Members of the Duke University Student Dining Advisory Committee discussed new Merchants-on-Points options during a meeting Thursday.
Among the ideas proposed were Guasaca Arepa and Salsa Grill, a popular South American restaurant on Erwin Road, and Primal Food and Spirits, a local eatery that advertises a 100 percent gluten-free menu.
According to Primal Spirits and Food's website, the eatery focuses on "getting back to the basics and eating as our ancestors did, offering unprocessed, homegrown foods." Menu items include sandwiches, salads, pastas and meat dishes.
Guasaca's food is inspired by Venezuelan cuisine and avoids processed ingredients. It serves a variety of chicken, beef and steak arepas, a corn pancake that can be sweetened or unsweetened.
The group also considered Don Marcelo’s Tacos & More, a restaurant that had previously visited DUSDAC in November 2015 to pitch its offerings. However, the restaurant did not bring samples of its menu at the time, so DUSDAC elected to postpone deciding on whether to add it as an MOP. Strengths of the restaurant include the kitchen's flexibility in accommodating allergies and dietary needs and its offering of vegan and gluten-free options. The menu is clear about what each dish contains, and many ingredients—such as flour and corn tortillas—are kept separate from other food, representatives from Don Marcelo's noted in November.
The discussion of adding a Mexican restaurant to the MOP slate resulted from Tijuana Flats—a Tex-Mex restaurant located on Ninth Street that had previously operated as an MOP vendor—shutting down before the start of this school year.
New to the MOP program this year is Sake Bomb, an Asian bistro and sushi bar which has partnered with Jack Chao, owner of Quenchers and Grace's Café before it closed last year.
Chao said that Sake Bomb has been ready to deliver on food points as an MOP since the school year started, but that Duke Dining has not yet responded to his request to include information about Sake Bomb on the Duke Dining website, along with the other vendors.
"We have been ready since day one," Chao said.
Brian Taylor, Trinity '16 and DUSDAC chair, wrote in an email that he was not aware that Chao had been ready to deliver.
Sake Bomb is delivering from the menu it developed in partnership with Chao, which he noted is not the same as the former Grace's Café menu. Food from Sake Bomb can be ordered from the website Chao and the restaurant specifically created for the MOP program.
Chao added that Sake Bomb will be delivering Mondays through Fridays, starting at 8 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays "all day."
In other news:
West Union vendor Il Forno will be offering gluten-free crusted pizza beginning Friday, along with its regular options. The vendor is also considering gluten-free pasta in the future. DUSDAC members taste tested the pizza prior to the meeting.
DUSDAC and Duke Dining are also considering adding a new lunch food trunk near the Trent Hall on Central Campus for the Duke community.
Abigail Xie contributed reporting.
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