FINE DINING

Included in the standard “dining hall survival kit” presented to every UC Davis freshman is a sturdy plastic mug. Mine from two years ago sports promising images of the new Segundo Dining Commons (or “DC” in college-speak), “Spinning to Completion in 2004.”

Yet the entirety of my freshman dining experience was spent at the old DC, waiting. I waited in endless queues to enter the door of South Line, not always sure of what was being served behind its walls. I waited in the conveyer-belt of students who asked for too much of the lamp-heated food, just to avoid elbowing back through the crowd for seconds. And I waited for a chance to eat at the glittering new DC right across the lawn—I eyed its progress every day while I stood in line.

Two years later, my wish was finally granted. Whether your last trip to a dining hall was two years or two decades ago—brace yourself. The college dining experience has received a complete and total makeover, and the only word to accurately describe my initial reaction is “wow.”

The interior of the newly opened DC has something that the old facility only dreamed of: ambiance. Gone are the cramped rows of mess-hall tables, replaced by clusters of seats arranged under a raised ceiling, basking in natural light. There are actually couches here. Armchairs, too.

And within the walls of this spacious fan-shaped facility, assembly-line service and cafeteria-style dining are no more. Think mall food court instead. Here, students choose from a variety of food service stations that offer pizza, burgers and pasta, a create-your-own salad bar and, of course, desserts! Students can make requests directly to the chefs, who assemble, grill and sauté the dishes moments before they are served.

The aim of this restaurant-style facility is to dispel the prevalent, if unfounded, “mystery meat” perception of dorm food. Says Resident Dining General Manager Brenan Connolly, “Our goal is to bring the food out to the students, to let them see it being prepared.” Watching vegetables fly at the sizzling Mongolian barbecue is certainly enough to make anyone’s mouth water.

Bringing the DC staff out of the kitchen and into the culinary spotlight also allows for more personal student-staff interaction. For chefs like Twyla Garcia, positive feedback from students is a highlight of the job. “They inspire me to keep working hard,” she says. “That’s what keeps me going.”

Even UC Davis faculty and staff are jumping on board for the revamped dining experience, making Segundo the hot new lunch spot. A UC Davis freshman in 1972, Interim Dean of Biological Sciences Ken Burtis says the current food and facility are astounding compared to his own Segundo eating experience, when the newest feature was the introduction of the burger line. Burtis has launched a weekly “Dinner with the Dean” to get “very direct interaction and feedback from students”—and a good meal besides.

After my first year living off campus, the convenience of the DC is more enticing than ever. I would gladly trade my frozen dinners and dirty dishes for a taste of “$10,000 chicken” and raspberry soft-serve ice cream. Its welcoming presentation is hard to resist, from personalized food service and automated dish removal, to intimate seating and plenty of room to breathe. “We want students to feel like this is their home, their kitchen,” Connolly says.

Remind me—what is the cost of an off-campus meal plan?