<p>I think Saigon Grill is hugely overrated foodwise. Not to mention, the wait in the cramped lobby with lots of screaming children is definitely not worth it. It feels like the closest thing to Applebee's on the Upper West Side. I would definitely only do that delivery.</p>
<p>i've impressed girls with the food there. they have back rooms for larger groups. the service is very good... frequent check-ins, good recommendations, fast water refills, etc. It ain't anything like the tourist traps in midtown. Your mileage may vary.</p>
<p>John Jay food is awful, really.</p>
<p>there's a great Ethiopian restaurant a few blocks up on Amsterdam</p>
<p>Freshman meal plans are not mandatory right?</p>
<p>smartguy907: Yes, they are. However, you can choose the plan with the least meals and the most points(I think it includes 30 meals per semester and a ton of points), which is what most people do from what I've heard on these boards.</p>
<p>^that's for upperclassmen (if they choose to have a meal plan), the minimum for first years is 115 meals and 500 dining dollars per semester, (equivalent to tax free real dollars which you can use in campus restaurants), that works out to be around a meal a day. for almost all, esp non-athletes i would suggest taking the minimum # of first year meals, the plans with more meals might cost less per meal, but most first years (even those on the smallest meal plan) end up wasting a large proportion of their meals.</p>
<p>I used up all my meals 1st semester and was left with only 3 points. ;)</p>
<p>I would get the second-most points and second-fewest meals, rather than the most extreme plan. The most extreme plan exchanges meals for points at a ludicrous rate, and you don't want to risk running out of meals.</p>
<p>I'll say it again, the only people who don't like John Jay food are those who either grew up really rich, or have gotten way too used to it and are simply bored. The variety is good, the entrees are awesome about 40% of the time and acceptable the rest, brunch and desserts are great, and their fixed stuff (i.e. pizza, carving station, grill, salad bar, drinks, vegetarian options - those things that are there every single day) is good-to-great.</p>
<p>I'm confused about the point system. Where do you use the points? Local restaurants?
And if so, which resturants take points?</p>
<p>In addition to the vending machines all around campus, there are perhaps a dozen on-campus eateries.</p>
<ul>
<li>Cafe 212 is a full-service deli with seats and drinks</li>
<li>Tasty D-Lite is a healthy ice cream place upstairs in lerner</li>
<li>there's a cafe in butler library with lots of coffee and snacks for late nights, although they close at 6pm on sundays</li>
<li>JJ's Place is the late-night shop downstairs in John Jay. great grill food, supermarket-style stuff (i.e. cereal, granola bars), drinks, seating, and a TV</li>
<li>Hartley hall has a kosher sandwich shop</li>
<li>Dodge hall has a Blue Java coffee shop</li>
<li>Avery has a below-ground cafe serving mostly coffee and snacks</li>
<li>Uris hall (business school) has a huge full-service deli serving hot lunches, soup, drinks, etc.</li>
<li>There's also a Tea&Tea tapioca/bubble tea spot in Uris i think</li>
<li>Wien formerly had a food court with various vendors</li>
<li>Mudd, the engineering building, has a cafeteria with an outdoor grill during nice weather. Buffet-style food as well as a deli / grill counter.</li>
<li>Several places on the Barnard campus too</li>
</ul>
<p>i'm probably forgetting some coffee depots in various places, but all of these are spots you can use your points.</p>
<p>I did Columbia's summer program, and to be honest, I liked the John Jay food. Mostly because you can find healthy and vegetarian stuff. In the morning there's cereal, yogurt, and lots of fruit. And they always have hummus. Gotta love the hummus!</p>
<p>can you use first year points at vending machines??</p>
<p>from what i remember from my four years and work in dining services you can't...you can only use dining dollars in vending machines</p>
<p>
[quote]
I'll say it again, the only people who don't like John Jay food are those who either grew up really rich, or have gotten way too used to it and are simply bored.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I couldn't stand JJ food from Day 1, and I merely grew up upper middle class. People I knew who likewise couldn't stand it were of varying socioeconomic backgrounds.</p>
<p>Shraf - you're right. In fact, I think it's flex dollars in vending machines. So it's not tax-free. But the bottom line is that it's swipe-able, like a credit card, and you don't need to put your cash in.</p>
<p>ha ha this is an entertaining topic to read. I don't go to Columbia, so I can't comment on the food in the dining halls, but I do know NYC pretty well. My advice for good food is to spend the $2 and take a subway ride a few stops downtown. There are some great places in the upper west side (72nd stop). Take a few more stops past times square and you're in the village. What more can you ask for...?</p>
<p>easy for you to say when you're not in the library till 2am. if i (or any columbia student) had an hour and a half for dinner every night, life would be a lot different.</p>
<p>
[quote]
My advice for good food is to spend the $2 and take a subway ride a few stops downtown. There are some great places in the upper west side (72nd stop). Take a few more stops past times square and you're in the village. What more can you ask for...?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>The Village is a schlep, not just "a few stops."</p>
<p>Yeah, pertutti wasn't that good.</p>
<p>Amir's falaffel isn't bad.</p>
<p>you go to pertutti for the desserts. try the Vesuvius.</p>