College Town Worst Food

I cringed when I saw this headline. Oh God, Please do not mention Morgantown - WVU - or some place in KY for a small college like Lindsey Wilson College or Berea. Thankfully they managed to get two SEC teams... errrr... colleges listed, Florida and Alabama and others of little note and less respect, regardless of food in town.

http://www.chow.com/food-news/91148/the ... orst-food/

Now, think of Louisville and the new Cardinal Place or whatever it's called this week. And the wealth of places here in town for college kids or alumni on game day or such. Aren't we and they lucky.

So tell us, what was BAD or so GREAT in the town you went to school.

WVU, Morgantown, WV - Maxwells on High Street. Great Greek Salads huh Suzi? And, Wings & Things - awesome and this was in 1978-79. Bad, mostly the FF joints, but they did have Burger Chef and those french fries.

What say others?

Richard

I went to East Tennessee State University for undergrad, in Johnson City TN, about 20 minutes from where I grew up in Sullivan County. That is where I got my first exposure to Johnny Brusco's. I also furthered my addiction to Pal's, a small regional drive-thru (with 2 walkups and 1 mall location) fast food chain that is DELICIOUS and if you are ever in East TN or Southwest Virginia you MUST visit! But most of the time I ate on campus due to limited parking near my dorm and the next nearest option being riddled with crime and break-ins, so I didn't go anywhere very often. So that meant a lot of Chick-fil-a, Burger King, and Quizno's...Aramark-run. They did add Izzi's Southwest Grill, similar to Moe's (not sure if they are related at all) during my senior year and I ate there a lot after I became vegetarian.

Now, my graduate school experience was VERY different...Miami University in Oxford, OH. No Aramark or chains on campus, dining halls that consistently win awards, and a thriving uptown FULL of locals and small chains. And lots of vegetarian options other than burritos and salad. Bagel & Deli and Kona Bistro were my two favorites, along with the calzone place whose name I can't remember at the moment. I also ate at LaRosa's pizza (Cinci chain) and Skyline a lot. I wish someone would bring LaRosa's to Louisville!

EKU - Richmond, Kentucky in the mid 1980's. There was a "restaurant" named "Ma Kelly's. I don't remember them having a sign or any sort of advertising. The restaurant was in an old house. You walked in through the front door and into the kitchen, single file. Not a restaurant grade kitchen, but a home kitchen in about a 5' x 10' space.

As you made your way through the kitchen, the food on offer was sitting in pots and pans on the stove or on the counter tops. You picked up a plate and scooped your food directly out of the various pots (in whatever amounts you wished).

I remember things like fried chicken, mashed potatoes, greenbeans, gravy and dinner rolls. There was no menu. Once you had your plate of food, you wandered into any of the other three rooms of the house and had a seat at any of the tables.

In a few minutes as you were eating, someone would appear and eyeball your plate. Then tell you how much you owed for your meal. Usually around $2.00. No credit cards accepted (not that any of us had them at the time). Cash only.

I can't believe the place was a legally licensed restaurant, but it operated for the four years I attended EKU and I believe it had been there for many years prior.

Does anyone else remember Ma Kelly's. I believe it was on 3rd Street. There were some warehouses or industrial buildings across the street?

Lexington had plenty of nice restaurants, but none approached the unrefined decadence of the Tolly -Ho.

My typical 2AM order: Big Tolly with egg, hash browns with golden pump cheese, hubcap sized pancakes all splashed down into about a pony keg of Busch Light. And to think the whole night cost less than I now spend on a glass of wine...my God what's happened to me????

Although it's as close as most UKers will ever come to eating in a dumpster (unless they've been to Barbara Lee's) the atmosphere made the place. I understand they've moved to S. Broadway. I'll issue a full report before the end of the football season.

Greencastle, IN is and will always be about the GCB and cheese fries from Marv's.

Kari...I'm going home in a few weeks and already trying to figure out a good reason to drive up to JC just so I can get some Pal's! Little harder to manage with an infant in tow, but I think he'd do okay for a long ride. Need some Frenchie Fries!

Oh I'm sure he'll do fine I would recommend going to the mall location...that way you have a place to eat it while it's fresh. That's what I always do now. For an excuse...do you need shoes? Not sure if you have ever heard of Beaty's Shoes, but it's in the shopping center that leads up to the movie theatre off of Roan St and it's my favorite shoe outlet. They have new shoes, returns that have been worn and can't be resold as new in regular stores, shoes that have been used in fashion shows, etc, for cheap. Another of my "must stops" when I go home.

EKU - Richmond, Kentucky in the mid 1980's. There was a "restaurant" named "Ma Kelly's. ...
Does anyone else remember Ma Kelly's. I believe it was on 3rd Street. There were some warehouses or industrial buildings across the street?

Leann, I was at EKU at the same time and had many a meal at Ma Kelly's. it was one of the few places I could afford off campus. It was quite the unique place. All the wall's had graffiti on them. I had my name written in several places, and was always proud when I went back and they were still there. I don't think my pallette of today would agree, but it sure was some good home cookin' at a good price back then. I considered it a treat to go there although I agree, I don't know how they legally served food out of that place. I think its long since been closed but it remains one of my favorite culinary memories.

The other place in Richmond I loved which most students didn't dare try was the burgers at Taylor's Pool Hall on First Street. There was an old man named Wally behind the diner era counter with round stools who hand cut the potatoes for fries. Whenever you ordered a burger he would always ask...." 'mater n onion on that?" it was a good grease fix and my redneck roots allowed me to fit in pretty easily shooting pool and drinking long necks so its up there as a favorite too.

Leanne and Jeff! Ah the memories! I went to EKU 1983-1987 and we hit Ma Kelly's as often as possible. I remember taking my parents there once, they were good sports, but I noticed my food bags I packed back to campus after a weekend home were much more plentiful. We also went to the grill on first St. As an aside, my husband and I went thru there a month or so ago, first time I have been back in years. First street is basically gone!! The downt town looks lovely, but it kinda broke my heart.

Another place we ate at a lot then was Gattis, free drink with student ID!

I cringed when I saw this headline. Oh God, Please do not mention Morgantown - WVU - or some place in KY for a small college like Lindsey Wilson College or Berea.

I actually went to Lindsey Wilson College (and am stunned to hear someone even mention it) and can tell you that, in spite of the tiny town in which it was located (with only Taco Bell, DQ, Lee's Famous Recipe, and McDonald's as fast food option), there were a few really good restaurants.

One was a place called Down To Earth Cafe, which had cafe fare and the only good steak in town. Once it closed, it was replaced by a Mexican restaurant called Fiesta Mexico that was really good. There was also a country cookin' place called Betty's OK Country that was, in spite of the name, more than okay.

If that wasn't enough, you could drive out towards the softball fields and stop at Red Barn BBQ, which sold pork shoulder sandwiches, slaw burgers, half chickens, and all the best possible BBQ stuff you could ask for for pennies. If I went in and spent $10, I could eat for two days, and I'm a fat kid with a fat kid's love of food!

If you knew where to go, it was/is easy to gain weight in Columbia. That's not even counting the food in nearby counties (like Marion County, AKA the wet county and home of Ham Days).

Augusta's not that bad. At least they have some independents.

[Robin Garr]

Having gone to Louisville institutions for 2 1/2 degrees, I can't play. But back in the day I was a non-student hanger-around in a couple of college "towns" with excellent food options: Berkeley and Westwood, L.A.

Any IU alumni here? Bloomington has a fantastic number number of great restaurants for a town of its size, but whenever I go back I always end up at the Trojan Horse. Maybe it is because their's was the first gyros I ever had but I've yet to have one that was better. The pita bread is always super fresh, they shave the meat off of a leg of lamb and their tzakiki sauce is to die for. And their hummus is pretty hard to beat too.

[Robin Garr]

Any IU alumni here? Bloomington has a fantastic number number of great restaurants for a town of its size ...

I'm not an alum, but Snow Lion deserves mention. I haven't been for years, although I understand that it's still around, but at one point in the '80s, Bloomington's Snow Lion and New York City's Tibetan Kitchen were the only two Tibetan restaurants in the U.S. I used to brag about being one of the few people who had dined at both.

That's a nice thing to be able to brag about. They opened up just before I moved from there so I never got a chance to eat there. All I remember about the place is that it was started by the Dalai Lama's brother and the DL used to swing by there whenever he was in the area.

I'm not an alum, but Snow Lion deserves mention. I haven't been for years, although I understand that it's still around, but at one point in the '80s, Bloomington's Snow Lion and New York City's Tibetan Kitchen were the only two Tibetan restaurants in the U.S. I used to brag about being one of the few people who had dined at both.