Chocolate Chip Pancakes:
These scrumptious pancakes call “Eat me!” from across the cafeteria every Monday and Friday. The homey smell of fried butter brought me back to the pancakes of my childhood. I half expected the chocolate chips, forming a face in the fluffy cakes, to smile back at me. Alas, the morning chatter of the Cross Country table shattered my delicate memory, bringing me back to my location in Stav. I cut into my breakfast and took a bite. The first flavor to assault my tongue was the liquefied sugar of the syrup, with which I doused my pancakes. Quickly to follow, the bready texture and then the chocolate chips. Oh, the chocolate chips … I surrender myself to the slightly melted cocoa in every bite. This is the type of food so rich, so mouthwateringly sweet, that it has you questioning your own existence. It’s the “treat yourself” food – not because of the calorie count or the likely stomach ache it gives you later (I can confirm), but because one can only handle this kind of bliss once in a while.
Rating: 7/10
Day(s) served: Mondays and Fridays
Porridge:
Porridge day! This day is also referred to as Tuesday by plebeians. Before my eyes (and taste buds) were opened, my view of porridge involved Goldilocks and a mushy substance that was somehow “Just right.” I probably ignorantly even compared it to oatmeal. But, as it is neither of these things, let me explain to you the miracle that is porridge. First, it is modifiable to any type of breakfast you want. You choose your grain – barley or quinoa – and then your toppings – dried fruit, coconut flakes, pineapple, etc. Once you have finished your Build-a-Porridge workshop, Karla, a Bon Appetit worker likely descended from Julia Child, sautées the ingredients in butter. She pours a Cinnamon Creme over the top and voila! The dish is magnifique.
A spoonful of porridge elicits the same sensation as a cup of tea on a rainy day. It feels like eating comfort and warmth. Its nutty, coconutty texture cuts through the cinnamon creme, sweet nectarous drink of the gods. Only the gods, it would seem, could handle the toothsome sweetness of this breakfast food. And even then, sometimes I have to pause before going in for a second bite.
Rating: 9/10 (can be a bit too sweet)
Day(s) served: Tuesdays
Omelets:
Karla is also the magician behind the omelet. Before I discovered Karla’s Omelets, I was one hundred percent anti-omelet. I didn’t like the dryness nor the way the egg sponged blandly over the meat and cheese innards – and yes, I called the omelet’s insides innards. That’s how much omelets repulsed me.
One day, however, Stav forgot to check their calendar and gave us omelets on porridge day. I furiously stepped into the omelet *ahem porridge* line. I waited impatiently until Karla placed the wretched omelet on my plate. Yet my anger elevated even more when I realized I actually liked the thing – dare I say loved? After that, I became a regular omelet eater.
The Bon Appetit omelet is likely the most famous of all the Bon Appetit breakfasts. Some love it for the flavor: the savory symphony of ingredients. The biting feta harmonizes easily with the egg batter and the mushroom, pepper, spinach compilation plays a tune of which even the St. Olaf Choir would approve. Other students love the omelet for the ritual of it. Students wake up with their morning chat in omelet line as habitually as they’d have their morning cup of coffee.
Rating: 8/10 (due to the fifteen-minute wait)
Day(s) served: Mondays and Fridays
Biscuits and Gravy:
Having had biscuits and gravy every Christmas morning since I can remember, I eagerly stepped up to the challenge to critique this breakfast. Unfortunately, Bon Appetit’s rendition of this southern breakfast did not live up to the high standard of my mother’s cooking. I want you to understand though, I was biased from the start. In all honesty, this dish was just fine. At a glance, it will have you licking your lips in anticipation. Seeing how the cream gravy cascaded over the flaked biscuit prepped my taste buds for victory. But as I took my first bite, the pepper clumping in my mouth, the flaked biscuit dry and stale, I felt the pang of disappointment. This wasn’t Christmas! But, the dish was fine. It’s the kind of fine that allows you to finish the entire meal and still wonder if you even liked it. Depending on the day, the freshness of the biscuit and the warmth of the gravy, Bon Appetit’s Biscuits and Gravy may even reach the level of good.
Rating: 5 (6 if the biscuits are fresh)
Day(s) served: Thursdays and Saturdays
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