O's Campus Cafe

O's Campus Cafe

www.aces.utexas.edu/ocafe/

The last time you could find a good fish sandwich within walking distance of the UT campus was many years ago, when the Mad Dog and Beans hamburger stand was still around, offering their magnificent Nanook of the North. That was before dark forces closed it down and destroyed the ramshackle edifice to make way for the glossy black parking lot of the late and not so great Johnny Rockets. But occasionally (and rarely, it seems) progress in Austin deals a delicious and quite unexpected blow.

Take the case of Peter O'Donnell, who wanted to make a gift to the University of Texas of a new Academic Computer Engineering Science (ACES) building at the southeast corner of 24th and Speedway. He required that the suits in the Tower allow him to build the structure himself, and donate the finished center to the University. And quite frankly, no one on campus could believe how fast and efficiently it went up.

Planners had advised him that the building needed an eating facility of some sort, and he was very familiar with the food at Jeffrey's restaurant, so he made contact with Jeffrey's owners Ron and Peggy Weiss and Executive Chef David Garrido, and a deal was struck. Architects designed the airy western entrance as a focal point to funnel folks into a clean bright space housing the new restaurant. The south and east walls are floor-to-ceiling glass looking out onto a central patio, and the eating facility is set up as a modified cafeteria-style line affording rapid service.

The key element to this and any other food service operation is the quality of the food, and as with the building itself, O'Donnell got it very right when he picked the Weiss clan to run the place. As an homage to their benefactor -- a modest millionaire not wanting to toot his own horn -- the Weisses decided to name their new restaurant O's Campus Cafe. And O's, like the building itself, is a place where all the elements come together precisely to form a wonderful whole.

O's offers a menu of fresh, clean dishes that appeal through their simplicity. Soups ($1.95) start the menu and they are perhaps the weakest link of the lineup. My only complaint would be that they need a bit more depth and spicing, but they are quite acceptable. And the salads ($2.50, tossed green; $2.95, spinach and bacon) are always crisp, chilled, and refreshing.

Cold sandwiches are popular as to-go items, and they include the cilantro tuna and the celery-onion chicken salad (both $3.95), the vegan avocado ($4.25), and the ham and cheese ($3.95). All are served on sliced challah bread and are available as combos for two dollars more. My favorites are the hot sandwiches, which come on custom-baked challah buns. The chicken fried chicken is a thick slab of crusted breast meat ($4.50) and is moist and flavorful. The burgers ($4.25) are the best found around campus, and they do a good rendition of the Philly cheesesteak ($5.50).

The aforementioned famous fish sandwich ($5.25) is a nice portion of blackened tilapia and has become the favorite noontime repast of many on campus. For vegans, they offer a roasted portobello and squash sandwich ($4.50) that is filling yet light. O's also presents a list of daily specials including veggie sushi rolls ($4.50), casserole ($4.25), pizzete ($3.95), and entrée ($6.25/$5.95 vegetarian). The specials are cooked just prior to service and the staff does an admirable job of keeping just enough on the line to ensure fast service, and freshness. All of the specials change daily depending on market price and availability, though there are always enchiladas on Thursday and chicken fried steak on Friday. Desserts ($2.75-2.95) are prepared at the Jeffrey's kitchen while the cookies ($1.25-1.50) come from Cippolina.

O's also provides catering within the building in any of the many meeting rooms available. They serve breakfast until 10:30, with a menu of breakfast tacos, pastries from Cippolina, eggs, and French toast (all popular with the students). And right outside the west entrance is O's To Go, a kiosk-style cart that serves many of the more portable items, and ice creams in the warmer months.

With the food service in the Union completely taken over by mega-corporate fast food chains, and a somewhat limited (and tiring) selection available adjacent to campus, O's has fit the perfect niche. For those who find themselves on campus, and don't want to undergo the nightmare of commuting from campus for lunch, O's offers a fresh, fast alternative. And for those who want to immerse themselves in some of the best people-watching in town, a jaunt to the campus and a fast meal at O's fits the bill. O's is A-OK in my book.