Grub on! Explore USC’s best in chow

We all love to rant about $8 Caesar salads or the “Italian food” at Everybody’s Kitchen, but between questionable prices and soggy pasta, USC has a few well-kept secrets, both on campus or within walking distance. The wise senior has probably discovered all of these, but has long since forgone a meal plan and might have a car. For doe-eyed freshmen without reliable transport, however, take heed: You can find some more-than-decent eats on campus if you bother to look.

Best grub for a cold day: A cup of chili from Café 84. Whichever nameless chef makes this pot of hearty goodness deserves a hat’s off — this is one of the best grabs on campus. It tastes especially good when mixed with a little cottage cheese.

Best sandwich: Popovich Café’s panini. Don’t hike all the way over to Quiznos. Melty goodness is right on campus, and USC’s version comes with the option of iced coffee on the side.

Best dessert: The vanilla ice cream cone from McDonald’s. Sorry, 21 Choices. Your vanilla is decent, but decent frozen yogurt and $1 mix-ins can’t beat McDonald’s creamy, under-a-buck, 150-calorie, soft-serve wonder.

Best nearby Asian food: Trio House, on Figueroa Street by the Vagabond Inn. Stop in for some great pad thai, barbecue pork or chicken satay before the neighborhood finds out about this awesome new restaurant.

Best close-by Indian food: Manas Indian Cuisine on South Vermont Avenue. Hardly a secret, but for all the freshmen who think their Indian craving dies at Parkside, Manas presents a viable alternative. A few greats are the Chicken Tikka Masala, Garlic Naan and the Tadka Dal.

Best use for Superior Grocers: Exotic spices and ethnic ingredients. Sure, Ralphs might have Crystal Light and regularly stocked skim milk, but Superior has lavender flowers, corn husks and a zillion chilies and spices.

Best grocery store for a budget: Smart & Final. It’s no Costco — is anything? — but Smart & Final can send you home with a semester’s worth of dry goods and a little extra money for Starbucks.

Best mock home-cooked meal: Wolfgang Puck’s rotisserie chicken with mac-and-cheese. If homesickness strikes, call your mom and pick up one of these to-go. You’ll be ready to face your mountain of laundry soon enough.

Best late-night food stop: Panda Express. When you don’t want to consume your weight in gross Denny’s Grand Slams or a Chano’s burrito, pop over to Panda. You’ll find something hot, decent-tasting and surprisingly healthy options.

Best store for interesting ingredients: Village Nutrition in the University Village. Where else can you find nutritional yeast, nori sheets, quinoa, protein powder and every tea known to man all under one roof? It’s a bit overpriced, but anyone up for a culinary adventure should check it out.

Best deal on produce: The CSA drop-off at Birnkrant. A box of fresh veggies that can feed four people for $15? Apparently some things on campus are reasonably priced.

Best secret menu option: Submarina’s foot-long subs. Sometimes, all you need to do is ask. These are perfect when you need to bury yourself at the library for eight hours.

Best post-workout fuel-up: Muscle Milk Light with cereal. After you’ve killed yourself doing deadlifts, hobble over to Café 84 for a well-earned pick-me-up. A Muscle Milk Light paired with any of the available cereals (especially Lucky Charms) will give you the protein and fast-releasing carbs you need to start rebuilding your muscles.

Best vegetarian options: Good Karma Café, Wednesdays and Thursdays at the United University Church. This is an all-you-can-eat veggie bonanza with a great patio atmosphere and some fine eats.

Best pizza: Slice Truck, usually on Jefferson Boulevard. These hardworking pizza-makers put Wolfgang Puck and Parkside Restaurant to shame, and they are tons of fun to talk to as well.

Best cold refreshment: Anything from the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. Jamba Juice is not necessarily the beacon of health it claims to be, and Starbucks gets dull fast. The Coffee Bean serves up everything from frappés speckled in chocolate-covered espresso beans to silky-smooth fruit shakes.

Best on-campus breakfast: Parkside Restaurant weekend brunch. If you need to plant your rear in a chair and hit that neuroscience book, go to Parkside for a leisurely brunch that can carry you through a good chunk of the day. Start with an omelet and a cheesy bagel and end on a fresh salad and soup. Remember, free refills and unlimited coffee!

Best food truck: Lee’s Philly, usually on Jefferson. You get a huge honkin’ Philly cheesesteak for a reasonable price, and it’s loaded with juicy, spicy-sweet meat and kimchi. Not something you would find at EVK.

Best place to study and munch: Literatea. Shaky Internet notwithstanding, Literatea has a slew of snacks from seaweed chips to yogurt parfaits. And lots of caffeine.

Best when-you’re-broke lunch: The entire campus. If you are really broke, just find an event going on around Annenberg or McCarthy Quad or glare at a few fliers. Chances are you will find some decent grub.

Best celebratory splurge: A Ground Zero Café milkshake. For joyous times or when you need more motivation to hit the gym, sink your tongue into the most sinful, awesome dessert around. The Yul Brenner or the Midnight Show? Let your decadent heart decide.

Mimi Honeycutt is a sophomore majoring in print journalism. Her column “Gingersnaps” ran Wednesdays.