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!