Stop neglecting the Hungry Hound
What causes the natural urge to utterly gorge your face with a juicy, humongous burger every now and then? I'm no psych major, but I can tell you the absolute best place to find the prescription for your affliction. The Hungry Hound, located on Lafayette Street kitty corner from the music and dance area of campus, is a burger joint sent from the college gods. With a daunting number of items on the menu, there is no way that someone could look at the menu without salivating and find something to satisfy their needs.
Ambiance: It's got a feel that could make it every college student's favorite eatery. Beer mirrors, sports posters, Santa Clara teams of old -- why isn't this place packed with students every time I go there? There's a bar in which to watch television, as well as plenty of oak bench seating that could suit a feisty little league team. The inside is inviting with plenty of eye candy to take your mind off of graduating in the spring. And if you're not thinking about that, then don't ever start.
Dress Code: No need to impress anyone here. You might feel better about yourself wearing a Santa Clara sweatshirt to illustrate your pride in your local hangouts, but the burgers are large and devouring of foodstuffs might be messy. Luckily there's a laundromat and dry cleaner right next door in case you embarrass yourself with a bunch of tzatziki sauce from your Gyro on your collar.
Bonuses you won't find on the menu: When you get older, you can boast about eating at the local gourmet burger joint where the best-ever Canadian-born NBA player -- the legendary Santa Clara alum Steve Nash -- frequented. They also have a daily value menu which rotates an item off the menu coupled with your choice of fries, seasoned fries, side salad, potato salad or coleslaw. The value menu usually has about three items, which will help you narrow down your choices until you find a burger or sandwich to call your regular and your own.
Downfalls: This place doesn't take Flex! Each and every customer should bring this up upon ordering and make an effort to sway the owners to adopt the Flex charge as soon as possible. As individuals, we may not be influential, but never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups. I'm not sure there are many other downfalls -- the food comes out quick, they have a bar to wait for your to-go food, there's a five-gallon bucket of ice water for thirsty diners and they welcome you to customize any burger, sandwich, falafel, etc. you should order.
Recommendation: I don't know why there isn't a massive line to order every time I go to the Hungry Hound. The quality and portions of the food are way above par, and the amount of available sides can accommodate any quirky taste you might have. If you're on a diet and possess akrasia (weakness of will for you non-Plato readers), you might want to avoid the Hound because you'll want to come back daily to try all the different combinations of grilled goodness offered by this gourmet burger establishment. The next time you need to satisfy that burger crave, take a pass on your run-of-the-mill Jack in the Box or Burger King meal. Make your way across the street, have a meal in a friendly food joint with your friends and satisfy your stomach with an order from the Hound.
- Written by Teru Olsen