After trying different dining experiences across Brookings, here are my thoughts on three of the local restaurants around town: Flavor, La Cantina and Extreme Pita. Some were good, but some were a let down. 

Flavor, not so flavorsome 

Indian food is succulent and full of flavor. Ironically, Flavor Indian & Asian Fare doesn’t satisfy the needs of Indian cuisine. I’ve tried their Butter Chicken, Aloo Tikki, Naan, Tikka Masala, Jalfrezi and their Vietnamese dish, Pho Ga. The Butter Chicken, in my opinion, doesn’t taste like Butter Chicken at all. The chicken needs to be marinated more and made fresh. Next, their Tikka Masala. I had it twice, and I am convinced it tasted similar to, again bear with me, Butter Chicken. Tikka Masala is a less creamy dish compared to the other. Both dishes might look similar in appearance, but there is indeed a subtle difference in taste and flavor. Now, let me tell you about Pho Ga. Pho Ga definitely had the wrong ingredients in it. Pho Ga is made with the good stuff such as broth, noodles, beef or chicken. You can taste the basil and the fresh cilantro which are appetizing. The Pho Ga I had at Flavor was dark in color and tasted like honey. That was not Pho that I had there. The dishes that I found decent were the Aloo Tikki, Jalfrezi and maybe their Naan (even though I’ve had better tasting Naan).

La Cantina, me gusta!

My favorite Mexican restaurant in town is undoubtedly La Cantina. La Cantina is located at 2500 6th Street. I am in love with their street tacos and their sauces. They have a big variety of food options, which contributes to the success of the restaurant. They have authentic Mexican tacos which are so tasty, and serving portions that are generous. I don’t recall going there and not being satisfied with their food. Their tacos contained well-cooked meat topped with fresh onions and cilantro. One other dish, I tried was one of their House Special’s, which was worth the price. The dish is called Special Dinner. It consists of one Chalupa, chile relleno, beef taco, enchilada, tamale, rice and beans. It is overall, a good combination. I also tried their Mango Daiquiri, which was excellent. Great alcohol options and splendid food quality.

Extreme Pita to extreme pizza

Once in a while, we all complain about the food on campus. But I liked Extreme Pita. I thought they had good Chicken Caesar Salads and fair flatbread pizza. I recently changed my mind about that. I usually get the BBQ Chicken pizza, which is not too bad. I chose to switch it up a little and got the veggie pizza. The first time, I hated the olives because they were so sour (keep in mind I love olives). I decided to give it a second chance: the worst decision ever. I opened the pizza box expecting tasty-looking veggies on top, but to my dismay, it was all the pieces, and the slices of pizza were on top of each other. The vegetables were falling apart, and the zucchinis were raw. They did take out the olives as I requested them to, but that pizza was unacceptable. In addition, I could barely see the Feta cheese on top of it.