New Year, New Eats for J Street

By Brittney Dunkins

George Washington University students can expect a host of enhancements at J Street and other on-campus dining locations this fall, GW Campus Dining announced Monday.

Campus Dining Dollars will be available on GWorld cards on Aug. 18, so that students can begin using their GWorld Colonial Cash at partner dining and retail establishments.?

All Campus Dining venues will open Aug. 25. ?

“We want to provide a range of interesting and delicious options for GW community members to enjoy at all of the Campus Dining locations,” Managing Director of Campus Support Services Nancy Haaga said. “These new offerings, in addition to fare from more than 90 restaurant partners located on and close to campus, will ensure that students, faculty and staff can enjoy a variety of healthy and tasty meals.”

J Street, the Foggy Bottom Campus dining hub located on the first floor of the Marvin Center, will debut Fresh Blends, a smoothie and juice bar, located next to Italian eatery, Pesto. Fresh Blends will feature fresh fruit and vegetable drinks with no added sugar or syrups.

Pesto will continue to serve Italian dishes such as calzones, pizzas and made-to-order pasta.

Students will be able to fuel their back-to-school studies with a full range of Starbucks coffee and espresso beverages coming to the Coffee Stop, which will also introduce bagels by What’s a Bagel and locally baked pastries.

“In addition to Starbucks coffee, students can also enjoy Edy’s frozen yogurt and an expanded toppings bar,” Ms. Haaga said.

The Grill, a made-to-order venue, will be located in the space formerly held by Asian-fusion eatery Bamboo. The J Street hot food bar will expand to include popular items that were formerly available on Bamboo’s menu. Fresh sushi will also be available.

The Grill will feature a home-style menu similar to the Metro Diner menu during breakfast, lunch and dinner.? An expanded seating area will replace the Metro Diner space.

The Thyme venue, located next to the Grill, will introduce a brand new “fill-your-plate” breakfast for $4.99. The breakfast special will be available Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

The Take Home Market will open in the space formerly held by BONMi. It will operate as an expanded version of the J Street Produce Market , which debuted in spring 2014 through the Fill Your Fridge Produce Market Initiative. The Take Home Market will feature fruits and vegetables from Maryland-based Keany Produce, as well as wholesale meats, cheeses and other grocery items.

ZeBi, the Mount Vernon Campus dining hub located at Ames Hall, will be renamed Zime. It will continue to serve breakfast fare, bistro-style soups, salads, sandwiches, fair-trade coffee and grab-and-go options such as yogurts, fruit salad, hummus, sandwiches and bottled beverages.

J Street will open on Aug. 25 and will operate Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m.? to 11 p.m., and from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday.

For specific venue hours students can visit the GW Campus Dining website.

J Street will not be open on the weekend. During the weekend students can enjoy dining at a wide variety of GWorld Colonial Cash partner restaurants, cafes, and markets on campus and in the surrounding neighborhood.

GDub Java, located at Duques Hall, will open on Aug. 25 and will operate Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. It will operate on Friday?from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Pelham Commons, located on the Mount Vernon Campus will open on Aug. 23 and will operate Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight. It will operate Friday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.? Sunday brunch at Pelham Commons will begin on Aug. 31.

“These enhancements were implemented in response to student interest and the success of specific menu items and eateries,” Ms. Haaga said. “Campus Support Services meets with the GW Student Dining Board regularly to assess how to better serve students, and we look forward to kicking off a new year with a variety of menu choices.”?