I was tired of hearing all the hype about the new food at Schroeder Hall, so I went in to try the new dishes myself.

As an upperclassmen with the loyalty 50 plan, eating Schroeder for every meal this week was a hard hit to my swipes so early in the semester, but I had to know if the new menu was all it is cracked up to be. Overall, the food seems to be a step up from what Schroeder had been serving.

Memphis BBQ beef slider meal: 4/5

Two sliders, potato wedges and coleslaw

Comes with two sliders, potato wedges and coleslaw. The sliders are served on a traditional soft roll which is sliced down the middle and filled with pulled beef roast that is drenched in BBQ sauce that is sweet on the surface, but has a surprising kick. The bun to beef ratio, the make or break point for sandwiches, was right on point. The potato wedges were a let down. The outside was well-seasoned with old bay, but they weren’t crispy enough. In fact, they were more on the soggy side. The coleslaw was the surprising star. Though a tad heavy on the mayo, it was fresh, crunchy, sweet and provided a nice pallet cleanser to an otherwise heavy and starchy meal.

Memphis style pork loin meal: 5/5

Two thinly cut BBQ pork loins, Memphis bakes beans, dirty mashed potatoes and cornbread

The pork loin, served under a small helping of BBQ sauce, the same sweet heat sauce used for the sliders, was tender but a tad dry. The baked beans were delicious. The beans served a mix of bacon, onion, and various seasonings, they had a smoky, spicy, BBQ taste that was true to the Memphis style. The dirty mashed potatoes, dirty meaning mashed with the skins on, had a nice texture, but needed a touch more salt. The cornbread was the best part of the dish. It was sweet, cakey, and similar to the coleslaw, a perfect pallet cleanser to cut the heartier flavors. It’s great by itself, but pro tip, use it as a mop to soak up the baked beans.

Asian vegetable Lo-mein: 3/5

A bed of noodles tossed with a traditional lo-mein sauce (normally soy sauce, sesame oil and sugar), onions, peppers, carrots and mushrooms)

The flavor is superb, but the Veggies were a tad undercooked, especially the onions which were almost raw, and the pasta itself was a bit too oily for my taste. Also, they used a thicker style noodle which isn’t traditionally made for Lo-mein.

Teriyaki chicken: 5/5

A bed of rice with a medley of veggies and teriyaki seasoned chicken on top.

Veggies were mostly nicely cooked, though the carrots were a bit raw. However, the chicken was the real star. It was tender, and the teriyaki sauce coating was excellent.

Greek Gyro: 4/5

Pita was soft and doughy, and the cucumber sauce was good, but not great. The sauce wasn’t as spicy as it should be, but it had good flavor. Also, the Gyro meat was traditional and well-seasoned.