Brandon Van Meter

Arby’s is not the greatest restaurant in Brookings.

I’m still shocked by the ridiculous lines that spilled out into 6th Street. No big deal, right? It’s only one of three roads that go all the way through this micro machine-sized metropolis.

You can drive through this microcosm of homemade apple pie and awesome municipal swimming pools in roughly seven minutes. Heck, we even built a bypass so people can totally ignore us. Students that live on campus can view food offerings in this town ? lacking.

Sure, Wal-Mart has a crapload of food for the low prices college students go crazy for. However, if you’re craving something both different – and local – look no further than these homegrown offerings.

GreenGo’s

GreenGo’s offers a delicious, albeit not-so-revolutionary take on the tin-foil burrito.

Located at the former location of Mad Jack’s, it seems out of the way for less ambitious college students. With the revamp and name change, most of the menu has been thrown out. At first, the thought of losing their Indian tacos forever was traumatic; I’ve since changed my ways.

When I entered, I was impressed by the interior. The help was especially trendy. One particularly bubbly woman behind the counter sported an awesome collection of t-shirts from bustedtee.com. Apart from their fashion and music tastes, they seemed to be experts at constructing my favorite burrito. The fixins used vary greatly and have been consistently fresh. I always gravitate towards a tomato basil tortilla with shredded beef.

Restaurants like Chipotle and Qdoba have risen above regular fast food like Taco John’s and Bell with promises of both fresh ingredients and ideas. GreenGo’s grabs for the same brass ring and succeeds in this, a hostile market for change. Some call this derivative, while I reject the haters.

Cook’s Kitchen

This small, inconspicuous restaurant has successfully escaped exposure to collegiate insomniacs for far too long. We, The Collegian staff, have made this kitchen our morning retreat after a late night of newspapering.

While the average crowd might be put off by our loud antics while getting hopped up on delicious coffee, the farmers and retirees that populate this quiet eatery at 4 a.m. have the right idea. This place makes, according to scientific studies produced by me, the best breakfast inside the city limits.

Everything on the menu comes out hot and delicious. From straight bacon and eggs to luxuries like sticky buns and biscuits and gravy, the handwritten prices are very reasonable. The staff keeps pumping out no-nonsense meals on the quick from breakfast to lunch. Hot beef sandwiches and other home-cooked delicacies are available for a midday pick-me-up. However, there’s no dinner for those late sleepers. The place shuts down around 3 p.m., or whenever the cook feels like going home.

#1.882572:767707818.jpg:IMG_0359web.jpg:The Big Ol’ B, College Connoisseur: