The Village Treats Your Tastebuds and Your Wallet
By Bowen Patterson
A&F Staff Writer

As college students, we understand the financial strains that can make world travel virtually impossible. But for people looking to pop the campus bubble and get about the world with little time and little cash, the Village offers several options for quick food.

Eating at a place with the word “factory” in the name made me a little apprehensive; I pictured greasy tacos and fried tortilla chips made hours earlier, heating under a red heat lamp, just waiting to wreak havoc on my digestive system.

But walking in the door, I was pleasantly surprised. Though the dining area was small, it was clean and bright and the decor looked authentic—hearth tiled floors, antique wooden chairs and art on the walls.

The menu includes many Mexican fast-food staples—tacos, burritos, nachos and refried beans. But the Factory brings these items up to a new standard with Mahi Mahi and shrimp choices, a vegetarian section and a breakfast menu that includes egg and bean dishes. A serve-yourself salsa bar is also included with every order. For beverages, they offer fountain drinks, Mexican juice drinks and beer, a surprising change from many less beer-friendly fast-food establishments.

The service was less than friendly, but the food was prepared quickly, and portions were satisfying. Everything on the menu, with few exceptions, is under $5, and most tacos and burritos are under $2. For those nights you can’t even think of facing the dining hall pasta beast one more time but can’t manage to get out of bed to face your life, the factory offers catering, including foot long burritos for $9.99 a foot.

The cheapest meal at the Taco Factory is nachos, for $1.50. The small selection of vegetarion options is still satisfactory.

Overall, I give Taco Factory three and a half stars out of four.
The Taco Factory
363 W. Bonita Avenue
(909) 621-3434

Before I moved here, I hated falafel. The thought of it just disgusted me. But on my first trip to Saca’s, I took a chance on the falafel sandwich and fell in love.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with this food of the gods, it’s “ground garbanzo beans and parsley, flavored with a secret blend of Mediterranean herbs and spices,” or so Saca’s menu explains.

Many of the items on the Saca’s menu may sound unfamiliar—shawerma, Baba-Ghanouj, Tabouleh and Dolma. But for those with adventurous taste buds, Saca’s offers both vegetarian and meat combination platters with numerous items, as well as salad platters, pita-wrapped sandwiches, rotisserie chicken and desserts. There’s even an explanation section at the end of the menu. The average entree price ranges from $3 to $6.

The service at Saca’s is friendly, even when the line begins to stretch toward the door. Orders are prepared relatively quickly and the warm pita bread tastes fresh and wonderful. The lamb and chicken roasted against an open vertical flame. If you ever get bored while dining, you can watch the meat spin around behind the counter.

The cheapest meal is the Mediterranean Pasta Salad at $2.25. There are few vegetarian choices.

So be adventurous, and give falafel a chance. I give Saca’s four stars out of four.

Saca’s Mediterranean Cuisine
248 W. Second Street
(909) 624-3340

Though the Rice Garden offers a substantial selection of Chinese dishes, the almost stagnant pans of beef with broccoli, teriyaki chicken and fried rice are archetypal Chinese fast-foodod fare.

I have to commend their vegetarian selection, however— I have not seen tofu with eggplant at a Chinese fast-food restaurant. in the United States While the vegetables taste fresh, the rice looked and tasted like boxed Minute Rice, not at all what you would generally expect. While the prices are reasonable, from ninety-nine cents to $4 for regular entrees, the portions were small and I got at least twice as much rice as I did entree.

The dining area was large but empty and, paired with the oddly-chosen pictures on the wall, the atmosphere became somewhat depressing. The service was less than friendly, but accommodating to a change in order, and the selection of kitschy Chinese candies and novelties did enhance the experience of standing in line.
The cheapest meal is rice noodles or chow mein for $1.79. The eggrolls and pot stickers are also a steal, at ninety-nine cents for two. The vegetarian options are few but high-quality.

I give Rice Garden two stars out of four.
Rice Garden
300 N. Indian Hill
(909) 625-1617

When I walked into the Delhi Palace Express, it appeared to be far short of a palace. The long case of soupy-looking entrees is a little intimidating. at first. It may be hard to order at first visit, but no fear … everything I tried was fresh-tasting and satisfying. The selection rotates among everything the restaurant offers: there are always chicken or lamb choices as well as many vegetarian options. The menu also includes many Indian beverages and desserts.
There are two ways to order at the Delhi Palace Express—if you’re looking to take out, you can get larger to go- containers of any of their available choices, with prices ranging from $2 for appetizers to $10 for an entree. If you plan to dine at the restaurant, the menu is comprised of many different combination platters and express meals, wherein you can choose up to three different entrees, served with salad, rice and Naan, a pisoft flatead.

For larger appetites, they offer an all-you-can-eat option for $6.49, with a little bit of everything, over and over again.

The cheapest item is an Express Meal #1 (quarter chicken leg, naan, rice, salad and raita) for $3.25. There are many vegetarian options.

While the restaurant may appear to be less than the name suggests, the food is definitely worth it. I give it three and a half stars out of four.

Delhi Palace Express
313 Yale Ave.
(909) 626-6030