Two Hotel Culinary Arts and Tourism Institute students and one instructor reviewed the updated Hawk’s Nest Grill & Deli and said it offers good food for a fair price.
Carrie Svoboda and Clark Wagner, culinary students, and Louise Nielsen, an instructor, ordered a variety of new food that the Grill has to offer this semester.
“Everything was good,” Svoboda said. “And at a good price too; it’s a meal for $5.”
The test items included: loaded fries, a BLT-styled hot dog, a chocolate milkshake, red velvet cookies, a grilled chicken sandwich, a grilled chicken wrap and a turkey burger.
“The BLT hotdog was my favorite,” Svoboda said. She deemed the lunch item “very good and well cooked.”
“It was a good, juicy Hebrew National hotdog,” Nielsen added.
Svoboda also sampled a grilled chicken sandwich with lettuce, tomato and barbecue sauce on it.
“[The sandwich] was very reasonable for its price [$5.25],” said Svoboda. “It was fresh and well cooked. But they charged me extra for the barbecue sauce.”
Wagner ordered a turkey burger and fries with a side of ranch. All three participants agreed the sandwich had too much bread and not enough meat.
“The meat was overcooked, but it’s difficult to get that correct with a turkey burger,” Wagner said.
Svoboda and Wagner said they enjoyed the side of fries better than the loaded fries, which come covered in a cheese sauce with bacon bits and cost $3.79.
“The loaded fries were a bit soggy from the cheese sauce, but of course that is to be expected with loaded fries,” Svoboda said. “The side of fries with the turkey burger were good and crispy, which is what I enjoy with fries.”
For dessert, the three ordered two red velvet macadamia nut cookies and a chocolate milkshake, both new additions to this year’s menu.
“[The milkshake] was a good consistency and just enough chocolate to where it wasn’t too overpowering,” Nielsen said.
The price of the three meals and extras was $32.46. All three agreed the price was “incredibly reasonable” for the amount of food ordered.
None of the group chose to try items from the Grill’s new hot food bar. But days prior to this taste test, Wagner had sampled different items from the buffet.
“Everything was good; I had a taste of everything,” Wagner said. “Things will probably change throughout the year, but I enjoyed it.”
The Grill also offers a hot breakfast bar in the mornings.
Along with the food updates, the Hawk’s Nest layout has changed as well.
“I walked around for a couple of minutes to find the area with the silverware, so I think they could maybe have a sign for that,” said Nielsen.
The location of the slushie machine, condiment station and silverware area have moved. In charge of the changes is new manager Richard Buendvenmrs.
Students should expect more changes to the Grill throughout the school year, including additions to the hot bar and the lunch menu.
“AACC has great options for food with Subway, Chick-fil-A and the Grill & Deli,” Nielsen said.