White Bean Vegetable Salad

By far the best salad that the Grill has to offer—rigatoni and white beans is good for any time of the day. And unlike the other salads, you do not have to worry about how old the lettuce is, or having to douse it with loads of unnecessary dressing. This delectable offering does have one downside—don’t let the plastic box it comes in tilt to the side, because your brown paper bag will be soaked.

Ham and Swiss on Oatmeal Bread

It is hard to mess up an American classic such as the ham and Swiss, yet the people at Dining Services manage to do it once again. Something so simple shouldn’t require the addition of four packets of mayonnaise just to be able to take a bite. It begs the question whether that is really ham and cheese in that sandwich.

Pepperoni and Provolone Sub

While getting a sandwich at the Out Take line is usually a last resort, the pepperoni and provolone sub gives many a respite. The sandwich, while not a foot long from your favorite sub place, is more than edible on its own. For a truly fulfilling meal, warm up your sandwich in the microwave and add a bit of salad dressing—your stomach will thank you.

Cheese and Vegetable Bowl

It’s hard to be vegetarian anywhere, but when you don’t have time to visit the dining hall, life becomes that much harder. It is without a doubt that the cheese and vegetable bowl is a savior for many on the Grinnell campus. It is simple and delicious, a kickback to an afternoon summer picnic treat. While not as good as the stuff from the farmer’s market, it’s still better than any other vegetarian choice Out Takes has to offer.

Garden Salad with Curried Chickpeas

As everyone already knows, one thing Dining Services can never do right is ethnic food—dining hall naan anyone? This half-hearted attempt at a salad is both nauseating and barely palatable. Even covered in dressing, the mix of spices just doesn’t hit you right. I understand that tossing together a bunch of random things is hard day’s job, but if they wanted to go the extra mile I heard you could find salad recipes easily on Google.

Italian Combo Sub

By far the best thing on the Grill’s paltry outtake menu, this sandwich just manages to hit the spot. Warm or cold, with or without creamy Italian dressing, you just cannot go wrong. Still, when the best thing on the Out Takes menu is comparable to a day-old sandwich at any sandwich shop, it begs the question what Dining Services does with that $11 you give them for every meal.

Vegetable Ciabatta

The vegetable ciabatta is a nice, refreshing break from what usually consists of slop and/or heavy slices of meat. Like any boring salad on decent bread, this sandwich won’t upset your stomach or fill you up, unless you liberally apply mustard and mayonnaise. For an added treat, throw everything in the bag on this sandwich—carrots, chocolate chip cookies and Garden Salsa Sun Chips only make this sandwich better.

Pita with Spicy Three-Pepper Hummus

The first time I took a bite of this monstrosity, I heaved twice and spit out the contents onto the black Grill table where I was sitting. There are few things that make me gag, and this mushy conglomeration of trash was the first since a brown banana in elementary school. What seems to be old tomatoes, lettuce stolen from the dumpster behind Subway and the vilest hummus the Grill could find is leaps and bounds the most revolting, disgusting item I’ve ever optionally eaten. My foray into tasting it this year was similar to last, and this revolting item found its way into the trash after less than two bites.

Chicken Caesar Salad

While this salad does contain inoffensive lettuce (check) and salty black olives (check plus), the hunk of gelatinous, graying chicken breast (check minus) knocks this salad down a few notches. The peppercorn lightly sprinkled on the poultry does, in small ways, mask the flavor of old meat, but this salad would be much better with cold cuts or another form of protein (see: Chef Salad).

Chef Salad with Turkey and Ham

It’s like the chicken Caesar salad (see above), without decaying chicken and with processed meats. Crunch your chips up in it, and, hey, maybe throw in some extra carrots.

Brown Rice and Lentil Salad

After confusing this for the comparatively gourmet white bean vegetable salad, I was disappointed when I tasted nothing. Akin to what one would eat during the flu, I felt neither energetic nor pleased. I felt nothing. And that’s what this tastes like. Nothing.

Turkey and Provolone on Whole Grain

Another entry in the mushy sandwich collection, the turkey and provolone does rise above its pork-based brethren, largely because provolone is simply a better cheese. This sandwich lends itself well to a toasting session in the upright Grill toaster, but don’t let any employees or other patrons witness your cheese-melting act.