Morningside restaurants entice students with inexpensive hors d'oeuvres

It is an unspoken truth that food on campus generally gets better in late April, when pre-freshmen flock to campus to check out what’s in for them for the next four years. Yet this year’s soon-to-be Columbians were luckier, with free admission to the Taste of Morningside Heights to experience bites and hors d’oeuvres from some of the most popular neighborhood eateries.

Sponsored by the Center for Career Education, Columbia Bacchanal, and Inside New York, this first-annual event took place at the Low Plaza on the rainy Monday afternoon to benefit local hunger charities, and was also open to current students at the recession-friendly price of $5, or 5 boxed/canned foods.

Despite acute April chill accompanied by freezing rains and table-blowing winds, the event was packed from start to the end, treating students for good cause, and in some cases, helping undecided prefrosh turn into future Columbians.

Each ticket gave the holder eight coupons to try samples from seventeen participating restaurants, including neighborhood favorites like Nussbaum and Wu, Community Food and Juice, and Campo, but also out-of-reach ones such as Covo Trattorio and Terrace in the Sky. There were also hidden gems like Crepes on Columbus, giving rather obscure restaurants a podium to give themselves some well-deserved attention.

Some popular offerings came from the less-frequented restaurants—including hamachi tuna with creamy avocado sauce and micro greens from the Terrace in the Sky, whose prices are well above the average student budget, and smoky thin pizzas from Covo Trattoria, whose rather out-of-the-way location at 135th Street on 12th Avenue keeps it from being a popular destination for students. Other popular dishes included Mama Mexico’s nachos with fresh avocado salad prepared on the spot, and Camille’s mini spicy chicken sandwiches and rich brownies with walnuts.

The most sought-after were the savory nutella-and-strawberry crepes from Crepes on Columbus. The warm, not-too-sweet crepes made the long wait well worthwhile. The owner of the restaurant came himself to prepare the crepes while entertaining the waiting crowds. He even served a couple of timid prefrosh without coupons who were conversing with their coupon-holding Columbian hosts—a gesture as sweet as his crepes. The students were attempting to persuade theundecided pre-frosh that UPenn’s crepes cannot compare to New York City’s.

Serving budget-minded students while still benefiting charitiy, the Taste of Morningside Heights kept the April chill bearable, and has established a tradition much to look forward to.