Tuna/Chicken Salad Melt and NEW CONTRIBUTOR!

I am very proud to present O'Donovan's on the Waterfront's newest contributor, Alyssa Huberts! Alyssa has been responsible for several of our previous recipes, such as the Pear-Chicken Pizza and Thai-Chicken Pizza. Seeing as John and Scott are having some trouble coming up with new recipes, we hope that Alyssa will fill the void in your life caused by inadequate Leo's creativity. We'll have her bio up on the "About Us" Page shortly. And now, her first original recipe!

~2 English Muffin halves, toasted if desired (available from MYOP)
~Sliced Tomato
~Tuna or Chicken Salad
~Slice of Cheese

Put the English Muffin Halves, openfaced, on a make-your-own-pizza plate. Lay a tomato slice on each. Spread tuna/chicken salad and top with a slice of cheese. Send it through the Make-your-own-pizza oven and enjoy!


Editor's note: This is seriously an amazing dish. You can try it with a bagel as well, but English muffins work better for the size of the tomato slice. Also, I find that the tuna works a little better because the mayo in the chicken salad melts and gets a little messy.

Simple Pleasure Mondays: Baked Potatoes

So before we get to the actual subject of this post, we have many updates going on here. First, we know that there haven't been many original recipes as of late. Have no fear, that is about to change. Check back on Wednesday for more.

In other news, we've just hit 10,000 views all time! That's great, but tell your friends about us so we can continue to grow. Remember that if you read this blog regularly, you can follow us either on Facebook or on Blogger to make things easier. Check on the sidebar over there -->

Now for today's suggestion: the Baked Potato Bar
We've previously raved about the carving station, especially their lunchtime sandwiches. However, we also need to tout their baked potatoes, which are always available, without a line, and are always quite delicious.  I've taken to eating one literally at almost every meal. Just snag one, cut it open, spoon in some sour cream as well as bacon, chives, or cheese, and enjoy. As an added bonus, Leo's prepares their baked potatoes how I call, "Red Lobster Style," with sea salt on the skin. This makes the skin really quite delicious and you get the extra health benefits of it. I hope you all try this out!

Simple Pleasure Mondays: Hot and Cold

Hello, we've missed you all!

As you may have noticed, OOTW ran into a bit of a stall over the past few weeks. Part of that is due to increased business with schoolwork and ultimate, but part is also due to the fact that our new year innovation has begun to wear off =( . Of course we're still working when we get the chance (and we might have a new contributor soon!) but for now, we want to ask for your contributions. Many of our ideas come from things we see or hear about from our friends, but for all of you readers that we haven't met, feel free to email us or comment with your ideas! We'll credit you of course if you would like.

On that note, here's this week's simple pleasure: hot soups and cold salad dishes.

Leo's rotates their soups on a daily basis, and they're generally pretty enjoyable. I promise you won't have to wait in line, and with the coming winter months, they might be exactly what you're looking for in a hot and comforting dish.

If, on the other hand, you wish you didn't have to eat something lukewarm that was intended to be hot (yeah, it happens all the time, we know), try something meant to be eaten cold. Now I don't claim to be an expert on making traditional salads, but I have come to enjoy some of the cold pasta, rice, or vegetable salads that Leo's concocts between the fruit and waffle-maker downstairs. They sometimes contain some really unusual and delicious ingredients, and the variation is quite satisfying. As an added bonus, they're usually vegetarian and relatively healthy. Enjoy!

Simple Pleasure Mondays: The "value" of grab 'n go

Hello O'Donnovators,

Happy Mid-midterm Fortnight! Don't know about y'all but this week promises to be an absolute killer in terms of workload; best of luck to everyone on their myriad midterms, essays, and what have you.

As you contemplate the option of grab 'n go as a viable and time-saving alternative in the midst of all those assignments you've been procrastinating on, let's take a closer look at how much you're paying for what you get. Here is what one grab 'n go lunch consists of:

-1 entree (salad, sandwich)
-1 beverage (water, soda, milk, juice)
-2 sides (fruit, chips, yogurt)
-1 dessert (cookies) or an additional side

All for the price of $11.55; breaking it down into ballpark proportional prices for each of these items, here's how much you're paying:

-Entree: $6
-Beverage: $1
-Sides: $1.50 each ($3 total)
-Dessert: $1.50

Now flash in your mind the type of food you're getting for each of those prices. Good grief--$1.50 for those measly two cookies? $1.50 for an apple? A whopping $6 for a pre-packaged sandwich?! Reallocate those prices however you want, but you'll never come out on top...

We understand grab 'n go is fast and convenient, but when you break it down and see how much each individual item is costing you, it's really a shame. Since this is supposed to be a simple pleasure post, I leave you with the recommended pleasure of getting a decent meal value from actually inside Leo's rather than taking grab 'n go as an alternative. A great way of thinking about this when you pick your meal plan: choose the number of meals that you will definitely eat inside Leo's, because for every grab 'n go you use you're paying about $5 more than what you'd pay for similar items at Safeway, Wisey's, or other eateries.

If you're concerned about time, here are some suggestions for the fastest ways to get in and out of Leo's with a good meal:
1) Pasta/Vegetarian: I love pasta, and there's not much you can do to mess it up. You will have your food within 30 seconds of walking into Leo's.
2) Pizza/Bistro Pasta & Garlic Bread: see last week's post for details
3) Make your own sandwich: Rarely a line, and you can get in and out quickly. I love their chicken salad.

Pesto-Veggie MYOP

A few weeks ago was Be Well week here at Georgetown, and Leo's was quite involved in getting people to eat healthier and smarter. I decided I'd post something I made a little while ago, which is a much healthier pizza than those we usually make (decked out with any combination of cheeses, pepperoni, sausage, bacon, and ranch dressing)

Ingredients:

Pesto Sauce (from fresh pasta line)

MYOP crust

Mozzarella Cheese

Baby Spinach leaves

Onions

Green Peppers

Tomatoes

Black Olives (optional)

Oregano, Parmesan Cheese

The key to this is getting the pesto from upstairs. Generally if you bring the workers a small bowl and ask for a scoop or 2 or sauce, they'll oblige. Take that downstairs and spread it on a pizza crust, saving a little bit to go on top at the end. Sprinkle with Mozzarella cheese, then arrange baby spinach leaves over. Sprinkle evenly with onions, peppers, tomatoes, and olives if desired. Let the pizza cook, then top it off with the remaining sauce drizzled over, plus some oregano and Parmesan.

Note how the olives here really add to the appearance of the pizza, but if you're not a fan, it's definitely good enough without them.

National Coming Out Day Rainbow Wrap

As most of you probably know, today is National Coming Out Day. In accordance with this important event, John and Scott decided that, in full support of the LGBTQ community, we would celebrate with a themed Leo's dish. I decided upon a Rainbow Wrap to reflect the recognized rainbow flag of the community.

Unfortunately there are literally zero foods that are naturally blue (blueberries and blue corn are more purple-ish), and besides, you definitely can't find them in Leo's. Instead, I made sure to get myself a Mr. Blue to drink alongside this meal.

The ingredients in the wrap, in order (which is super important, even if the staff member gets mad at you) are:

Tomatoes
Carrots
Corn
Spinach
Cucumbers
Black Beans (closest I could get to blue)
Red Onions

I topped it off with a bit of Italian dressing.

On a more generalized note, I would like to stress that color contrast is extremely important when creating any type of wrap. Also, be careful of the extreme overpowering flavor of Feta cheese, but I support the incorporation of corn and black beans. 

Also today was Leo's attempted celebration of Oktoberfest, which was iffy at best. Though I sorta enjoyed the pretzels, and the chocolate dipped banana was quite good, I was unable to find the rootbeer kegs that were promised...

Simple-Pleasure Mondays: New and Improved Bistro

For this week's contribution, we would like to highlight a section of Leo's that appears vastly superior to what it was last year: the Bistro.

Besides overseeing our favorite station, (MYOP) the Bistro serves simple foods that are quickly accessible (unlike At Home) and very consistently edible. Pizza is pizza, but I've found that Leo's does a pretty good job with it.

Be wary of the calzones, as they are not always good, but an interesting combo is generally worth trying.

The new garlic bread is fantastic, I get it all the time.

The pasta/vegetarian dish they have off to the side is a good bet, but is sometimes too saucy or vegetable-y for me, so use your judgement.

Finally, some of the new specialty pizzas are quite delicious, with Chicken Fajita Pizza, some Chipotle thing, and various options with pesto. Beware the one with bacon, however, that was a bit much

Georgetown Dining Survey! Please Participate!

You all should probably have just gotten an email from Georgetown Dining with a link to a survey. We STRONGLY encourage you to take this survey to help G-Town Dining determine what they can do to improve your eating needs on campus. It doesn't take too long, but can if you write a super long comment like I did.

I have included below my responses to the generalized Leo's quality section, as well as my lengthy comment raving against At Home no longer being self-serve.

"The new policy this year of having employees serve each student's food at the "At Home" station is extremely inefficient and unsatisfactory. College students need to be able to decide how much they want to eat, and need to be able to get food very quickly. At peak eating times, the line is unbearable, and students are not even able to serve their own food while a staff member is retrieving another pan. The At Home station is supposed to be entirely pre-made food that is easy to get on a plate quickly, and having staff members serve it is extremely detrimental to the dining experience. If cleanliness is a concern, it is certainly more efficient to have one staff member watching the station frequently to clean up any messes than to have two constantly occupied by serving food. The other unoccupied staff member could then aid in refilling pans of food in a more timely manner. If the concern is about controlling portions: Students pay for an all-you-can eat meal plan, and should be able to take as much as they wish without getting back in line multiple times (assuming of course that they eat it all). Thank you for your considerations."

Nacho Salad

Yet another change we adore about Leo's this year: the taco station is open during dinner too! An awesome executive call on the staff's part. 

Keep in mind they don't have exactly the same menu as they do during lunch; there is usually a pot of chicken and nacho sauce instead of the regular rice and meat of the day, and no tortillas. With this in mind you can fake your way to a decent burrito by grabbing a green tortilla from the "tossed n wrapped" station, or try our latest O'Donnovation: the nacho salad. A delicious and far more healthful way to get all the guacamole and black bean goodness of nachos without the carbs of regular nachos (keep that toned, sexy core you've been working on with the help of my brilliant ab workout known as the "mitchslabs"--inquire by email or in person).

Ingredients:

-Your choice of lettuce from the salad bar

-Assorted toppings fromt the taco station

Directions:

Prettymuch just get a well sized pile of lettuce from the salad bar downstairs, then head back up to the upper level and top it with all the nacho fixin's you desire. My favorite selections as featured below include shredded chicken, black beans, jalepeños, tomato, cheese, guacamole, sour cream, and a few crumbled chips sprinkled on top. 

Fraîche....

Simple Pleasure Mondays: How to Roll a Burrito

Fellow Leo's-ers (and winners),

Given my California heritage and affinity for Mexican food, I must first inform you in an especially smug manner that burritos are not actually Mexican food! Now I will proceed by showing you how to correctly roll such a feax-Mexican delicacy properly, as this greatly enhances the eatability of the burrito.

1. Begin by mixing all your burrito ingredients together with a fork--no one likes a big bite of only sour cream--and gather all the ingredients into the lower third of the tortilla.

2. Fold up the two sides of the tortilla only along the part where the ingredients are.

3. Bring the bottom part of the tortilla up over all of the ingredients, and cinch it down just above all the ingredients.

4. Fold the remaining parts of the sides of the tortilla inward, and roll it all upward until the tortilla is completely wrapped.

New Drink Combinations

Expanding upon our previous post, we have developed several new drinks, separate from everything you can create at the new Coke Freestyle Machine. As always, achieving partial separation of the components is optimal, since you'll get a cool layered look that everyone will be envious of.

Here they are:




Mr. Blue
Fill 2/3 with Blue Powerade, then top off with Hi-C Pink Lemonade until you achieve this perfect color.

Ginger-tea
I know this looks odd, but it actually tastes pretty good. Fill halfway with Ginger-ale, then add Unsweetened Iced Tea.












Blue Lemonade:
Mix equal parts of Blue Powerade with regular lemonade. Note how the color layering can vary based on which is first.









Punch Tea:
Fill 1/3 with Hi-C Fruit Punch, then top off with Unsweetened Iced Tea. The fruit punch gives sweetness to the tea.

Purple Drank:
This was created sortof by accident. This is an experiment in chromatography. Start with Blue Lemonade above, then add fruit punch. If you imagine that it tastes like the grape it looks like, then it will. Otherwise, it's just sorta cool.

Eggplant (or anything)-Parm Panini

This is a very simple kick-up with large potential for variation. The Panini press is very under-utilized, but has great value.

Take any ______-Parmesan, such as Chicken or Eggplant, and put it on a sub roll from the sandwich station. Add in some extra Provolone Cheese, some marinara sauce, and Panini press that thing. Pay no attention to the crazy sizzling when the sauce spills out onto the Panini press. It should look slightly delicious by the time it’s done.

 Also note the garlic bread, which is one of my favorite staples this year at Leo's

Simple Pleasure Mondays: At Home Sandwiches

Fair Leo's Patrons,

Today I write on the fantastically improved lunch option of the at home station: the sandwiches from the "At Home" station on the upper level of O'Donovan's. Oven roasted turkey breast or seared roast beef come ready-to-carve and placed on a deliciously warm ciabatta roll... If you haven't already, try it with some cheese from the downstairs deli.

Granted neither of us are a fan of the fact that we are not able to serve ourselves, but all the Leo's employees have been super generous about proportions. We're huge fans of this new addition especially, so next time at lunch give it a shot. Hopefully a picture to come.

Keep checking in with us this week for more O'Donnovations, and good garsh check out Scott's Make-your-own Apple Pie post below!

Make-your-own Apple Pie!

This is undoubtedly our most ambitious creation yet, and it took a good amount of planning, tweaking, and preparation, but it was definitely worth it. I guarantee that if you do make this, you will gain the eternal respect and admiration of all your friends, plus whoever else is lucky enough to witness the glorious event. Note: It is MUCH better if you can make during weekend brunch as they will still have the brown sugar out by the oatmeal. Otherwise you're forced to use powdered sugar.

Total preparation time, including cooking, is about 15-20 minutes, but it's worth it if you have time to spare.

Ingredients:

1 apple, Granny Smith works best

3-4 Tbsp brown sugar, use powdered (from near waffles) if unavailable

dusting of cinnamon to cover sugar, probably 1/4 tsp.

Cinnamon Toast Applesauce- 1 medium bowl

MYOP crust

3 pats butter

extra brown sugar and cinnamon

The easiest way to prepare this is to grab an apple, then a bowl full of your sugar and cinnamon. Then make your Cinnamon Toast Applesauce with about 2 scoops of applesauce and a thick covering of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Set these down at your table, then get your butter and a MYOP crust on a circular grill platter.

Start by cutting up your apple into thin slices. As a side note, if you're willing, the recipe could benefit from more than 1 apple, but it isn't totally necessary. Spread the apples out on a plate and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over them, turning to coat, then let sit for several minutes.

In the meantime, spread one of the pats of butter on the crust. Then spread the Cinnamon Toast Applesauce over it just as you would do with boring old tomato sauce.

The apple mixture on the left, and applesauce spread on the crust to the right. Note that this does not use brown sugar, nor do I have the CTC mixed into the applesauce.







Arrange the apples on top to cover completely. Dab some more butter around on the apples, then sprinkle a little more cinnamon sugar over the top. Hand it to the Bistro MYOP attendant and watch their amusement. They shouldn't give you trouble, but if they do, be confident, tell them you've done it before and it's fine (at least, I've done it before...)

While it's cooking grab 2 scoops of ice cream. Typically you'd go for vanilla, but Leo's has been serving this "Deep Dish Apple" for some time, which is what I used.

When your pie comes out, top it with the ice cream and enjoy, with or without a spoon.

Oh yes...

Some additional notes. I've thought about adding a second crust on the top, or at least something of a crumble. Feel free to experiment, but these are my experiences:

-MYOP crust does not crease well, so it may be difficult to get a top crust to stay in place

-A lattice crust would look really sick, but I don't know how it would work. If you don't know what a lattice crust looks like, never mind.

-Granola could be a potential topping, to make this sort of like an apple crumble. Feel free to try, however, do not use Cinnamon Toast Crunch on the top, as it will burn, as seen below:

In any case, feel free to experiment, but I sincerely hope you enjoy this massive O'Donnovation.

Pear, Chicken, and Swiss MYOP

This is definitely a step toward the gourmet at Leo’s. The pears add a gentle sweetness that contrasts with the usual saltiness of a MYOP. Pears are not always available, so be sure to take advantage of your few opportunities, especially before they go out of season.

Ingredients:

1 Fresh Pear

Chicken, preferably grilled, but baked works as well. If nothing, use MYOP chicken

4-5 pieces Swiss cheese from sandwich station

baby spinach

mushrooms

MYOP crust, sauce, cheese

onions

peppers
Parmesan cheese, oregano (optional)

You’ll need to start by gathering all your ingredients on a plate, then take it to MYOP to assemble it all. Of course the key is the pear. Cut thin slices, at least 10 of them, it should take more than half the whole pear. Gather some baby spinach leaves and mushrooms, and a grilled/baked chicken breast if possible (sadly they’re not available at the Bistro anymore, but cut it into thin slices if you can get one).

At the MYOP station, top a pizza crust with one ladle of sauce, then lay your Swiss cheese over it and very lightly cover with mozzerella cheese. Sprinkle with onions and peppers, then arrange the spinach leaves around it. Top with the chicken, then arrange your pear slices on the very top. If you desire, top with pizza toppings such as oregano and Parmesan cheese.

Yum.

Simple Pleasure Mondays: Delectable Desserts + Sanitary Conditions at Leo's

This informative and colorful--albeit rather short--simple pleasure is to laud the efforts of Leo's on their astronomical dessert improvements. Check out the editor's choice, new and improved cheesecake. Huzzah!

Onto our next topic, sanitary conditions!
...have taken a turn for the worse (see photo). Safe to say we'll be avoiding the MYOP station for a little while.

Stay tuned for expanded drink creations, perhaps a guest editorial, and more O'donnovations in the coming weeks!

Buffalo Chicken Sandwich

After the huge success of the Buffalo Chicken Pizza, this creation became quickly apparent as a way to spice up (literally) Chicken Finger Thursdays. It's actually surprisingly easy to create, and only takes a few minutes. Feel free to try this with any other chicken that you can find, but it's definitely better using the Chicken Tenders.

Ingredients:
4 pats butter
several dollops hot sauce (not Tabasco)
Long Sandwich Roll
Lettuce
2-3 Chicken Tenders
Bleu Cheese or Ranch Dressing

First, our patented Buffalo Sauce method. unwrap the pats of butter into a small bowl, then microwave them until totally melted, about 30 seconds. Add several dashes of hot sauce and stir it all together until you get that delicious orange color.
Get a plate with a few pieces of lettuce and a sandwich roll, then pick up your chicken tenders. At your table, put some lettuce in the roll and set it aside, then pour the buffalo sauce over the chicken tenders and turn to coat. Place your buffalo chicken on the sandwich roll, then go to the salad dressing and top it all off with some Bleu Cheese or Ranch. Enjoy!

 

Edit: Leo's now provides buffalo sauce near the ketchup, BBQ sauce, and mustard dispensers.  I still prefer to make my own, but this is an acceptable alternative that saves significant time.

Double Edit: The Diner today (10/4) had an attempt at recreating this as their Chicken Special. Consensus? It's much better when you do it my way.

Simple Pleasure Mondays: Coke Freestyle

Let's be honest. That large, oracular-looking coke machine next to the ice cream station on the bottom floor is starting to give us the creeps. It's got 20 banners for itself, has a touchscreen, and is probably secretly watching us to make sure we don't take food from the dining hall (unsuccessfully--GOT HEEM!). That said, I had always been curious about trying the Freestyle after seeing one at a pizza place back in California but being too cheap to pay for a soda--since all drink options are complimentary at O'Donovan's, I had to give it a shot.

My verdict? It's a pretty ridiculous machine, but worth a try just to quench your curiosity (ironic pun to make fun of their banners intended). It's got all the same options as the coke machines you'll find at the sides of each level of Leo's, plus it gives you the option to inject the soda of your choice with any number of bizarre syrups. Surprisingly, a few of the syrups were subtle and delicious--the orange-flavored coke was a personal favorite of mine.

Nevertheless, fair Leo's patrons, unless you've stumbled upon a combination that you just can't resist (please let us know) don't bother waiting in the occasionally heinous line to try the thing. As hard as it might be to believe, the machine doesn't have feelings--although given the pace of technological advancement these days I couldn't say for sure.


Stay tuned for an exposé on what's got students waiting so long for the new and improved stir fry station, as well as a plea for Leo's to retract how its new "At Home" Station is run.

Simple Pleasure Mondays: Odd-hour Dining as a Response to New Policies

Hello hello! Welcome back to another year of fine dining tips and recipes from your friends at OOTW. I (John) have admittedly been slacking off with regards to posts this year; as if living in Nevils with a block 75 meal plan weren't enough, I have been faced with a flooded apartment this past weekend... Irregardless (yes, that should be a word) I'm back to give you what I believe to be a pointer that, due to the changes in O'Donovan's this year, is more essential than ever: odd-hour dining.
What is odd-hour dining, you ask? Why should I only eat at 9, 11, 1, 3, 5, or 7? Apologies for the dad-like humor notwithstanding, odd-hour dining is simply the practice of eating at Leo's during the times that are less crowded. Odd-hour dining can turn into somewhat of an art form; one must find a time when a sufficient amount of food is still being served, yet the lines are short enough and tables are plentiful.

Usually, a safe timetable for odd-hour dining is as follows: breakfast at 9:45 am, lunch at 11:30 am or 2:00 pm, and dinner at 5:15 pm or 7:45 pm. Of course this will fluctuate on any given day, and just as the freshness of the baked cod at the "At Home" station, is sometimes unpredictable and may turn out unfavorably.
I say that this is an especially important time to take advantage of odd-hour dining mostly because of the changes we've seen on the upper level of Leo's. Much like New Jersey (#HamptonHomeland) gas stations, the food is now doled out by employees rather than self-served by students. In my personal opinion this hinders the efficiency of the Leo's lines, causing unnecessary congestion and taking valuable Leo's personell away from preparing more food instead (for all you fellow econ people, this appears to be Bastiat's broken windon fallacy incarnate). I am tempted to contact Leo's staff and inquire about the new policy--it may be time for another campaign... But until then, odd-hours dining is the best way around this new change.

What Happened to the Pasta??? (Plus MYO Chicken Parm)

^^This is the generalized sentiment of about 90% of Leo's patrons tonight, in the first night of meal plans at Georgetown. Do not fear, yet, though. I have heard that the "Pasta Palate" will return, but supplies are not yet ready for its debut. If it is not back soon, don't worry, we'll definitely get on it.
Of greater concern is the fact that food is now served to us by Leo's staff members. Though this does allow us to interact better and probably reduces mess, it doesn't work for hungry and rushed college students. Hopefully something can be worked out with this aspect as well.
Oh and if you haven't seen the new touch-screen drink machine by the ice cream, it's a must. 
All that being said, I do like the new look of O'Donovan's, it's definitely more gourmet. Check back in a bit for more updates on the transition for the new year.

But for now: a recipe, our first of the year!

Make-your-own Chicken Parmesan

I have always found that the Chicken Parmesan is one of Leo's premiere dishes, so today I decided to make it myself. It's especially nice because there's always chicken available somewhere, and always at least one kind of pasta. Sorry I don't have a picture.

Ingredients:
Plain Pasta (preferably spaghetti)
Chicken- either grilled, or if you're lucky, Chicken Finger Thursday
Mozzarella cheese (either near the pasta, or from MYOP)
Parmesan cheese (from the Bistro pizza section)
Marinara sauce

Start by getting some pasta in a bowl or plate, and place your chicken on top, preferably a bit off to the side. Cover the chicken generously with the two cheeses, then head to the microwave. Microwave it just enough to melt the cheese, but not enough to make anything mushy (like the pasta or chicken's coating), perhaps 30-45 seconds. Head back upstairs and top it off with the marinara sauce.

Leo's for a Whole New Year

Hello and welcome back to another year! O’Donovan’s on the Waterfront is ready for a whole new Leo’s experience and can’t wait to see everyone there.

Chances are that you’re either super excited to get back to Georgetown, but maybe you’re a little afraid of succumbing to Leo’s fare. Well that’s what we’re here for. If you’re ever feeling a little bored with Leo’s food, check out OOTW and we’ll hook you up.

While I’ve been on campus since the 14^th for RA training, John just arrived 2 days ago, and caused an earthquake with his arrival. However, I was only able to return to the Blessed Temple of O’Donovan recently, and I could barely contain my excitement. Though not all gastronomic options were displayed as of yet, I made some notes about the changes Leo’s has made over the summer.

First, and most noticeable: All of the large booths on the right side of downstairs have been removed. What?? That’s right. Everything is standard tables now. (see photo) Some diners were disappointed by the lack of privacy and atmosphere that this change created, but there are some positives. First of all, I’m sure that many of you are disappointed when you arrive to Leo’s with a large group hoping to snag one of those sought-after booths, only to find that they’re taken up by two people who can somehow take up the entire space. Well, no more of that, they’ll just take a regular table. Also, the elimination of booths allows for several extra tables to replace them, creating an increased seating capacity, which is always needed.

Next, there are cafeteria TRAYS! I have no idea why, as last year, Leo’s had been characterized by the lack of trays in those spaces so obviously intended for them on the silverware racks. We’ll see where this goes.

I believe there is some different lighting on the center island downstairs to highlight the food.

Signs! The awkward standing signs indicating where to find cereal, drinks, etc. have been replaced by signs high on the wall above those alcoves. I approve.

Next, the gluten free section has been increased, and made significantly more apparent. (see photo) It is now located where the drinks used to be, I don’t know what will happen to coffee machines, etc.

Finally, the Diner is being renovated. I have no idea how or into what, so that remains to be seen. 

I tried to talk to the Dining Manager about these changes, but he declined to say anything, and instead gave me the email address of someone at Aramark (the company that runs the facility). I sent them an email, and it turns out that the email address doesn’t work. Smooth. I’ll follow up

In any case, the food is delicious as usual, and I’m looking forward to the year.

Mid-summer Update: Meal Plan Analysis

Hello all, I hope you've been enjoying your summer. While John is likely being productive somewhere on the west coast, Scott has been recovering from knee surgery and as a result has way too much time on his hands. The product of that time will be this post: analyzing which meal plan is best for you. I know that you all love spending time at O'Donovan's, but chances are that you don't go there 3 times a day. As such, this will be a practical as well as economic analysis of how to best spend your meal plan dollars to feed your appetite.

Let's begin with the two most expensive plans: the Carte Blanche and the "24-meal per week." They cost the exact same: $2,299. Think about it, 24 meals a week means you can eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner at Leo's, seven days a week, and still have 3 meals left over for Late Night on a weeknight. Now I know that you GTown partiers would never go to breakfast on a Saturday or Sunday, so I think it's fair to say that you'd have pretty much every single meal covered, even if you were a Late Night fan. Lucky you. So now what do you get by switching that to the "Carte Blanche"? Well for one, a fancy French phrase meaning "blank card/slate" or something like that, I don't do French during the summer. Well the only added bonus that I can see is that you are allowed to go back into Leo's multiple times during a single meal period. And I know of probably 2 instances all last year where I would have liked that... So, honestly, probably not really a big deal. However, you don't lose anything with the "Carte Blanche," with the exception of 100 Flex Dollars that could certainly be very useful. My pick: 24- meal plan.

Next up: the 14-meal vs. 10-meal plan.
I have personal experience with this. I had a 14-meal plan during the fall semester and switched to a 10-meal for the spring. I found that I consistently had 1 or 2 meals left over on Friday and felt like I could cut a few more out of my week if I needed to. So I did. How? Most of all, I stopped eating breakfast at Leo's. I sometimes ate a granola bar, or bowl of oatmeal, or some Honey Nut Cheerios in my room before my first class, then went to Leo's for lunch. In addition, I was off-campus for probably over half the weekends of the spring semester, due either to tournaments or going other places. As a result, I generally only ate Sunday dinner at Leo's, and then could eat all but one lunch and dinner there during the week, and it wasn't difficult to make myself pasta or get Wisey's once a week. These two options are very practical for students who don't need to eat a ton, every meal, every day. If you're on campus for weekends, the 14-meal is a great bet, and gives you the flexibility to eat breakfast on occasion if you like. If you try to avoid Leo's sometimes, but still feel the need to get there to get some quality gourmet dining, the 10-meal plan should suffice.

Now for: the Blocks
Georgetown Dining introduced two new block plans for next semester: the 180-meal and the 135-meal, to go with the traditional 75 and 45. After a bit of research, I have determined that a semester (at least in dining terms, cause who cares about classes) is 16 weeks long. That means that a 180 block plan will get you, on average, 11.25 meals per week. That seems like a very reasonable number, and leaves you plenty of flexibility. The 135 plan averages out to 8.44 meals/week, 75 is 4.69, and 45 is 2.81. You should try to figure out how often you think you'll be eating at Leo's next semester, and if you think it will be irregular, a block plan may be best for you. Of course, remember that only juniors and seniors (and RAs, yay!) are allowed to purchase a block plan.

Moving on: prices:
Assuming a 16-week semester: this is the total cost of each plan, as well as its average per meal
Please note that I am subtracting the value of any included Flex dollars from the listed prices, as I consider that to be real money, so you are essentially buying money. (just be sure to use it all)

Carte Blanche: $2,299. Sorry, but that divided by infinity isn't well defined. If you consider eating every meal there, including all late nights, that's 26 meals per week, which is $5.53/meal. Pretty cheap, but make sure you read my notes above.
24 Meal Plan: $2,199 plus $100 flex. $5.73/meal 
14 Meal Plan: $1,967 plus $75 flex. $8.78/meal
10 Meal Plan: $$1,736 plus $50 flex. $10.85/meal

180 Block: $1,934 plus $50 flex. $10.74/meal
135 Block: $1,634 plus $100 flex. $12.10/meal
75 Block: $891. $11.88/meal
45 Block: $641. $14.24/meal

For reference, here are the door prices per meal, from Georgetown Dining.
Breakfast: $9.55
Lunch/Brunch: $11.55
Dinner: $13.75

In case you didn't figure it out, it would be cheaper for you to pay cash every time you went to Leo's than buy a 45 block. Think about that. And if you plan on eating a lot of breakfasts, the 75 and 135 blocks aren't very well worth your dollar.

My personal opinions:
1) The 14-meal plan is a great option for rising sophomores or anyone living on campus. As long as you think you're going to eat 12+ meals a week, it's a better value than the blocks, and you don't have to worry so much about rationing out your 180 or whatever.
2) 10-meal and 75-block have a good value. If this seems like the amount of meals that you would eat, I recommend them. Consider that 75-meals is just under 5 meals a week.
3) The 135 is the most contentious, for myself at least. It seems like a perfect number of meals for me, but the per-meal price is less than desirable. Still not convinced either way, but it's an option.

I hope this will help some of you decide what meal-plan will be best suited toward allowing yourself to enjoy the full Leo's experience next semester. If you have any contributions, comments, or questions, please let us know. Thanks, and enjoy the rest of your summer!

Simple Pleasure Mondays: Getting to Know the Staff

Hi all, best of luck to you in the slew of finals season. We have had quite literally the best school year of our lives (well...Scott had a pretty good time in high school), and we hope the rest of you look back--maybe after you're done with finals--with similar sentiments on what has truly been a tremendous year.

We leave you on this fine Monday with our final simple pleasure (and overall post) until next school year: getting to know the Leo's staff. A simple suggestion for good measure, we hope that our readers will take the time before summer starts to thank the staff for all their hard work. When next year comes around, and hopefully you've done it this year too, take the time to thank and perhaps engage in a short conversation with the staff at Leo's. They are all lively and warm people, and I have not met a single one who didn't enjoy at least my asking how their day was. It's an incredibly simple gesture that can make their work a lot more enjoyable (and can perhaps score you some extra of whatever you're craving). Perhaps the most satisfying aspect of the dining hall doesn't have to do with the food.

Thank you all for what has been a fantastic season of O'Donovan's on the Waterfront. The blog clocked over 4,500 total views and hopefully made the dining experiences of many students more enjoyable. We wish you to savor your time away from one of the world's most exclusive dining clubs, and we hope to have some cool new ideas in time for the start of next year. Feel free to contact us at odonovansonthewaterfront@gmail.com if your summer dining experiences give you a sudden O'Donnovative inspiration. Congrats to the class of 2011!

-John and Scott

Cinnamon Toast Applesauce

I'll have to think of a better name for this; it is a seriously cool and easy O'Donnovation. It takes as much prep time as a regular bowl of cereal but is a delicious and addictive substitute. I'd like to call it the poor man's apple crumble, but that would imply that it is inferior to actual apple crumble, which--having eaten some pretty mediocre apple crumble in my day--I'm not so sure is the case.

Ingredients:
-Applesauce
-Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal

Directions:
As you might have guessed, put a fair amount of applesauce in a bowl and cover it with a solid layer of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I like to mix it all together, but keeping the cereal at the top would work fine too as long as you get both the cereal and the applesauce in one spoonful. The texture is really what makes this dish awesome; try it for yourself.

A HUGE thanks to Pete Metzger for his irreplaceable team leadership this year, and also for this O'Donnovation!

Cookie Crumb Waffle

Roger Chu, the trusty treasurer of the ultimate team, has been pushing for a while for us to blog about a chocolate chip waffle recipe. We initially balked at the idea, seeing as ice cream toppings aren't out at breakfast and the chocolate would perhaps do something funky to the waffle iron. What's more, the chocolate chips were gone from the toppings selection! Nevertheless, one fine study day, Scott tried out a similar concept with the chocolate cookie crumbs at the ice cream toppings station. To our surprise, the result was fantastic: a golden brown waffle with the delightful accents of chocolate cookies. Thanks Chu!

Ingredients:
- Waffle batter
- Several scoops of cookie crumbs from the ice cream toppings station
- Syrup, butter, powdered sugar, etc. if so desired

Directions:
Spoon about half of the waffle batter onto the waffle iron--make sure you cover as much of the iron as possible. Proceed to sprinkle the cookie crumbs all around the batter, taking great caution not to put cookie crumbs directly on the iron. Finish by adding the rest of the batter onto the iron. Close the iron, wait to cook, add syrup/butter/powdered sugar when finished, and enjoy! Just be careful not to bite off more than you can Chu...

Cinnamon-sugar turnover

A sweet but slightly time-consuming creation, this can be satisfying at all hours of the day. It takes a few minutes to prepare, but is very simple and easy. I encourage you to try experimenting with the bread and cooking methods. I've considered the MYOP oven and panini press as well.

Ingredients:
2 pieces white sandwich bread
2 pats butter
powdered sugar (near the waffle maker)
cinnamon (same)
little bit of apple, very thinly sliced (optional)

Start by breaking the edge of the crusts off your bread. Yes, you look like a 5-year old, but it's necessary. Then spread about 3/4 pat of butter on each piece of bread. Thoroughly dust with a layer of powdered sugar, then sprinkle a coating of cinnamon. If using apples, spread those on now as well, leaving a little space on the edge of the bread. Top with more powdered sugar, and another repetition if you so desire. (Reccommended if you want a full flavor) Top with the other piece of bread, and tightly press the edges together all around. You may have to do this several times to get a good seal. You can also press the entire composition together to flatten it out a little to get a better crust texture. Once it's sealed, place your turnover in the toaster, set almost to its fastest setting. Once it drops down, check the edge seal, flip it over, and put it through once more. Break open the sweet, warm deliciousness and enjoy!

 

An edit: In the picture, I topped the turnover with a drizzle of honey and a dusting of cinnamon. This is entirely up to you. It looks nice, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you're a big fan of honey, like me.

Simple Pleasure Mondays: MYOPasta

A good morrow to all O'Donovan's faithfuls and happy last day of classes. Scott and I have once again been swamped with work, and I am currently in a sling due to an unfortunate collision during a game of ultimate. Of course, that didn't stop me (and Scott, with his flip flops) from sprinting down to the White House last night and celebrating the good riddance of the world's most dangerous terrorist. USA! USA!

This week's simple pleasure is--well, quite simply--an exposé on an already rather popular Leo's station: Make Your Own Pasta. We have little to say about this station, but as finals creep up on us all Scott and I figured that everyone has less time than ever to be O'Donnovative (or perhaps more, depending on your procrastination habits). Nevertheless, some important things to keep in mind when concocting a carbo-loaded creation at MYOPasta:
- MYOPasta is a vegan/vegetarian station, so forget trying to ask chefs if they'll cook your pasta with meat you bring them. For more on how to turn your MYOPasta carnivorous, consult the Meat Add-ins post.
- Spring for the whole wheat pasta over the white. Its consistency is quite similar to the white pasta, but you get a whole lot more nutrient-wise. If the focus of your dish is pasta texture, you're not being creative enough.
- Add more veggies to your pasta than you would think; they tend to shrink down a lot once cooked (spinach especially). For interesting textural variety, try adding some uncooked veggies to your pasta after it's been cooked--I prefer adding carrots after cooking rather than before.
- K.I.S.S.: Keep It Simple, Stupid! Too often I see wayward souls getting ingredient-happy by mashing up every possible veggie and sauce in a muddled MYOPasta dish. For those who have tried everything else and truly believe that nothing may be omitted, fine. For me (and I would venture to say most others), keeping ingredients down to four or fewer is the way to go. Sometimes less is more; one of my favorite creations is simply pasta with mushrooms and cream sauce.

I hope this post leads you to get more enjoyment out of the MYOPasta station, and let me know if you have any suggestions for combinations. Enjoy the study days (it was worth a try...) and stay tuned for the last Simple Pleasure Monday of the year next week!

The Team Sundae

This might be seen as just another ice cream recipe, but no! It is an entire experience. This is designed for those team dinners, where the sense of community created by O'Donovans' mood lighting is just as important as its gourmet fare. If you want raw, unadulterated satisfaction, this is it.

Ingredients:
Cookie Crumbs
Ice Cream (several flavors)
Sprinkles
Butterscotch Chips
M&Ms
Cookie pieces
Hot Fudge

Special Equipment:
Pasta/Stir-fry size bowl
Several Spoons

First of all, make sure your bowl is COLD!  Create a bottoming base of cookie crumbs. Then fill it with 7-10 scoops of ice cream, strategically placed for optimal complimentary flavors. This means separate raspberry from mint and peanut butter, use chocolate as a transition, etc. Add toppings--again strategically distributed with respect to their proper ice cream bases, i.e. no Reeses' on the Raspberry Road Runner. Top with 3-4 cookies, broken into smaller pieces, add a sliced banana, and load it up with hot fudge and/or caramel. Serve with many spoons for your many co-diners to enjoy.

Simple Pleasure Mondays: Best (and worst) of the Bistro

We hope that all you Hoyas had a revitalizing Passover (shoutout to all my Jewish friends in the yay area) and Easter break; Scott ventured back to the untamed woodlands of New Jersey whilst I played countless hours of frisbee golf and pokémon at Georgetown. We both enjoyed taking a break from Leo's food, and were two of only 10 brave souls on the Catholic Justice ultimate frisbee team to capture 2nd place in the Colonial Conference! #300-esque ratio of warriors to ass-kicking

Onto the good stuff, this week's simple pleasure gives insight into many students' go-to quick eating station: the Bistro. The hallowed grounds of unlimited pizza and other grilled/roasted entrées, the Bistro is a time-sensitive station that lets you and the entire Georgetown football team carboload in a matter of seconds. Here are our picks for the most delectable--and unsatisfactory--dishes that the Bistro offers.

Gourmet:
-Barbecue Chicken Pizza: this pizza is garnished with just the right amount of chicken pieces, combined with an exquisite tangy bbq sauce and an underwhelming yet robust amount of garnish. A must-have for those who have realized that a bbq chicken MYOP is not the way to go (give it up already!).
-White Pizza: a surprisingly quaint and delicious pizza, this pie is made simply with dough, cheese, and olive oil. It may come out a little greasy, which is why patting it down with a napkin before diving in might not be a bad idea. The white pizza lends itself to being topped with your preference of oregano, parmesan cheese, and/or crushed chili flakes.
-Grilled chicken: this protein-packed staple is rather succulent by itself, but the true magic of the grilled chicken lies in its versatility. It can be used on many MYOP dishes, or as per the previous post, a meat add-in for pasta.
-Grilled Vegetable Medley: This delightful combination of grilled carrots and onions is the perfect compliment to the Bistro's heavier dishes. Far preferred to the spinach (see below), these veggies are cooked just right and pack a surprising amount of flavor. Cmon, who doesn't like grilled onions? Admittedly, it's not great date food, but if you're having a date at Leo's then you have bigger problems to address...

Stay away:
-Meat lovers pizza: although we appreciate the concept of the meat lovers, the overwhelming combination of sausage and pepperoni simply doesn't cut it. The sausage is perhaps the least complimentary to the pizza, adding unnecessary girth to an already heavy pizza. If you thought dabbing the white pizza was a good idea, you'll need a role of Bounty triple-ply to get through this one.
-Spinach: We like to think that spinach has gained a bad rap as America's least favorite green along with brussel sprouts, but the Bistro's rendition definitely doesn't do the vegetable justice. Often overcooked and soggy in its own juices, we recommend going for a salad at the Deli station and holding out until the grilled vegetable medley makes an appearance.

Meat Add-Ins for Pasta

I had seen people doing this on occasion, but it was only yesterday that I truly realized the value of this delicious combination. I love pasta, but I am continually bored by the limited options for special sauces and dishes that Leo's offers. One of my favorites is the occasional "Penne with Italian Sausage," but even this sometimes tastes slightly unsatisfactory. However, I now know you can truly "Make your own" (which we're clearly a fan of) Pasta, using whatever meats are available on a given day. Bear in mind 2 things: 1) This is extremely dependent on what is available. I can't quite imagine pasta mixed with turkey pot pie. 2) The Pasta Palate is vegan: do not attempt to have them cook meat into your pasta, as they will not let you.

Ingredients:
Pasta with sauce (either from veggie station or the Pasta Palate)
Vegetables (optional)
Sausage/steak/chicken

Assembly is relatively simple. Top your pasta with your desired vegetables and meat, and that's it. However, many diners may choose to challenge the stir-fry chefs to toss up their pasta with some meat. The stir-fry station is known to be lenient in allowing other add-ins, and we encourage you to try some out. You can of course ask to have the stir-fry meats added, but I'd be willing to bet that they could also just cook up a pre-assembled mixture for you if you asked nicely. Keep in mind that you should cut up your sausage, steak, or chicken into smaller pieces to allow for even mixing and cooking.

My personal favorite for this is quite simple. Get pasta from the veggie station, top with marinara sauce and some cheese, and add an Italian sausage, peppers, and onions from the Flavors of Home, if you're blessed to be at Leo's on one of those days. Credit to Matt Kerrigan on this one.

An additional option that I developed after a home-cooked meal is as follows. Start by going to the Pasta Palate, and in your bowl put spinach, mushrooms, onions, and anything else you might want. Cook that up with some pasta and a little bit of pesto sauce. I would suggest asking them to use less sauce than normal, I tend to find that it's too much. Afterwards, you can add some cheese, then bring it over to the stir-fry station, have them add in chicken, and maybe some peppers. Enjoy.

White Pasta/Chicken MYOP

Thanks to Heather Flynn and The Hoya staff for the article in today's paper! Sadly, there is no link in the article, so I hope those of you coming from there could find us. For our regular readers, please share your knowledge with others interested. In the meantime, enjoy more new recipes!

Following a suggestion from Fonzi, I tried out this pizza and was enormously satisfied with the results. In terms of flavor, it's not that revolutionary, but it's a lot more full-bodied than the typical MYOP. It's also slightly less work than some of our other pizzas, provided that you remember to grab pasta and alfredo sauce from upstairs before you go down to the Bistro.

Ingredients:
Pasta-from veggie station, penne or rotini
Alfredo sauce
Grilled Chicken (1.5-2 pieces)
MYOP crust
Mozzarella Cheese
Pizza additions- Parmesan cheese, oregano, garlic powder, crushed red pepper
Spinach leaves

Start by getting a large bowl about half full of pasta and a small bowl with some Alfredo sauce. Go downstairs and get grilled chicken and cut it into small pieces. Spread a MYOP crust with Alfredo sauce, then spread the pasta on top of the sauce. Fill in the spaces with the grilled chicken, making an almost uniform layer on top of the crust. Then top with the mozzarella cheese, additions (oregano is a MUST), and several spinach leaves for color and texture. Hand in your pizza and enjoy.
The main difference with this pizza is that most of the toppings are under the cheese. The pasta doesn't change the flavor much, but the added starch and volume makes it seem almost like a thick-crust pizza, which falls more to my preferences. The chicken is most of the flavor, along with the oregano, so don't be shy on either of those. The cheese melts on top of the pasta and chicken, creating a nice blanket that blends very well. This is definitely worth investigating.

Simple Pleasure Mondays: Custom Orders at The Diner

Beloved readers, thank you for your patience during our rather sparse past week of posting; Scott and I have been swamped with both ultimate and essays. Of course I struggled to embellish the wording of my sentences to have my paper reach the lower page limit (the COL way) while Scott struggled to cut 1000 words from his paper in order to reach the upper page limit (the SFS way). Nevertheless, Simple Pleasure Mondays are back and better than ever.
This week's hidden gem hails from the mezzanine level of Leo's: the Diner. The paragon of what you wished your middle school lunches had been, the Diner offers a virtually infinite supply of battered, fried, and grilled entrées. Although many O'Donovan's regulars are privy to this special inconspicuous aspect of the Diner, patrons are actually able to write in the margins of the Diner order sheets to request items/add-ons that (within reason) the kind Leo's staff will make especially for you. A few of our favorites include medium rare burgers, grilled cheese, a fried egg on top of a burger (now a special called the egg burger), and adding bacon.
Keep in mind that if you ask to customize your order during a time that is not incredibly busy, the Leo's staff is more likely to accommodate your request. Also we've found that writing "thank you" on your order is a great idea; it's courteous to let the staff know you appreciate their hard work, and it appears to make your order come faster.
Enjoy your newly discovered culinary freedom, and stay tuned for more ODOTW posts this week!

Fruit-on-the-bottom Yogurt

I must preface this by explaining how my mother has eaten Dannon Coffee Yogurt for breakfast nearly every morning since before I was born. She was furious when they dropped from 8 oz. to 6, and even got a voucher for some free yogurt when she complained about the consistency of several containers. Thus, I always tried to eat yogurt, but could never really get too into it. However, I do know the value of the "Fruit on the Bottom!" types, and the surprising sweet deliciousness of getting bits of fruit with your yogurt. It was that experience that led  me to this O'Donnovation. Admittedly, it's not very difficult, or even different from our other yogurt parfait. But there are a few options to vary it, and it was quite delicious.

Ingredients:
Fruit (from near waffles, or other fruit station)
Plain Yogurt
Granola
Honey

The only truly revolutionary part of this is the use of new fruit. This morning, I went with the strawberry topping by the waffles. It helps to get as little syrup as possible and as much fruit. However, you can also use the applesauce there, or even the peaches from the regular fruit station. Put this in your bowl first, and top it with plain yogurt. Sprinkle with granola, drizzle with honey, (less since the fruit is already sweet) and enjoy.

Thai Noodles

Due to the fact that approximately half our blog is devoted to MYOP recipes, we're hoping to branch out a little more in the future. The following is a variant on Scott's Thai Chicken Pizza: a noodle dish that incorporates the same peanut sauce. The sauce when made right is a perfect compliment to stir fry, and is a great alternative to those pre-made sauces that contain twice your daily value of sodium per teaspoon. This simply prepared dish leaves much up to the preferences of the chef, however I suggest my favorite combination of items:

Ingredients:
Chicken from stir fry station
Noodles from stir fry station
Bell peppers from stir fry station
Water chestnuts from stir fry station
Ginger from stir fry station
Peanut Butter from Deli
Water

Directions:
If you haven't guessed already, order a dish at the stir fry station with chicken, noodles, bell peppers, water chestnuts, and ginger (add or subtract items as desired). After the dish is finished, go downstairs and put a scoop or two of peanut butter in a bowl. Add a small amount of water to the bowl (Scott prefers milk; either works, but don't do both) and mix at least a little bit. Place the bowl in the microwave for 15-20 seconds--not longer or things will go wrong--and continue mixing/adding water until you get a nice syrupy consistency. Mix the peanut sauce in with the stir fry until evenly coated, and enjoy.

Simple Pleasure Mondays: Bottomings

After an epic weekend of Tardy Gras and a trip to the amazing state of Georgia, it feels great to be writing once again about the simple things in life. Although I will never again be able to think of Leo's "Southern" cuisine as culinary equivalents of the real deal, the enamel-melting sweet tea of the American South has inspired me to write about this Monday's dessert-y simple pleasure: bottomings.
Bottomings--as opposed to toppings--are today's simplest O'donnovation to ensure that your ice cream accoutrements are evenly distributed throughout your culinary creation. We all appreciate the effort that Leo's has put into making ice cream toppings more plentiful and accessible with their new dispensers. As many have noticed, however, the dispensers release the toppings in a clump that more often than not ends up entirely on one side of your bowl or cup (if not on the floor). The simply pleasureful solution? Dispense the toppings you desire into your bowl before you scoop the ice cream. This way, you not only are able to more evenly distribute the toppings, but also you get a pleasant second round of toppings toward the end of your dessert.
If you are quite concerned with the distributing of your toppings you may want to try Scott's suggestion of mix-ins, but bottomings are a simpler way of the lazier individuals like myself to have nicely distributed confectionary dishes. Next time you indulge in Leo's fine ice cream selection, take a moment to turn some of your toppings into bottomings for a more delightful dessert experience.

Special thanks to Tom Fagan for contributing!

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

I went to Leo's the other day really wanting to try something different. There had been talk of a Barbecue Chicken Pizza, but I think a lot of people already know about that one. Instead I decided to do something Buffalo. And wouldn't you know it, when I looked up Buffalo sauce, it's just melted butter and hot sauce. The resultant creation was one of the greatest looking and satisfying creations so far.

Ingredients:
4 pats of butter from near the waffle machine
Hot sauce (near salad dressing- not Tabasco)
1.5-2 pieces Grilled Chicken
MYOP Crust
Sauce
Mozzarella cheese
Onions
Peppers

Start by unwrapping the butter into a small bowl and microwave it for 20-30 seconds until its completely melted. Mix in enough hot sauce to make a slightly thicker, deep orange Buffalo sauce. You should be able to tell what's enough by the color, but I would estimate that it's about a good 2 Tablespoons or so. Get your chicken and cut it up into small pieces, then mix it all up in the sauce until its nicely coated. Prepare your pizza crust with some sauce (not too much, you'll see why in a moment) and a good portion of cheese. Sprinkle some onions and peppers around for color and flavor enhancement, but don't take away from the chicken's spotlight. Arrange your chicken all around the pizza, and don't be shy at all. You should have chicken in every bite. Then drizzle the remaining buffalo sauce on top of the finished pizza and let it cook. (yes we are definitely trying to cause heart attacks here) When the pizza is done, you should be taken aback by the brilliant color and grease that has collected in the middle. Ignore it, this is absolutely worth the extra calories. Enjoy thoroughly.

Fruit Sundae

A quick suggestion for an alternative type of dessert. This was suggested by a lactose intolerant student as a good substitution for an ice cream sundae, but you can also try it if you're just not in the mood for ice cream. I definitely prefer ice cream, but it's an interesting change and don't let the concept of it scare you away.

Ingredients:
Peaches
Pinneapple
Melon
Any other fruits you desire
Ice cream toppings such as cookie crumbs, rainbow sprinkles, Reese's Pieces, etc.

First get your fruit in a bowl, but don't fill it up too much. Cut the fruit up into bite size pieces, especially the peaces and melon. Add whatever toppings you want, mix it up to coat the fruit, and enjoy.

P.S. Rainbow sprinkles are a must.

Thai Chicken Pizza with Peanut Sauce

I tried out this bold recipe (suggested by Alyssa Huberts) a few days ago, and though it needed a few adjustments, it turned out quite well. It requires some extra work outside of the pizza station, but still isn't that difficult.

Ingredients:
Stir Fry Chicken
Stir Fry Vegetables (such as peppers and water chestnuts)
Spinach leaves
Peanut butter
Milk
MYOP crust
Mozzarella Cheese

Start at the Stir-Fry station. Order just some chicken with your desired vegetables, no noodles, rice, or sauce. Then head downstairs and add some spinach leaves to your bowl. Now you have to make the peanut sauce.
Get a few tablespoons of smooth peanut butter in a bowl and microwave it for about 30 seconds until its very soft and stir-able. Then add enough milk and stir it in until you get a nice tan mixture that has a consistency only slightly thicker than tomato sauce or thick salad dressing. Its very important that your sauce is liquid enough, otherwise your pizza will be dry and too heavy on peanut flavor.
In any case, you're now ready to assemble your pizza. Spread your sauce across a MYOP crust and sprinkle with cheese. Distribute the spinach on top. Rip or cut up the stir-fry chicken and spread that out evenly, and fill out with your vegetables on top. Enjoy!

Philly Cheesesteak Pizza

I will start this post with a confession: I have never actually been to Philadelphia. I am a sheltered, California grown hippie-inspired left leaner who can tell you more about fixed gear bicycles and bay area farmers markets (Davis, CA tops the list) than you care to know. That said, I ventured to capture the essence of the Philly Cheesesteak in yet another creative pizza. Scott, an east coast native, gave his grunt of approval, so while I cannot say this measures up to an actual Philly Cheesesteak I dare say it's a reasonable Leo's MYOP adaptation. I am still experimenting with the proportions, but have what I believe to be a solid recipe so far.

Keep in mind that any form of "steak" that you can find in Leo's will suffice. Roast beef is always available, but if you ever find something at the carving station, that could really bump up the level of quality.

Ingredients:
MYOP crust
Half a serving of pizza sauce
10 pieces of provolone cheese from the Deli
3 large pieces of roast beef from the Deli
Chopped onions from MYOP station
Chopped bell peppers from MYOP station

Directions:
Start by spreading only HALF of a ladle's worth of pizza sauce onto the MYOP crust. This is very important, as the objective of the sauce in this pizza is moisture and not flavor. Grab a stack of provolone slices from the Deli and break each slice into bits; spread about 7 slices across the pizza and save the other 3 for after the roast beef is put on. Take the roast beef and break into small pieces as well, spreading throughout the pizza; follow with the rest of the cheese. Finish by putting the chopped onions and peppers on the pizza--it's important that these be put on last because you want them to cook well, and even I know that raw onions and peppers would be a major Philly faux pas. Enjoy, and let me know if you can think of any ways to improve the recipe.

Simple Pleasure Mondays: Delights of the Vegetarian Station

O'Donovan's On The Waterfront is proud to celebrate its 1 week anniversary! Thank you all for spreading the word; we currently have over 1400 views to date. We are excited to announce our new weekly posting entitled Simple Pleasure Mondays. Every Monday, we highlight a simple yet under-appreciated facet of Leo's. These simple pleasures are perhaps not as O'donnovative as our regular posts, yet they represent the spirit of what this blog is all about: easy ways to make your Leo's experience more enjoyable.

This Monday's simple pleasure hails from the upper floor of O'Donovan's on the Northern end of the facility: the Vegan/VegetarianStation. Many shy away from the Station, as they are neither vegan nor vegetarian. Others may show a preference for different vegan/vegetarian options, such as the salad bar or certain items at the Bistro. Even further, some may not view the items at the Station as tasty compared to alternative dishes.
While we certainly show a propensity toward dishes that include meat, we would like to shed light on a few particularly appetizing aspects of this station:
1. Brownies: Perhaps the best-made dessert option in Leo's, the vegan brownies are touted as better tasting than their non-vegan counterparts. Unfortunately the vegan brownies are only made about once a week, so it is worth keeping a sharp eye out for them; they are often gone as quickly as they are served. For non-vegans, the brownies go great with a tall glass of milk or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. They also go great just by themselves.
2. Banana Bread: Another inconspicuous treat served about once a week at the Station is the vegan banana bread. Even without the use of eggs, butter, or milk, the bread is incredibly flavorful and moist. As is the case with most anything, the inside slices are far better than the ends. The bread is fantastic as a snack or a more healthful dessert substitute.
3. Toasted Flatbread Triangles: Usually served at lunch next at the far left end of the Station, these skinny flatbread triangles are a perfect compliment to a main course--they go especially well with pasta dishes. They are reminiscent of pita chips, toasted and seasoned to perfection with what appears to be parmesan cheese and herb spices; a fantastic alternative to bread rolls.

Stay tuned for our regular O'Donovan's posts throughout the week, and take a look at the new pictures of some of our previously posted dishes!

MYOP Victory Pizza

We have over 1,000 page views now! Thank you all, and continue spreading the word.
We are very grateful that you can now make your favorite custom pizzas again.

In celebration, Scott made a pizza with nearly everything on it.
Meaning: Double-crust, spinach, onions, mushrooms, pepperoni, tomatoes, garlic powder, cheese on top.
It was actually so much food that he couldn't quite finish it. And he hadn't had a real meal since 7 AM.
And... we have our first picture!
New Original recipes will resume tomorrow.

Bacon, Egg, & Cheese Breakfast Sandwich

While we wait for results of the MYOP petition, we will continue to update recipes as regularly as possible. I met with a possible regular contributor today, and she has many great new ideas that you may see here soon. In the meantime, I hope you'll enjoy this recipe, which has been suggested by several people, just in time for your weekend late morning brunches. Note that this sandwich is better at the weekend brunch times due to the variety of cheeses that become available when they open the sandwich station, otherwise you have to use what is available near the cream cheese/peanut butter.

Ingredients:
Bagel (I prefer everything) or Croissant
Mayonnaise (if desired)
Choice of cheese (swiss, provolone, etc.)
Scrambled Eggs
About 4 strips of bacon (or sausage)

Start by slicing your bagel and toasting it lightly. If you like mayo, spread a little bit on your bagel, then place your cheese on both sides. Top with a layer of scrambled eggs; I like to use the Western style with the peppers, but it's up to you. Lay the bacon out on top of the eggs and top with the cheese and other side of the bagel. Place in the panini press and cook for a few minutes, enough to brown the bagel a little more and melt the cheese. The melted cheese, besides tasting a lot better, helps to hold the actual sandwich together. Like the panini, you don't want to press down too hard, or else your bagel will lose all of its volume and it will look like you have have a sandwich between two large flat crackers. When its done cooking, grab your sandwich, maybe a nice mocha, and enjoy the weekend air.

Grilled Chicken Panini

This delectable creation relies heavily on the creative room afforded by the MYOP station--there was panic when it was taken away, but luckily it has been reinstated. With that in mind, I decided to try a slightly different O'donnovation combining five distinct stations: a grilled chicken panini.

Ingredients:
Pesto sauce from the pasta station
Grilled chicken
Sub roll from sandwich area
Mozzerella cheese (from Bistro, hoarding the MYOP ingredients)
Spinach leaves
Tomato slices (optional)

Start by getting a small bowl of pesto from the pasta station and heading downstairs. Find yourself a small work area where you can cut up the chicken into small slices and assemble the sandwich. Spread a spoonful or two of pesto onto each side of the cut roll, then layer the chicken on top of one side. Top with a generous serving of mozzarella cheese, then slip some spinach leaves and a small tomato slice in at the very end. Put the sandwich in the panini press and let it cook long enough so that the cheese melts considerably. Don't press it down too hard, or your sandwich will lose its volume and look very unappetizing. Once your panini is nicely browned, put it on a plate, find a suitable side dish, and enjoy.