Pre-Fall 2.0

Because Pre-Fall 1.0 just wasn't enough.

Spending a weekend in school on perhaps one of the sunniest weekends in August was umm...

not as bad as anticipated.

Comparatively speaking, of course.

For starters, it was only one weekend. And Voigt-less. And cold-calling-less. And some of it was even...dare I say...interesting!

Entrepreneurship, mostly. I mean, who doesn't aspire to be their own boss? If I could wake up every day and bake batches and batches of cookies and cakes and toss endless pasta creations and salads, I'd be pretty peachy.

But I need money. Or I need success...to get money? So far, I'm my only customer.

Sigh.

Yet as much as the classes improved, the food was still status quo inedible. For real. I don't mean to be snobby or ungrateful, but the food is terrible.

Day 1 "Italian Day"



Emphasis on the " ". Mario Batali and Giada de Laurentiis would be horrified to know that this was being passed on as "Italian food". The icing on the cake? Cold. Grilled. Vegetables. Cold! And not seasoned. Did I mention they were cold?? Big thumbs down.

Thankfully, Maryn saved me with these little gems.



Pink raspberry marshmallows! From Dean and Delluca! All the way from Napa! Who needs "Italian food"? Not me.

Day 2: "Mexican Day"



Which at first taste was not as bad as "Italian"Day. Until...



I sampled the completely dehydrated tortilla.



And this strangely sweetened tomato soup that they called "gazpacho". I still have no idea what this was, but gazpacho it was not.



So I tried to fix it...but it was a lost cause. It still got two thumbs up. For effort.

But what the USC meals lacked, we made up for at dinner. On Day 2 (aka Saturday), I dragged the posse to where else but Pizzeria Mozza.

Squeal!!!

I luv this place...but you know this already. Just about my fav place to go eat. And not without good reason.



Shrimp salad with cantaloupe, mint and chili. So refreshing! The salad is lightly vinegared and slightly spicy from the red chili flake. The mint was barely detectable, except for a light refreshing taste. Amazing! We also had the fried squash blossoms stuffed with ricotta cheese...but we ate these too fast.



Magherita Pizza. The crust is like nothing I've ever had. So thin, crispy and structurally stable. It's seasoned perfectly! And the baby micro basil!!! Adorable!



Strawberry gelato pie with cinnamon spiced almond brittle! I was full and drunk by the time this came around. But I still happily ate it.

But of course, Pre-Fall 2.0 was not without its party fouls.

Party Foul #1

I managed to somehow re-sprain my slightly sprained ankle. Those darn curbs. I manage to navigate through all the crazies on Jefferson, Vermont and Exposition, but it's some curb in USC on McClintock Way that takes me down. Go figure. Needless to say, I'm hurten today. And I needed some ice to get me through the morning. The helpful kitchen staff at Town and Gown were more than happy to help. And provided me with this...



Pleae note the peach and water bottle for scale purposes. I swear this thing came with the attached note, "If found, please return to the polar ice caps". But it did the job. I guess 20 lbs of ice is effective after all.

Party Foul #2

Spilled soda at Five Guys Burger.



Big thumbs down. Yay for self serve.

Five Guys is pretty big (ok huge) on the East Coast. It's like their version of In-n-Out. Like the Mid-West's White Castle. The cool thing about Five Guys is that you can completely customize your burger. And...it's only $5. Two all-beef patties. Who needs a Big Mac. Or Big Carl for that matter.



I got a cheeseburger with grilled mushrooms, lettuce and tomatoes. And I gotta say, it's not In-n-Out, (none of that indescribable something) but it's quite yummy and a good deal. The beef patties are hand formed and cooked really well and juicy.



I'm on the fence with the fries. A little over-fried for my idea of french fry perfection, but the Cajun option was something new.

But anything beats "Italian" and "Mexican" food.