College students are hungry-all the time.
It’s part of the lifestyle: getting up, dragging yourself to class, falling asleep, getting up, going to work and trying to fit time in to do homework and eating every now and then. Not to mention getting a decent amount of sleep.
It’s a pretty sad existence.
But what makes it most tragic is the overwhelming percentage of college students who regularly abstain from breakfast.
It’s the most important meal of the day!
And no, cereal bars do not count as breakfast.
Just one weekday morning a week, get up an hour early for a nice breakfast with your friends. Go on Friday to relaxingly conclude a hectic week, or choose Monday and start the week out right.
And there’s no better place to go for a quality breakfast than Oasis Caf. The weekday breakfast and weekend brunch menus are filled to bursting with delicious-and healthily balanced-meals. They range from sweet (such as the Belgian multi-grain waffle or the cranberry-pecan and sourdough French toast) to savory (think eggs benedict Florentine and huevos rancheros) to yuppie-bourgeois (exemplified by the smoked salmon crostini and the tofu scramble), and all boast an exquisite, unbeatable flavor.
The vegetable-potato hash and eggs is a richly seasoned medley of chunks of sauted red bliss potatoes, red onions, bell peppers, mushrooms and squash, served with two scrambled eggs and hickory-smoked tomato sauce. Carbs, veggies, protein and unbridled flavor-this is a perfect breakfast.
A specialty item, the German buttermilk pancake is baked in the oven until golden brown and then topped with blueberries. It’s huge and filling but made from a light batter that doesn’t leave you feeling bloated afterward. This simple, satisfying dish is ideal for non-risk-takey folk.
An unusual-and not to be missed-option is the curried tofu-vegetable wrap, comprising Indian spiced baked tofu, fresh vegetables and spinach leaves wrapped in a toasted pita and drizzled with a cilantro-mint-cashew chutney sauce. The crunchy pita harmonizes with the supple tofu while the mild curry and chutney pipe in, perfectly in tune, with saucy notes all their own.
Speaking of harmony, Oasis has one of the most serene, meditatively calm atmospheres in the valley. The earthy colors and plants contribute, but this ambiance can largely be attributed to Oasis’ array of soothing fountains, which provide quiet cascades of water throughout the restaurant-except in the patio courtyard, which has as its trophies a large fountain and a plethora of potted plants.
So let’s run through the checklist here. Excellent food-check. Beautiful ambiance-check. Great service-check. Price-well, it’s probably a minimum of $10 per person (I know, I know, college students are also poor), but in looking at the quality of the food, it’s well worth it. So-check.
Is there anything else that could make Oasis more perfect? How about the fact that Oasis sponsors an orphanage, school and hospital for poor children in Africa, and every meal bought here is a meal for a child over there?
No, folks, it doesn’t get any better than this. Oasis is truly a vivacious spring in the middle of a barren desert. So quench your thirst-and reset your alarm already.