Best Salads At The UA
STAFF PICK: Java Jungle, in the Park Student Center, gets an A+ for creativity. This college hangout offers some unusual concoctions, in a building once known for its generic salad bar. On the main level, right inside the east door, Java Jungle offers a combination of coffee, juice, scones, brownies and greens. And while the coffee is good and strong, it's the prepared salads that steal the thunder. The standards include a Greek salad, a Caesar and the Santa Fe--grilled shrimp marinated in chile oil on greens with black beans and corn. We also like the standard called the Happy Buddha--strips of white-meat chicken, green onions and red peppers on greens topped with sesame seeds and fried wonton strips. Some of the daily specialty salads are downright awesome, though, like the Road to Bangkok--shrimp and bean-thread noodles in a Thai salad with garlic, lime, chile sauce and sesame and peanut oils; and the Castro Valley--tri-tip and artichoke salad, with greens and seasoned oil and vinegar. Park Student Center has been going through a severe personality crisis as the rest of the food services turns over space to outside profit-makers. But Java Jungle, no matter the arrangement, is sure a creative improvement over what could've been simply more fast-food hamburgers and mass-produced pizza.
