Treat Yourself: Gulu Gulu Café

There is something to be said about living in a city like Salem while you are young. Even though our city doesn't attract huge concerts or host major sporting events, the unique atmosphere is undeniable.

Perhaps that is what makes the Gulu Gulu Café fit in so well in downtown Salem. This small, understated European style café is original and proud, much like the city it calls home.

The next time you've saved up some spare cash to go out and grab a few beers and some onion rings, reconsider heading down to Murphy's or Sidelines and instead venture over to the Gulu Gulu. The change in atmosphere alone is worth the trip, as it offers a casual coffeehouse feel that pulsates with creativity. From the local artwork to the live music, it's hard to feel uninspired at the Gulu.

The food and beer are inspiring as well. Instead of serving typical bar appetizers, the Gulu opts to serve fresh meats and cheeses with toasted Italian ciabatta. The tastes are full and bright, completely redefining the idea of appetizers. Rather than the greasy plates of fried food served in most Salem locations, these dishes really do tease the appetite and compliment the tastes of the beers.

In fact, the beer list is perhaps the most impressive part about the Gulu. With over 40 different beers (14 on tap) in 26 different styles, it is easy to throw yourself into the menu and willingly get lost in it. For any beer and food lover, this should absolutely be your next stop when you're ready to treat yourself to these passions.

Gulu Gulu Café
247 Essex Street
Salem, MA 01970
(978) 740-8882
http://www.gulu-gulu.com/

On-Campus Eats: Getting Creative

One of the major complaints I hear from students about on-campus food is how repetitive the meals can be. While this has some validity to it, the fault can not be entirely placed on Dining Services. Even though breakfast at the Lower Commons Dining Hall is almost always the same (scrambled eggs, sausage or bacon, tator tots), there are alternatives to simply piling it all on your plate and digging in. Likewise, the typical dinner of a chicken patty on a roll with lettuce, tomato and mayo can be much improved with some creativity. The key is simply realizing that not every dish has to be eaten the way it is usually served. There are ingredients all around you in that buffet setting, and they can all be used in a variety of ways.

A great example of this is what I like to call the Chartwell's Breakfast Sandwich. This masterpiece of a morning meal can be put together easily, and the ingredients are always available. A toasted bagel, scrambled eggs and either bacon or sausage can be combined into a delicious sandwich, much like the ones that people shell out cash for at the Dunkin Donuts or Burger King on campus. To add more taste to this creation, season it with salt and pepper, or add ketchup or hot sauce to your eggs. You can also try using a Cinnamon Raisin or Onion bagel instead of a Plain.

As far as the typical Chartwell's chicken patty sandwich goes, there are multiple ways to alter and improve this staple of the Salem State dining halls. One thing I've noticed in my time as a Hungry Viking is that people go crazy for buffalo chicken. Whenver Chartwell's prepares boneless buffalo chicken people devour it, begging for more. What these people don't realize is that this buffalo chicken taste can be replicated every night at the dining hall by asking for hot sauce from the employees behind the serving stations. They always have some delicious buffalo flavored hot sauce back there, and by either dripping some on a chicken patty or completely smothering it, you can make a pretty dynamite buffalo chicken sandwich.

The other key creation that features the chicken patty is the Chicken Parm Dish. Chartwell's serves trays of pasta every night with large batches of marinara sauce on the side. This typical dish can be transformed by taking a plate of pasta, topping it with a chicken patty, covering the patty in american cheese from the sandwich station and then covering the whole dish in piping hot marinara sauce. The result is an Italian classic that can be prepared on most nights in the Dining Hall.

Methods like this can really help to make the Chartwell's experience more interesting. One of the best feelings you'll ever get in a Dining Hall is when you realize that you can combine two dishes that are typically served seperately to create a much better meal than they would constitute on their own. Experiment, Vikings, and see what you can create in the Dining Hall. Comment on this post with any new ideas or creations that you come up with and help expand the Alternative Menu that is so key to enjoying life as an eater on campus.

Simple Recipes: Beef Enchiladas

"Wanna hit up the Dining Hall?" my roommate asked me at 12:15 on a Tuesday afternoon. Normally, this would be an easy decision for me: Prime lunch hours, a warm, free meal and a break from the endless stress of Finals Week at Salem State. However lately food hasn't been able to deliver what I really want out of it: comfort.

Ultimately, I decided to tag along for lunch, hoping to perhaps be inspired by a warm chocolate chip cookie or cup of tomato soup. Maybe the tastes of true comfort food would help me ditch the feeling of being too busy to enjoy the onset of the holiday season.

This wasn't the case at that particular lunch, however my desire to fulfill my need led me to Crosby's Market later that day. Working in a Mexican restaurant for nearly six years has seriously altered my idea of comfort food, and as a result, my instincts led me around the Market with this recipe in mind.

Beef Enchiladas

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. ground beef
1 medium size yellow onion
8 corn tortillas
2 cups of shredded Mexican cheese
2 8 oz. cans of red enchilada sauce
Side cup of sour cream (optional)

Materials:
Skillet
Nonstick pan
Chopping knife
Baking sheet with sides

Instructions:
First, chop onion and set aside.

Next, brown the ground beef in the skillet, draining off the drippings.
While browning beef, heat the tortillas in the nonstick pan.

Once beef is brown and tortillas are warm, fill each tortilla with beef, onion and Mexican cheese.

Roll up the tortillas and set close together in baking pan and pour sauce over top of enchiladas. Cover the enchiladas with the remaining cheese and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and serve hot.


The result was a delicious batch of Beef Enchiladas, reminding me of tired nights after long shifts at work when I would come home with an order of Agave's Enchiladas and sit down to watch T.V. with my sister. This was exactly what I had needed, warming me up and helping me let go of my recent bitterness towards food.

So, Vikings, if you're looking for some comfort food or anything of the sort during Finals week, try out this recipe and enjoy. Take a break from the books and try out some cooking to clear your head. Your sanity and health is just as important as your GPA.

Review: Tavern In The Square

Since opening in May, 2009, Salem's Tavern in the Square has become a downtown landmark. Located right at a busy intersection, this huge restaurant and bar attracts a lot of attention from locals, tourists, and students.

Upon entering, the atmosphere is confusing. The lights always seem to be very dim, and the furniture and decor is elegant; however the dozens of T.V.'s give off the vibe of a sports bar. The idea of a elegant sports bar seems like an intersting idea in a diverse place like downtown Salem. However the Tavern's main problem seems to be it's lack of original identity. The sports bar part of the atmosphere draws a younger crowd, hoping for the low prices and rowdy spirit of a typical sports bar. On the other hand, the elegant decor and prime location seem to beckon a crowd looking for a good meal and manageable conversation.

The Tavern in the Square seems to fail both of these demographics, serving fairly typical and uninspired bar food at elegant restaurant prices. For $9.99, you can get a large but unoriginal Burger, and that may be one of the best choices on the menu. While the appetizers are done well, they are overpriced: the Nachos and Wings are both delicious but at $8.99 for a small order of either, the portions are dissapointingly small for bar food.

The entrees are the real dissapointments: While the BBQ Steak Tips are good in texture, the taste is over-saturated with the barbecue sauce. While the dish is served with two sides, in three visits here I have yet to find a side that isn't either bland, soggy or dry. The Sweet Fries, Onion Rings and Garlic Mashed Potatoes were all dissapointments; a sad realization for someone like me who truly loves starch with steak.

Ultimately, this isn't the place for Salem students. The prices are too high for Vikings, and no student discount is offered at all. Not only that, the portions aren't mammoth enough to warrant a visit for a sporting event with a large group. This seems to be one of their target audiences... but they miss the mark.

1 Star

Tavern in the Square
189 Washington Street
Salem, MA 01970
(978) 740-2337
http://www.taverninthesquare.com/tavsalem/content/home

On-Campus Eats: Dining Hall Advice

Living at Salem State, students have the opportunity to get acquainted with several different dining hall experiences. There are the two major dining halls: The Lower Commons at North Campus and Marsh Dining Hall on Central Campus. Additionally, there are smaller cafes located in the Harrington Building at South Campus and the Bertolon Building at Central Campus, as well as the Upper Commons Food Court at North Campus.

This variety is great for those experienced students who know how to manage it. For other residents, it simply creates a confusing dilemma. It's easy to become the kind of person who gets breakfast at Marsh Dining, lunch at Lower Commons, dinner at Central Cafe and gets hungry late at night with no clue where to go. This type of person has clearly made horrible mistakes throughout their day, and it is likely part of a daily routine that can take the pleasure right out of eating on-campus.

Knowing where to go for what meals is essential to enjoying the on-campus dining experience. Every place on campus does certain meals or dishes better than others, and knowing this can help you decide where to eat which meals.

As far as breakfast on-campus goes, there are several options. While Marsh Dining Hall offers the same buffet style breakfast as the Lower Commons, the eggs and pancakes tend to be much better at Lower Commons. Avoiding Marsh Hall before 11:00am is a good strategy for On-Campus Eats. Also, you can grab a greasy but delicious breakfast sandwich from Burger King at the Upper Commons Food Court.

Lunch is the busiest time to be eating on-campus, especially at the Upper Commons Food Court. This is for good reason though: They offer a large variety of wraps, sandwiches, plate-by-plate entrees, take out sushi and freshly made salads. If you don't get stuck repeating the same order everyday, the Upper Commons can keep you satisfied for lunch day in and day out. Marsh Hall and Central Cafe also offer good lunch options: Both have solid sandwich bars that are worth checking out.

For dinner, residents should stick to the two major dining halls. These places are free at night with a meal plan, meaning you save the $7 or $8 at Central Cafe or Upper Commons that would fill you up for a little while but leave you unsatisfied a few hours later. Marsh Hall has become the most popular dinner destination on campus for one major reason: They have made-to-order stir fry every night of the week. If you know what you like, this is a great way to guarantee a good dinner. If you don't, then it's a good chance to experiment and find a new favorite. The salad bar and buffet style of Marsh Hall also help it's reputation as the go-to location for dinner on-campus.

Finally, we come to the major dilemma of the typical college student: Late night food. Many students believe that once the large dining halls close at 7:30pm, fresh food on campus is officially done for the day. This is, in fact, very false. The Harrington Building Cafe on South Campus is open til midnight Monday-Thursday, and serves chicken nuggets, personal pizzas and made-to-order sandwiches until close. They accept dining dollars and flex dollars, meaning that on-campus students can come grab food at South instead of shelling out cash for delivery.

We all know that dining halls aren't anyones favorite part about college, but hopefully, with these suggestions, they can work for you a little better than before. Be sure to check out each of these dining locations at some point during the year to see which you like best and why. If you know of anymore dining hall advice, feel free to comment and add to these guidelines!

Treat Yourself: Rockafellas

Located right in the center of downtown Salem, Rockafellas is a great option for those of you Vikings who have been saving up for a nice dinner to celebrate the holidays or the end of the semester.

This place is known mostly for their steak. The meat is incredibly tender and flavorful, especially the Filet Mignon, which defines the phrase "melt in your mouth". The Cowboy Steak is a huge portion of great meat that is seasoned with an incredible Espresso Chili Rub that you probably won't find anywhere else.

The seafood isn't quite as perfected as the steak, however there are still some gems. The Baked Crab Stuffed Haddock is excellent, offering a good alternative to red meat. The pasta dishes, however, leave much to be desired. They tend to be bland and unexciting.

All in all, if you're looking to treat yourself (or someone else...) to a great steak dinner in Salem, Rockafellas is the place to do so.

Rockafellas
231 Essex Street
Salem, MA 01970
(978) 745-2411
http://www.rockafellasofsalem.com/

Review: Mandee's Pizza

Mandee’s Original Pizza Gourmet

In a town full of small, delivery based pizza shops, it’s hard to truly stand out. There are a handful of places that every Salem State resident student is aware of, largely due to thei r proximity to the college and the stacks of menus they leave in the lobbies of each Residence Hall every semester. However the place where students should be ordering their food from is not well known by the student population. Mandee’s Pizza, which is not far from where Domino’s and Sammy’s straddle Canal Street, is the hidden gem of delivery pizza joints in Salem.

What sets Mandee’s apart is simple: the pure quality of the food. The doughy pizza crust has a fresh floury flavor which combines amazingly well with the zesty tomato sauce. While other delivery joints in Salem have cookie-cutter cheese pizzas, Mandee’s offers a delicious spin on the traditional pie. The taste isn’t all that different, just better and fresher all the way through. From the ingredients to the preperation, it seems like Mandee’s has it figured out.

However it is the calzones that really set this place apart. Much like the pizza, the calzones are based on a doughy crust that is soft and flavorful. They actually melt cheese on the top of the calzone crust, however, setting them apart from other calzones you’ll find in town. Unlike other pizza places, they use baked breaded chicken rather than fried chicken fingers for their calzones. The result is a Chicken Parm Calzone that blows away that of any competitors. The combination of real baked chicken, zesty tomato sauce and a delicious doughy crust is simply unbeatable in the delivery game.

The commitment to fresh ingredients and good food preperation makes Mandee’s the best delivery joint in Salem, but there are other advantages to this place as well. For one, because they are not as well known in the Salem State community, their delivery times are typically faster than that of their rivals. Second, they have an excellent online ordering system that allows you to customize your order and pay with a credit card. This is great for large orders or orders that require a lot of substitutions, because ordering is as simple as clicking a mouse, and you can review the exact wording of the order that will be sent to the store.

Finally, there is the pricing. Amazingly, this high quality food is about the same in price when compared to similar places in town. Unlike some competitors, Mandee’s does not tack on a delivery charge. All of these reasons help to cement this restaurant as true royalty of the delivery world.

4 Stars

Mandee’s Pizza
408 Essex St
Salem, MA 01970
978-745-6400
http://www.mandeespizza.net/

Simple Recipes: Fruit Salsa

Winter is here, and that means it is getting very cold out. Living on South Campus this year has been great until now, when evening trips to the Marsh Dining Hall have become brutal tests of endurance in the cold. This major obstacle has forced me into my kitchen more and more over the past few weeks. Additionally, my roommates seem to all have been struck by some kind of Super-Cold, the kind that wakes them up coughing at 5:00am and leads to horrible sneezing fits whenever a slight draft comes in under the door.

My recent spurt of cooking and fear of catching this horrid illness combined last week to produce a concoction that proved to be delicious, healthy and tropical enough to remind me that winter won't last forever. Inspired by the traditional tomato salsa I was taught to make at Agave Mexican Bistro, in Newburyport, MA, here is my recipe for a great homemade fruit salsa:

Fruit Salsa

Ingredients:
1 Whole Pineapple
1 Pint Strawberries
1 Red Onion
4 Jalapeno Peppers
1 bag tortilla chips or
2 packages corn tortillas

Materials:
Large Mixing Bowl
Large Knife for Pineapple
Chopping Knife for Other Ingredients

Instructions:
First, cut the pineapple into pineapple rings, taking out the core as you go along.
Cut the rings into small pieces, about the size you would expect tomato pieces to be in a Pico de Gallo. Put the fresh pineapple pieces into the large mixing bowl.

Next, cut the strawberries to about the same size as the pineapple, and throw them into the bowl.

Move on to the onion next, dicing it into very small pieces. Put them into the bowl with the fruit.

Now, wearing gloves of some sort, slice the jalapeno's into very small pieces. Put them into the bowl as well, and mix all the ingredients together.

Finally, cover and place in fridge for between two and three hours. This helps the flavors to combine and chill.





This dish is great served with either corn tortilla chips or fresh corn tortillas. Wrapping some of the salsa up inside a warm tortilla is excellent in the winter. Despite the season, all of the ingredients were available at Crosby's Market on Canal Street, and I only spent a total of $16 preparing a good size portion of the salsa that lasted me and the roommates through an entire Sunday of football.
That's roughly seven hours of straight snacking, for those of you unfamiliar with the sacred Sunday ritual.

If any of you give this recipe a try let me know what you think in the comments section.

Enjoy, and stay warm Vikings.