Like many upperclassmen, I fled the campus meal plan as quickly as possible after my freshman year.  I wasn't too thrilled about paying $7 for a bland sandwich or a plate of soggy pasta.  However, the campus's recent additions are giving me a reason to think twice.  First, Evgefstos in the UniversityCenter opened, serving innovative and healthy vegetarian food.  And then, on November 14^th, the Tartans Pavilion opened on the ground floor of Resnik Hall.

The pizzas at the Tartans Pavilion are the most worthwhile additions to the campus dining options.  They offer cheese, pepperoni, vegetable, and a daily special by the slice or by the pie.  The daily specials range from so-so to fantastic (shrimp and pineapple).  At any rate, I enjoyed the chewy-but-not-tough dough.  It's nice to have freshly-baked pizzas instead of these "Panini" or "pita pizza" microwaved monstrosities we've seen at other campus locations (ahem, Skibo).  At the Tartans Pavilion, you could even order a very healthy pizza; they also offer whole wheat crusts on some of their pies. 

Speaking of healthy, I recommend their roasted vegetables side dish: a mix of squash, peppers, eggplants, and other veggies plus some herbs.  Other sides are available as well, although I didn't have a chance to try any of them.  Nor did I have a chance to try their calzones or strombolis, but I would guess that their quite good dough makes those choices just as tasty. 

I would advise against the pasta, though.  Their penne is as watery and weak as Pepperazzi's used to be (although, short of cooking it to order, it seems difficult to do it any other way).  The lasagna, a daily special one day, was lukewarm and lacking flavor.

It will be interesting to see the Tartans Pavilion in the spring.  One side of the restaurant features garage-style doors, which, ostensibly, will be opened on to the football field.  Perhaps the current stacks-of-wood homey feel will give way to a rowdy game-day pizza joint atmosphere, with crowds of rabid fans clamoring for something to assuage their hunger.

Nah.  This is Carnegie Mellon.

  Restaurant type: Pizza etc.
How to get there: If you live in Resnik house, just wander downstairs.
Price for an entrée: $5 or so (or about $1.75 per slice of pizza), but if you're on a meal plan, it's practically free!

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