Dishin’ Out Durham: It’s Raining Bowls, Hai-llelujah!

13 Sep 2012, Posted by Melissa Dalis in Backpages, Digging into Durham, 0 Comments

Insane. Hedonistic. Debauched. Such was supposed to be my Saturday night.

Okay, so maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration. But at least I have your attention now.

In truth, my friends and I decided to kick back and relax with dinner and a movie this past Saturday. None of us are all that decisive, so we didn’t choose a restaurant or movie beforehand. We figured that we would reach a mutual decision when we met up. I picked up one friend from Central and continued on to East to get the other, all the while creating a mental list of the many eateries I would propose when we were finally together. But of course, just as I reached East Campus and opened my mouth to start spewing off names from my carefully constructed list, the heavens opened up and down came that relentless, torrential downpour that I’m sure put a damper on your night as well.

All the options I had prepared to bestow upon my friends flew out of my head and only one remained: Bali Hai. I was already on East at this point and didn’t care to stray far from campus in the rain. Delicious, quick, and conveniently located on 9th Street, Bali Hai offered a logical yet tasty solution to our rainy dilemma.

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Though I personally consider it to be a treasure chest of scrumptiousness, Bali Hai is more widely known as a Chinese Mongolian grill that offers its customers made-to-order dishes loaded with virtually any selection of meats and vegetables. About fifteen minutes by foot from East Campus and five minutes by car from West, Bali Hai presents Duke students with an easy and affordable Mongolian dining experience.

From its exterior and interior, Bali Hai looks like your average restaurant. But it isn’t. It operates by an ingenious design that gives you, the consumer, complete control over what you eat and how you eat it. Simply choose a sauce from their selection, which includes combination sauce options, and specify a level of spiciness on a scale from 1 to 10. Then add a protein or noodle option for a small, additional fee and mosey on over to the salad and meat bar to stuff either one or two bowls (again, your choice!) with as many vegetables, like cabbage, tomatoes, and green peppers to name a few, and meats, like turkey, pork, and beef, as you can. Once you deem your bowl stuffed enough, drop your creation off at the cooking station and watch as the chefs grill your meal to perfection right in front of your very own eyeballs! After the chefs finish their magic, your food will appear at your table accompanied by your choice of fried or white rice. All that’s left to do after that is eat, enjoy, and try to keep yourself from embarrassingly devouring your meal like a voracious hyena…as I tend to do.

I like to think of Bali Hai as a college kid’s dream come true. Not only does the restaurant let you eat on your own terms, but it also poses a challenge—to stuff as many meats and vegetables into the bowl as is humanly possible—and we all know how much we college kids enjoy a good challenge. Some of the bowls that wind up on the cooking station look less like a bowl and more like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It’s really quite impressive. But it’s important to know that you shouldn’t try to get too ambitious. If you’re caught stuffing your bowl to heights comparable to the Burj Khalifa, then you are sure to get an earful from the restaurant staff.

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Bali Hai offers both lunch and dinner pricing options. One bowl at lunch costs $5.95 while one bowl at dinner costs $6.95. Add-ons, like chicken, tofu, calamari, and noodles among others, cost somewhere between an additional $1-3. At prices like these, it’s no surprise that Bali Hai is always buzzing with activity.

Boasting a pleasant atmosphere bolstered by veggies sizzling on the grill and enticing aromas wafting through the air, Bali Hai offered my friends and I a magnificent place to eat a great dinner and enjoy each other’s company as we waited for the rain to pass. Fairly priced, conveniently located, and utterly delectable, I would definitely recommend that you give Bali Hai a try, rain or shine.

Bali Hai Website: http://www.balihainc.com/

Menu: http://www.balihainc.com/menu.html

Walking directions from the East Campus Bus Stop: http://www.mapquest.com/#caa4ede3a887eacb35fe16df

Driving Directions from West Campus:

http://www.mapquest.com/#bbc64fc489a1b0cd25d4d5b6

Dishin’ Out Durham: Burgers and Fries and Fro-Yo, Oh My!

04 Sep 2012, Posted by Melissa Dalis in Backpages, Digging into Durham, 0 Comments

Dinner and dessert. It’s a simple concept, but it’s one that’s decidedly difficult to find on-campus…especially for fewer than ten dollars. Just think about it. What options do we have that leave us full and satisfied to the hilt with nutritive goodness? At Duke, finding a casual, affordable dining environment proves to be quite the ordeal. But the second we dare to step away from the Duke bubble and venture into the mysterious land of Durham, an entirely new gastronomical world opens up to us.

This weekend, some friends and I stumbled across Durham’s crown jewel of reasonably priced dinner and dessert: a juicy burger at Only Burger followed by fro-yo at Tutti Frutti. Housed in Shannon Place, a quaint shopping plaza enveloped by an endless maze of beautiful ivy, both Only Burger and Tutti Frutti are located just under four miles from West Campus. Make that a little over five from East.

As many restaurants around the Bull City are often wont to do, Only Burger started off as a food truck. In fact, the Only Burger food truck often frequents Duke’s Campus, especially during big events like sporting games and festivals like LDOC. Following the truck’s unstoppable success, owner Brian Bottger decided to expand his business by opening up a permanent location. And my how the people in the Triangle have loved it. In 2011, readers of the Independent Weekly voted Only Burger Best Burger in Durham County, Best Food Truck in the Triangle, and Best Fries in the Triangle.

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So it’s no secret that Only Burger is a local favorite. The restaurant’s tagline reads, “Only Burger…when only the best will do.” I asked employees what makes an Only Burger “the best.” The secret, it seems, lies in the high-end quality of the beef. Leaner than most, the meat used in the restaurant hails from the Piedmontese cattle breed of Montana. However, beef isn’t the only meat served at the restaurant. Only Burger knows its clientele, and offers scrumptious turkey and vegetarian burger options as well.

When I asked about the most popular items on the menu, employees wasted no time in mentioning the fries, which when cooked twice and seasoned with salt and pepper, provide the perfect complement for their burgers. Employees also highlighted their specials, like the Carolina Burger, which comes loaded with house made slaw and chili, and the Fried Green Tomato Burger, which boasts its namesake fried green tomato along with an egg and pimento cheese. Employees lamented the sad fate of students who rely on the food truck, as these signature items are unique to the restaurant.

My burger and order of fries rang in at six dollars. Six dollars. I cannot remember the last time I enjoyed the luxury of a wholesome meal (especially on-campus) for just six dollars. Customers can choose to add cheese and extra toppings to their burger at a minimal price ($0.50-$1), but each burger comes loaded with condiments, lettuce, tomato, and onion included in the price. That’s not a bad deal for college student operating on a budget. Not a bad deal at all.

Roshni Jain/The Chronicle

Once we finished dinner, my friends and I craved something sweet. So we ventured just a little ways down the shopping plaza to Tutti Frutti, a haven for self-serve frozen yogurt enthusiasts like ourselves. We were immediately struck by the variety of flavors available to us. Tutti Frutti offers over twenty flavors, even more if we count the rotating, seasonal favorites. From original tart to pumpkin pie and soy based, gluten free flavors, there is sure to be a flavor for everyone.

Just as my friends and I wandered into Tutti Frutti in search of something sweet, so do many other consumers who grab dinner at Only Burger. Tutti Frutti employees explained that their customers have trouble juggling their Only Burger beverage cups and their Tutti Frutti cups as they attempt to fill the latter with fro-yo and top it off with any combination of toppings. With the price for the frozen treat remaining a steadfast $0.44/lb regardless of fro-yo and topping selection, there is no telling what crazy, affordable concoctions consumers produce.

Roshni Jain/The Chronicle

All in all, dinner and dessert becomes simple, affordable, and relaxed at the eateries of Shannon Place. With no dearth of feel-good vibes and comfortable seating, both in and out-of-doors, Only Burger and Tutti Frutti promise consumers a deliciously affordable and simple night. Come here for a cozy date or just for a chill night with friends. But no matter what the purpose, Duke students are sure to encounter a good time and good eats at Only Burger and Tutti Frutti.

Only Burger Website: http://onlyburger.com/

• Menu Link: http://onlyburger.com/menu-2

Tutti Frutti Website: http://www.tfyogurt.com/index.php

Directions from West Campus to Shannon Place: http://www.mapquest.com/#e2a3d76401f5bd879e02b68a

Hockey assaults, Harvard graduates, painting ripoffs and sexual colleges

26 Feb 2012, Posted by Melissa Dalis in News, Welcome to Academia, 0 Comments

Sophia Palenberg/The Chronicle

After two Boston University men’s hockey players were arrested for sexually assaulting female students this season, BU is now forming a team to study the culture of the team, according to AP. BU President Robert Brown wrote a letter to students, employees and trustees saying that the University needs to address these issues and make appropriate changes if necessary.

Tyra Banks received a diploma Feb. 17 from Harvard University’s Executive Education Owner/President Manager Program, according to the Washington Post. The program holds one three-week session per year, for three years, and each year costs $33,000. Banks will still receive alumnus status, even though she didn’t earn her master’s or doctoral degree from the University. Banks told VH1 last year that finance was her most difficult class: “For the first 30 minutes of the class, I’m raising my hand, I’m all into it, ‘cause it’s kind of like theory and just like, the social part of the case,” Banks said. “The last hour it’s all like Einstein and algebraic equations and craziness. And I’m just like, what the [heck] is going on? Please don’t call on me because it won’t be pretty.”

University of California-Berkeley accidentally sold a 22-foot-long carved panel painted by an African American sculpter that was worth more than a million dollars for only $150, according to the New York Times. Although the sell was embarrassing for the University, the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens now has its first major work by an African-American artist.

Although the “hookup culture” is always a hot topic at Duke, Duke did not make the list of the “10 Most Sexually Liberated Colleges” by CollegeMagazine.com. University of Texas-Austin topped the list, followed by Arizona State University, University of California Santa Barbara, Florida State University, University of Florida, Penn State University, University of Wisconsin-Madison and University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.

Vomit omelets and sexual assaults

31 Jan 2012, Posted by Melissa Dalis in News, Welcome to Academia, 0 Comments

Sophia Palenberg/The Chronicle

Dartmouth College student Andrew Lohse submitted a column to The D about fraternity hazing practices at Dartmouth. “I was: forced to swim in a kiddie pool full of vomit, urine, fecal matter, semen, and rotten food products; forced to eat an omelet made of vomit; forced to chug cups of vinegar until I was afraid that I would vomit blood like one of my fellow pledges did; forced to inhale nitrous oxide; degraded psychologically on a daily basis; forced to drink beers poured down a fellow pledge’s ass crack; vomited on regularly, and encouraged to vomit on others,” Lohse wrote in the unedited version.

John Chadima, athletics department official at University of Wisconsin, resigned after a student, “John Doe,” accused him of grabbing his crotch at the football team’s trip to the Rose Bowl, according to the Badger Herald. At the party involving alcohol for athletic department staff and student employees, “Chadima asked Doe to continue drinking with him. Doe alleges Chadima removed his belt and placed his hand inside his pants on his genitals. Chadima allegedly then asked ‘What are you going to do about it?’ and threatened to fire the student.”

Yale University quarterback Patrick Witt, who had reportedly turned down a Rhodes scholarship interview for the Nov. Harvard vs. Yale game, was actually no longer a contender for the Rhodes at the time, according to the New York Times. The Rhodes Trust discovered that Witt had been accused of sexual assault by a female student in September and told Yale that it would suspend Witt’s candidacy until Yale re-endorsed it.

The Cornell Daily Sun has a daring new sex column discussing sexual experimentation throughout middle school, high school, and college. “So that was it,” wrote Fiona C. “I did lesbian sex! And while I am by no means an expert, I am proud of the progress I have made. I’ll leave the strap-on saga for a later date, as I am not sure that many other experimenters will venture that far. So, ladies, if you are feeling adventurous, try your best, have fun and remember to take your turn on top.”

LSD, tobacco and Nazi drinking games

18 Jan 2012, Posted by Melissa Dalis in News, Welcome to Academia, 0 Comments

Sophia Palenberg/The Chronicle

After playing a Nazi-themed drinking game during an Athletics Union’s ski trip in France, London School of Economics students are now facing disciplinary action, according to LSE student newspaper The Beaver. “‘Nazi Ring of Fire’ involved arranging cards on the table in the shape of a Swastika, and required players to ‘Salute the Fuhrer,’” according to the paper. A fight after the game resulted in a Jewish student breaking his nose.

Columbia University student Adam Klein pleaded guilty Tuesday to attempted drug possession after being accused of selling LSD in 2010, according to Bloomberg. His recommended sentence is five years of probation. Klein is the fourth student to plead guilty in the case. In a five-month investigation nicknamed “Operation Ivy League,” undercover officers spent $11,000 buing cocaine, marijuana, Ecstasy, LSD-based candy and other drugs, according to Bloomberg.

The entire University of California system will be smoke-free over the next two years, according to the Daily Californian.

“As a national leader in healthcare and environmental practices, the University of California is ready to demonstrate leadership in reducing tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke,” UC President Mark Yudof wrote in a letter to chancellors. “Offering a smoke-free environment will contribute positively to the health and well-being of all UC students, faculty, staff, and our patients and visitors.”

While 500 students are rushing Interfraternity Council fraternities at Duke, many University of Pennsylvania students are rushing three business fraternities: Phi Gamma Nu, Delta Sigma Pi and Alpha Kappa Psi, according to the Daily Pennsylvanian. Students interested in these business fraternities met Tuesday for “Business Frat 101,” an introductory session that began the recruitment process. A typical recruitment process includes a few open rush events and then an application process with resume submissions.