We all know that feeling, that mid-year slump when everything at (or not at) the dining hall looks so utterly unappealing, we don't want to eat anything. The options are always the same, and although we try to be creative, everything gets old. Even worse: the weather is freezing and you can't get yourself out of bed to trek up a hill covered in snow and ice. This is honestly the reality of college students, especially us foodies at Spoon, and we find ourselves thinking all the time: What if I could have good home cooked food delivered to me? *Insert Good Uncle
The 411
You've probably never heard of Good Uncle, and that's ok because they are a recent start up that only just started catering to 5 schools this month. You have, however, probably heard of Uber Eats which is great until you rack up expensive delivery fees from every restaurant. What makes Good Uncle unique is that there are no delivery fees since the food is made exclusively by them, and stored in their super duper magical trucks ready to be delivered fresh and warm. It's reasonably priced (college student friendly!), and they have a ton of options to choose from. The head chief and food mastermind behind the program is Erik Battes, a Michelin starred chief who has experience working in some of the world's top restaurants. He created a great wide-ranging menu of food that is healthy, tasty, and optimal for delivery. They currently are only available at Syracuse, Colgate, Cornell, Lehigh and Maryland, but hope to expand in the near future.
How it Works
The Good Uncle app is your gateway to sandwiches, salads, pasta, bowls, burgers, snack packs, and weekend brunches. All you have to do is sign up, pick a location, then your app will tell you how long it would take to order food. You go to the menu, order, customize anything, pay and submit, and then the app tells you how long it will be till the Good Uncle truck pulls up. The food arrives, and you have yourself a delicious gourmet meal (not from a dining hall)! They also have meal plans that allow you to access special menu items for a certain prepaid amount a week, making it especially convient for anyone that is not currently on a college-sponsored meal plan. The menu changes monthly which solves the well-experienced problem of food fatigue that is ever present (especially at places like Colgate).
What to Order
After trying a variety of Good Uncle products, you honestly can't go wrong. However, here are some of Spoon's favorite Good Uncle meals:
- BEC on Brioche
Ahhh the classic bacon egg and cheese, a forever college (and hangover cure) staple. Good Uncle ups the anti by throwing it on a delicious fluffy brioche bun. The eggs are cooked to perfection and the cheese oozes out of the sandwich, making this one particularly insta-worthy. This option is only available for weekend brunches.
- Penne Vodka
Another comfort food classic, this pasta dish is bursting with flavor. The fabulous pasta is mixed with a tomato-vodka sauce and toped with a generous portion of parmesan cheese. I don't know about you, but this sounds like heaven on a cold blustery fall day.
- Grilled Chicken Fingers
I love this because they are chicken fingers that aren't fried, but still extremely tasty. The fingers are nicely seasoned and they offer a bunch of different sauces like honey mustard and sriracha bbq to dip them in which gives the chicken a Chick-Fil-A vibe. Best of all, they're healthy!
- Tofu Mushroom Quinoa Bowl (or any one of the bowls)
Another great healthy option from Good Uncle, the tofu bowl is calling all vegetarians and vegans' names. The bowl comes with a hearty serving of seasoned tofu, sautéed mushrooms and grains that you can then customize with a variety of topping kits. I recommend the Med toppings which would go great with all the bowls.
- Omelet
An omelet might sounds like an odd thing to order from a food delivery truck, but Good Uncle's omelet hits the spot. It's honestly more like a frittata, but the egg is simple and oh so delicious. The bacon is amazing in it too, making it another great brunch option to start your day off strong.
As I said, you really can't go wrong with Good Uncle. They take food delivery to a whole new level catering directly to us, COLLEGE STUDENTS! What can I say, it's so exciting!
*Calling all Colgate students: starting September 10, you can receive a free meal from Good Uncle when you download the app. No complaints there!