I have learned from writing these columns Breakfast: I tried a place named Pat’s Coffee Mug, located on the corner of Clinton and Averill. This modest Mom and Pop restaurant serves breakfast starting at 6 a.m., Monday through Saturday, and boasts some of the best bargains I’ve ever come across. They will deliver to you: two eggs, two slices of toast and a plate of home fries for $1.89, and you can add bacon, sausage or ham for a $1 extra. If this doesn’t strike you as good buy, take my word that they aren’t stingy with their portions or the quality of their chow. In addition, I don’t think any of the items on their delicious breakfast menu were much over $4, if that high. In addition, this Irish eatery has plenty of seating areas and a warm environment. It is also unintentionally decorated with outdated sports posters and other entertainment memorabilia of yore. I think I saw a 2005 Yankees season schedule on display. Pat’s is all business when it comes down to the dining experience, no frills. The one thing you are guaranteed to get out of the visit is a satisfied stomach. If you aren’t looking for Pat’s you’d drive right by it, but from my experience it’s definitely worth the stop.
Lunch: If you have the means to get off campus for lunch during the week and are really in the mood to treat yourself, Cobbs Hill Pizza & Pasta has a meal of a deal for you. This bistro, located on Park Ave., has all the necessary staples to call itself Italian and then some. However, the crowing accomplishment of Cobbs Hill is the weekday lunch buffet offered from 11:30 a.m.- 2 p.m., Tuesday through Friday. For only $6.95, you are entitled to all-you-can-eat pizza, pasta, salad, soup of the day, meatballs and garlic bread. To top things off, on Fridays they add their jumbo-size roaster chicken wings to the mix!
They really aren’t kidding when they offer this unlimited amount of food, and when I went for myself they encouraged me to come back with all my friends. They have a very nice atmosphere in which to enjoy a meal, especially when you are stuffing your face. Since I have to be picky, I will tell you that Cobbs Hill doesn’t have the best pizza I’ve ever had, but what is better: a medium amount of good pizza or all-you-can-eat of pretty good pizza? Don’t answer that; just go get the deal.
Dinner: Although a fellow writer of the Features section previously gave the funky-fresh California Rollin’ sushi bar a mere mediocre review, I am compelled to disagree and say that it rocks! This restaurant, located in the Village Gate, fuses traditional sushi flavors with some American flare and delivers great vibes.
They definitely do not deliver the common sushi experience, so make sure to prepare yourself for an original dining event upon arrival. With menu specialties such as the over-sized Bling-bling roll or my favorite – the D-lightful roll – California Rollin’ definitely spices up conventional sushi customs, all to the tune of classic rock as a backdrop.
Though they also offer daily specials for each day of the week from $0.96 sake night to sexy sushi chef Fridays, nothing tops that Wednesday-night all-you-can-eat dinner special. For $20, their chefs will keep serving up an assortment of maki rolls, along with unlimited soup until you get your fill. If you are picky about your sushi selections, you can narrow the playing field to your specified comfort level, (e.g. only cooked rolls, etc.). When I went, they told me the record was something like 25 rolls total. That’s an astounding 200 pieces of sushi in one sitting. Try for yourself and see if you can beat it.
Park is a member of the class of 2009.
