The new Memorial Union restaurant, the Lakefront on Langdon, held its grand opening celebration last week, satisfying diners with a unique design and menu.
A bright and airy dining area with windows from ceiling to floor offers patrons a breathtaking view of Lake Mendota and the terrace. For warm weather terrace groupies, the Lakefront on Langdon offers a fabulous year-round view.
In the cafeteria-style restaurant, patrons grab a tray and venture into a myriad of cleverly named stations where they can find cuisine ranging from pepperoni pizza to stir-fry. The Mendota Grill has a wide selection of grilled wraps ($4.99-$5.25).
The Turkey BLT is a high point. The turkey breast is oven roasted, not smoked, and accentuated by crisp bacon, melted cheddar cheese, tomato slices and mayonnaise. Wrapped in a Parmesan herb wrap, the warm filling tastes exquisite.
With featured wraps of the day such as the delicious Tuna Melt, diners can’t go wrong. Grilled tuna salad with cheese, onion and lettuce is stuffed into a tomato basil tortilla shell, making for a messy but filling meal.
Other wraps worth mentioning are the Philly Cheese Steak, Chicken Caesar and the Hot Ham & Swiss, all of which are served with freshly made, signature potato chips.
Another station, Thu’s Fan Dim, caters Asian dishes. Egg rolls are available in pork or vegetable, and Crab Rangoon makes for a perfect appetizer (both $1.35). Thu’s also serves traditional favorites such as Broccoli Chicken and Beef, Seafood Delight, Sweet-n-Sour Chicken and General Tso’s Chicken as daily specials with white rice or noodles.
The most impressive menu option is the Create Your Own Stir-Fry. Available after 2 p.m., diners choose between rice and noodles, then choose meat, vegetables and sauce and watch their creation appear before their hungry eyes.
The Lakefront Hearth serves hot comfort foods such as beef stew, roast turkey and gravy, and fried chicken. Available as a two or four-piece dinner, the chicken is a little greasy but still a decent catch for cafeteria food.
The mashed potatoes accompanying the fried chicken taste like they came straight from a box, which is disappointing.
The Terrace Pizza is another popular item at the Lakefront. The pizza sauce is made fresh daily, and the station is open later (12 a.m. Monday through Wednesday and 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday) than the others for late-night studiers craving a snack.
For diners who are more health conscious or happen to be vegetarians, the menu specifically labels what dishes are vegetarian (“v”) and which dishes are vegan (“vg”). The Salad Bar offers an array of vegetables, potato and pasta salads, cottage cheese and tuna salad.
For dessert, a large pastry case displays cookies, napoleons, turnovers and other sweets. Along with some stupendous food, the Lakefront on Langdon offers free wireless Internet Service and accepts the WisCard.
Most of the University’s cafeterias and delis offer the same type of boring foods, but the Lakefront offers something different, most of which is prepared while you wait and is extremely fresh.
In addition, there’s something for everyone. If in need of a slice of pizza or a wrap before a class or as a break from the library, all of the Lakefront’s food is prepared quickly and can be made “to go.”
The Lakefront also serves as a great place to study or to write a paper. Bring a laptop and work while saturating the great lakefront view. For anyone who hasn’t stopped by the Lakefront on Langdon, it is a must for casual diners and hungry students with minimal amounts of time.
And although busy during lunch hours, it’s worth the small wait.
Until next week, happy dining!
