Words and Photo by Michael Pasco
When you come back from summer break, don’t be surprised when The VCU Student Commons looks different. The dining area in The Commons will be renovated, with Burger King replacing the Nao and Zen, and Taco Bell replacing Zoca.
“The plan is to take the dividing wall [in Park Place] down … Each one of the venues will have a walk-up cash register and beverage counter,” said Dan McDonald, assistant director for the department of business services at VCU.
While the Burger King and Taco Bell will be express dining locations with modified menus akin to Laurel and Grace Place’s IHOP, Chik-fil-A will be receiving an upgrade by fall 2013.
“The plan is to make it a full service Chik fil A,” said McDonald. “Whatever a full service Chick-fil-A has, that is what we will have.”
“Bacchus: Good food, small portions”
Words and Photos by Shannon Minor
When I arrived at Bacchus, located in the Fan, the vibe felt slightly uncomfortable. Greeted by stares, the waiters and hostesses behind the bar looked at my friend and I as if to question, why are you even here?
Once I said I had a reservation though, the mood quickly shifted and ourwaiter was prompt to seat us with a friendly attitude.
Serving Italian based food; Bacchus is named after the Roman God of Wine. The restaurant feels very mellow, with dimmed lights and candles around the bar and on the walls. The tables are colorful and the dark wooden booths created a comfortable, cozy atmosphere.
Our waitress started off our Restaurant Week experience with two bread rolls and olive oil for a dipping. Our Hostess told us the full Restaurant Week menu featured a combination of popular dishes that could also be made quickly.
She also said that the chef wanted to make sure the food brought people back for more. The menu consisted of 11 different appetizers, six entrees and three desserts to choose from.
With the vast amount of appetizers to choose from, the decision was a little difficult to make. I went with the baked polenta and marinara with mozzarella or gorgonzola. Our waiter was helpful and encouraged me to try gorgonzola cheese. He insisted it was the better of the two cheeses.
The dish had an overall interesting texture, much like cornbread. The marinara sauce was delicious with chunks of tomatoes. Our waiter was certainly right with the choice of gorgonzola cheese, as it added a balance and subtle, cool flavor to the warmness of the sauce.
As the night went on, the restaurant started to fill up with a mix of old and young adults. The music fit the mood and not too loud, contributing to the pleasant atmosphere and allowing tableside conversation.
