bar seating that lines a large window overlooking McAlister Place. Shake Smart’s options are tasty and healthy — only skim milk and fresh fruit there. The options are seemingly endless as you can choose from fixed recipe shakes, smoothies, acai bowls or make your own. The fare is certainly what it promises to be — nutritious, tasty and convenient — with the streamlined ordering process and fresh ingredients. However, the fruit and chocolate or vanilla added to the shakes and smoothies don’t quite mask the ever-present taste of protein powder, which is not a taste most people love. If you can overlook the protein-packed flavor, Shake Smart is a tempting post-workout stop on the walk back from the Reily Center.
In October, Beauxba replaced the PJ’s Coffee in Howard-Tilton Memorial Library. As a lifelong bubble tea lover, I was excited to hear about boba on campus. Beauxba, however, did not meet my expectations. One of the most essential ingredients, the classic tapioca boba, was overcooked with an unpleasantly mushy mouthfeel. The menu features many options, but every drink I tried was unimpressive. Mellow Mango, a green tea and mango nectar milky concoction, separated immediately and tasted almost slimy. The Vietnamese iced coffee just tasted like regular coffee, lacking the distinctive strong and sweet Vietnamese taste. Mango Crush is the only drink I would realistically purchase again. The sweet mango and milk blended into a satisfying slush and the cheese foam added a complimentary saltiness.
At the start of the spring semester, Tulane Hospitality announced the much-anticipated opening of Twisted Taco. Twisted Taco advertises Tex-Mex flavors late into the night. Being the only on-campus location for late-night munchies — open until 2 a.m. — Twisted Taco will surely bring in hungry students. Its first few days saw lines going out the door to try the food that replaced the previous resident of the Mayer Residence Hall restaurant spot, Le Gourmet. Twisted Taco sells not just tacos but burritos, bowls, chicken tenders and nachos, among other dishes. The nachos, burritos and bowls are generously sized for the price, and certainly worth it to satisfy that Tex-Mex craving. While the regular beef and chicken were mediocre, the Boom Boom Chicken was surprisingly flavorful and well-spiced. Unlike the other items, the tacos were overpriced and underwhelming. They go for about five dollars apiece, but the two or three taco combos can save you a bit of cash. The tacos themselves were disappointing, with only meat and cheese unless you shell out another two dollars for salsa and cilantro. Overall, Twisted Taco will certainly turn out to be a much-visited new spot on campus.
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