Yet another food truck has joined the Thayer street fleet. Sprout: The Vegetarian Food Truck officially rolled up its windows within the past week, offering hungry customers gourmet vegetarian options to satisfy their healthy cravings.

If you were lucky enough to be at their launch event in Lippitt Park yesterday, you might have had the opportunity to taste some of their dishes, such as breaded cauliflower with caramalized onion dip, curried sweet potato soup, or tofu pot pie. According to the truck’s website, new items are introduced every week, and specials are announced via Twitter feed. Follow them to find out where to feast: @SproutTruck.

Let’s hope these guys can stick to good truck behavior and stay out of the food truck feuds we’ve become oh so familiar with.

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Almost a year ago, as excited as I was to become a Brown student, I had resigned myself to the fact that both the food and housing here could be a little better.

Coming in with lower than low expectations, I was pleasantly surprised during my first trip to the Ivy Room, where the pretty decent food is complemented by a full-service(ish) smoothie bar. But just as it was intimidating to navigate the open curriculum for myself, I found my autonomy in smoothie options overwhelming—how was I to know how guava juice or peach would affect the taste of my smoothie? Like anyone else, I just wanted to find a combo that worked and stick with it.

So, all in the name of my demonic food lust  love of investigative journalism, I decided to set out in search of the formula for the perfect Ivy Room smoothie. But, given the endless number of combinations, I knew I would never get there by myself.  So I decided to ask the people who know the ways of the smoothie best, the BuDS staff.

For five consecutive nights, I went to the Ivy Room and gave the person behind the counter the ultimate “that guy” request to make me his/her favorite smoothie. Check out what I found after the jump. [Read more →]

Today in news you didn’t know could make news: Nutella theft at Columbia University has reached catastrophic highs. Since Nutella became a regular amenity in Ferris Booth Commons (like the Sharpe Refectory, but with more affectation), Dining Services weekly costs have supposedly jumped up by thousands of dollars. Yes, the simple and addictive chocolate-hazelnut spread was disappearing at a rate of about 100 pounds per week (i.e. the amount of weight one could feasibly put on by downing tubs of Nutella regularly). The New York Times claims that these numbers are up for debate, but maintains that students fear that their spread hoarding will limit future improvements in dining services. Colleges have a tendency to make the trivial monumental within the microcosm of campus news, but now the Times has been sucked into a story that has essentially zero connection to Columbia’s Morningside Heights neighborhood, let alone the NY metropolitan area. I guess the relevance is that this whole ordeal makes a good case for Nutella’s drug-like qualities. Nevertheless, I believe this kind of gluttonous thievery would never occur at Brown — could you imagine the look on Gail’s face? Of course you can (see far right).

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Have you ever gone to the Ratty incredibly hungry, only to find that there seems to be nothing to eat at all? Do you walk through those heavy doors ready to put your gastronomical skills to the test, but leave uninspired and unsatisfied? Enter Connie Wu ’12.5 and Annie Wu ’12.5, the twins who have elevated your Ratty experience from one of whining to one of fine dining.

Connie and Annie have incredible vision, creativity, and culinary skills; they’re the masterminds behind Ratty Gourmet, a comprehensive blog that catalogues their various Ratty creations with accompanying photographs and recipes. Needless to say, these two have most definitely changed the Ratty game for hundreds of Brown students.

Let these two master chefs walk you through the steps to whip up this Ratty delicacy and teach you the tricks of their trade. Cajun Chicken Broccoli Pasta is on today’s menu. Watch, learn, and become inspired to culinary action.

My first Geoff’s experience was four years ago when my family and I made the trek up I-95 for my older sister’s college visits. While I wish the instant I sunk my teeth into that superlative sandwich was the moment I knew Brunonia held a spot in my future, I remember being unimpressed by its flavor and only semi-appreciated the giant barrel of free pickles. Then again, I made the rookie mistake of creating my own boring sandwich. I now know that the extensive sandwich board serves to work in your favor — don’t mess with it. Four years later and over three months into my freshman year, I ventured down Meeting Street for a second taste — and, as my friend’s Instagram caption reveals, a meal that is truly “heaven between two slices of bread.”  Although the making of these sandwiches is debatably art, and the vibe of the establishment certainly plays into its deliciousness factor, here are some ways to recreate a Geoff’s original with the simple swipe of your ID: [Read more →]

The event of the year is finally upon us: the Academy Awards are airing tomorrow night, and after so many months of anticipation, we really couldn’t be more excited. Whether you’ve prepared by spending your winter break camped out in the movie theater, making predictions of your own, or fantasizing about your dream Oscar wardrobe, tomorrow evening’s show is sure not to disappoint.

In celebration of my favorite event of the awards season, I have decided to host a screening party of my own, complete with a few homemade movie-inspired dishes. Epicurious.com made the selection process quite easy, creatively compiling nine multi-course menus inspired by this year’s Best Picture nominees. Though Hush Puppies (Beasts of the Southern Wild) and Philly Cheese Steaks (Silver Linings Playbook) were incredibly tempting, I also had to consider that a college student’s time and financial budget are pretty limited. It was for this reason I settled on two more simple, yet still delicious, dishes to satisfy my roommates’ insatiable appetites ring in this cinematic celebration. Sure, my meal is lacking a main course, but who isn’t willing to skip straight to dessert anyway?

Tabbouleh (inspired by Zero Dark Thirty)

You may be familiar with this Middle Eastern side dish, especially since it is a mainstay in the Blue Room sandwich line. This refreshing salad is surprisingly easy to make, with ingredients that are readily available at every super market. Don’t be intimidated by its foreign spelling, let alone pronunciation (ta-boo-lee?, ta-boo-lay? Who knows…) – this one is quick, easy, and can compliment any entrée. [Read more →]

Girl Scout cookies are being sold outside the Brown Bookstore, so we would recommend leaving class immediately stopping by Thayer at some point today to pick up 20  a few boxes of Thin Mints and/or Peanut Butter Patties (which are the two best kinds, no rational person would disagree). It might be smart to buy one or two boxes more than you think you need; first of all, it’s incredibly hard to have less than six just one at a time, and secondly, it is very easy to fight over the last Girl Scout cookie with your roommate/friend/random person in the hallway. Enjoy your drunk eating mid-day snack! Also everyone should read this fascinating FAQ on Girl Scout cookies, mostly for the entertainment of discovering what a frequently asked question on Girl Scout cookies is (yes, “who are the girls on the boxes?” is on there, as well as “wait, are these sustainable?!?!”).

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As fun as this looks, we should have better manners

Call me the Lucifer of the Ratty. Last year I cut every line, smuggled food out every visit, and once I found myself snatching the serving utensil at the chef’s corner out of someone’s hands before they had served themselves.

I never questioned the ethics of what I was doing last semester because…well, I was hungry. But this year I’m turning over a new leaf.  Why?  Last time I cut the student centipede, the two ladies at my back kindly reminded me that there was a long file of Brunonians behind me (awkwarddd). My heart must have grown three sizes that day, because later I was at the V-Dub and paused at the thought of taking the last two chicken parmesan cutlets.

But why should I feel guilty? I am the overlord of the omelet line, sultan of the salad bar—that chicken is mine! As I was doing laundry that night, a stranger accosted me in the basement, calling me “THAT GIRL WHO TOOK MY CHICKEN.” He broke me.

I don’t want to be that chick who took the chicken, and neither do you, so here are some guidelines for being polite in the cafeterias while still doing good by your tummy:

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This was $2.

Over the summer, I heard the news that Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night dollar slices were no more at Antonio’s. So imagine my surprise when I went there and — along with everyone else — was offered dollar cheese slices, and told they have returned on Thursday nights.

As Herald Design Editor Brisa Bodell ’15 put it, “It tastes better when it’s only a dollar.”

Alas, though cheese slices will still be available at the front of the counter on Fridays and Saturdays, they will still be $2.

In middle school I went through a quick-bread-making phase. They were all banana breads, but I would put a whole bunch of other things in there. I made pear bread with walnuts. Then I made apple bread. Then carrot cake bread. And maybe, if I was feeling unoriginal, I made some plain ‘ole banana bread. Baking was something I did when I was extremely bored, and, while it was fun, I don’t think I was getting the point yet.

Maybe it was because I was just baking. I continued to sporadically bake throughout high school, but since I had exhausted the quick bread (may it rest in peace) I had to expand my repertoire. My new baked goods of choice were cakes, because I liked decorating them (and pretending like I worked at Charm City Cakes…a back pocket career move that I’m still saving). But baking’s downfall is that no one really wants to eat what you make. Baked goods are extra. Put them on the table in your home or dorm, and people will devour them when stressed out or drunk, but that’s not very glamorous. My cakes were pretty, but they would usually go to waste unless I forced any and all visitors to have a slice.

But cooking a meal is different. People really want to eat a meal. If you make dinner (especially if you time things wrong and it’s not ready until 9:00 p.m. and your family almost wishes you would just go back to college so they could eat at a decent time of night) people will be hungry when it’s served. Remember: hunger is the best sauce. They will be planning on eating your food, and they’ll spend more than a minute doing it.

It took me until this past winter break to start seeing why cooking is fun and fulfilling and communal and delicious. And I wouldn’t have delved into such a wonderful pastime if my little brother, Ben, had not recently become so interested in the culinary arts. Fortunately, I had nothing to do over break — a time I usually devote to a combination of eating and sleeping — so I became his devoted sous chef. Preparing meals with Ben soon became a part of my busy schedule. We made lamb filled wontons, duck gumbo, bibimbap, salted caramel ice cream, black bean burgers, and potato leak soup, among other things. I even learned how to use a mandolin to cut fruits and vegetables so thin that you could see through them.

But the mandolin (to to be confused with the instrument) wasn’t the only thing I learned about. Cooking, especially with someone whose company you enjoy, can change the way you think about food. And if you’re anything like me, food is a HUGE part of your life. Check out some things I learned that you can apply to even the smallest cooking excursions (like when I make an adapted Tiramisu in the Ratty) after the jump:

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