It’s convo hour, you just got out of class, and you’re starving. Where will your hungry self go to grab some lunch?

The View or Northsider? Summit Marketplace or Corner Market? T’s or … wait, Scooter’s is closed for the semester. We’re still sad about this.

St. Thomas has a variety of sustenance options at its dining venues. Some of our TommieMedia staff members wrote about their favorite meals on campus and why they enjoy them.

At the end, you’ll find a poll to vote for your choice of these six meals. We want to hear from you: what’s your favorite?

Kyra Taylor, videographer
Favorite meal: Scooter’s Crispy Mandarin Chicken Wrap

Imagine yourself back in simpler times — perhaps a crisp fall day in 2019. You just got out of class early and you run to Scooter’s to beat the hustle and bustle of convo hour. You want something that makes you feel like you’re being healthy, but still satisfies.

Look no further than the Crispy Mandarin Chicken Wrap.

The sweetness of the mandarin oranges compliments a kick of spice from the bell peppers. The wonton strips bring some crunch and texture to bites that would otherwise be exclusively lettuce. The entire wrap is absolutely doused in sauce, so be sure to grab some napkins for all the extra flavor that drips off.

Is the crispy chicken actually just sliced up chicken tenders? Yes, but who ever had a problem with delicious, crispy chicken tenders? Certainly not me.

Top your meal off with a side of some of the best fries you’ve ever had and a pink lemonade.

For the price of $8.75, you’ve got yourself a full, happy stomach, as well as the inevitable dilemma over whether you should actually go to your next class or crash on a student center couch and enter a food coma. The choice is yours.

Isabel Crosby, advertising and public relations staff
Favorite meal: Northsider’s Hawaiian Chicken Sandwich

A lunch on a recent Tuesday at the new Northsider’s Carvery featured a Hawaiian Chicken Sandwich served with sweet potato waffle fries.

As I bit into the sandwich, marinated chicken was the first to hit my taste buds. Following that was a warm pineapple, and then I got to thinking: is that why this is considered “Hawaiian?” Because of a single pineapple ring? After a couple bites, I searched to see what other toppings were added. Aside from the chicken and pineapple, there was lettuce, tomato and cheese, which happens to be added to most sandwiches in America. I have traveled to Hawaii many times in my childhood and this dish did not compare favorably to a main course on the Hawaiian islands. Traditional Hawaiian food is Poi, Laulau, Poke, salmon, rice and fruit.

I scarfed it down because I was hungry. I liked the meal, but I have tasted better. I don’t deem it off-the-wall.

The ambiance on the day I visited seemed to be like an average college campus dining hall, but brand new compared to The View. The atmosphere was modern with lots of gray and white, which made it less comfortable than The View.

Dessert is usually a mere afterthought; however, I saw this seven-layer bar and my mouth watered. It had chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, pecans and coconut. I was rewarded with a thing of beauty and deliciousness.

Josie Morss, reporter
Favorite meal: The View’s Turkey Wrap

I’ve always had a sweet spot for sandwiches: Subway ham and pepper jack cheese footlongs, Jimmy John’s BLTs and Grandma’s olive loaf and mayonnaise creation. But, The View’s turkey wrap has a special hold on my heart.

The turkey wrap calls to me. It is my beacon. A metaphorical food god floats about my head wrapped in whispers that turn into a concert of “Eat the turkey.” When handed my cardboard to-go box, happiness consumes me. My stomach rumbles with excitement.

After the first bite, I’m already hooked. The randomness of the broccoli-flavored green tortilla meshes seamlessly with the crunch of the lettuce. The ripe, yet juicy chopped tomatoes add a freshness, while the turkey hugs the ingredients with melt-in-your-mouth satisfaction. The wrap dominates with simplicity. It requires the presence of a sandwich dipping sidekick. In this case, ranch dressing has a special opportunity to shine. Ranch takes the sandwich from an amazing eating experience and launches it toward the most magical, mystical, mouth-watering moment of my lifetime.

Ranch pulls the inner workings of the sandwich artistry together into one delicious concoction. It causes the sandwich to dance upon my tongue simply, my tastebuds screaming with delight. The side dish, half a bag of kettle chips, puts the cherry on top of making this my go-to meal. The crispiness of the potato chips forces fond memories of long road trips swimming in a pool of crumbs and Sunday afternoons on Grandma’s patio, which makes this meal even better.

Sam Larson, reporter
Favorite meal: Northsider’s Rotisserie Chicken

On a recent Thursday, the Northsider Carvery served a dish of rotisserie chicken, wedge cut fries, and roasted zucchini. Visually, it looked quite tasty; the chicken was juicy and the fries were crispy. Everything seemed nicely spaced out, making an absolute visual masterpiece.

I started with the fries first. My first victim was the smallest of the bunch, but smaller means crispier in the fry world. The taste of the fries was perfect, reminding me of steak fries that you’d get at a steakhouse: well-seasoned and a nice blend of savory and salty.

Next, I moved on to the main portion of the meal: the chicken. Not only was the chicken dripping juice, but as soon as I picked up the drumstick some meat melted off the bone. Each of my two bites was excellent. I supplemented my bites of chicken with the zucchini, which was the weakest point of the dish.

The zucchini needed seasoning, desperately. The first bite was bland and unappealing. After adding some salt, it was much better. Though I will give it points for unexpected crunch, it simply was just not good unseasoned.

My only other gripe with the dish was the portions. The dish felt quite small, and I was finished much sooner than I expected. Even eating the whole thing, I found myself still hungry.

Though my time with this dish was short due to my tendency to eat and not breathe, it definitely was the right call for a Thursday night dinner.

Grace Hahn, photojournalist
Favorite meal: Northsider’s Tofu Scramble

My favorite meal on campus is the Tofu Scramble from Northsider.

It is colorful, comforting and stands out to me because I’m a vegetarian. I rarely try new vegetarian dishes or go beyond breakfast basics, so here we go. The tofu is golden yellow mixed with green and red veggies, as well as the perfect amount of picante sauce. As someone who could put ketchup on everything if it was legal, the picante is a nice change while satisfying my craving for something tomatoey.

Of course, the veggies are rich and delicious. The tofu itself tastes quite like scrambled eggs, if not better. The hockey puck-looking patties are warm, tender and balance out the strong flavors of the potatoes and scramble. The potatoes are full of flavor courtesy of diced green onion and pepper.

Now, vegetarian breakfast patties are usually more brittle and not as juicy as meat-eater sausages. In this case, I’m proud to announce the flavor was all there.

In this breakfast, fresh avocado is dearly missed, which is so sad. Adding avocado would complement the tofu while incorporating healthy fats.

I hope it makes an appearance sometime soon, and I hope more Tommies try out this vegetarian breakfast option.

Andrés Tejeda, reporter
Favorite meal: Northsider’s Lua Lua Pork Butt

The Northsider is St. Thomas’ new dining hall on campus. I went to explore some of the
new dinner options available, and one dish in particular: Lua Lua Pork Butt.

I’m not sure if the latter end of the dish name makes it sound appetizing, but a name is a name. Lua Lua is a Hawaiian type of soul food. Considered an important dish in Hawaiian culture, Lua Lua comes in varieties. It is often pork, but it can also be a type of fish, which is traditionally cod called butterfish.

Lua is also a Hawaiian word that translates to “leaf” because Lua Lua dishes are steamed or slow roasted in leaves, specifically the leaves of a kalo plant. So, rather than Lua Lua strictly being a dish, it is also a method of cooking.

According to What’s Cooking America, Lua Lua Pork is supposed to be moist, salty and tender. You can also find a slow cooker recipe on its website if you would like to make this dish at home.

The Northsider kitchen served its Lua Lua Pork Butt with a side of basmati rice, sesame coleslaw and pineapple mango salsa. The pineapple mango salsa was served atop the basmati rice.

Basmati rice is a traditional Indian rice that emphasizes its dish on its flavor and aroma . Sesame coleslaw is a mixture of cabbage, carrot, onion, bean sprouts and sesame seeds. The pineapple mango salsa, as stated in the dish’s name, has pineapple, mango, red onions, sweet peppers and cilantro covered in lime juice.

As far as the Northsider’s Lua Lua Pork Butt dish, I would say that it is a rendition as opposed to an authentic Hawaiian soul food. I appreciate the Asian fusion of the dish taken from the Pacific coasts of Asia to make the dish salty and sweet.

The pork was cooked very well. It was not too salty. It was very moist and tender despite being shredded. It was also seasoned with black pepper, which I enjoyed. I am not too sure if the pork was cooked in kalo leaves, or any sort of cooking leaves for that matter, but it was still very good.

The basmati rice, to me, was a little undercooked. It also was not seasoned with any sort of Indian spices, which is a little disappointing because basmati rice is supposed to be focused on the flavor and aromatics that come from it. It was very plain.

The sesame coleslaw has a very interesting flavor. The coleslaw is very tangy, which follows the Asian theme that this dish proposes. The vinaigrette that it was tossed in was very tasty and made the coleslaw very good. It also featured chunks of broccoli or brussel sprouts which gave it a very crisp texture when chewing.

The pineapple mango salsa was very lacking in what I was hoping a pineapple mango salsa would taste like. The slivers of mango were not proportional to the pineapple chunks. The salsa was also sweet from the juices of the pineapple, so do not freak out if you hear salsa and think spicy. The salsa features raw red onions, which I do not think should have been added. When eating a sweet fruit such as mango or pineapple, the red onion was very overpowering and made the salsa lose its sweet flavor and changed it to a very bitter tasting salsa. It made the dish’s palate a little confusing since the main themes are salty and sweet.

Overall, I would recommend the Lua Lua Pork Butt. The well-seasoned pork with a tangy coleslaw and predominantly sweet salsa made for a very great-tasting Asian dish that will have you going back for seconds and maybe even thirds. Keep an eye out for it the next time you visit the Northsider.