Prime House Subs Opens

By Ryann Farquhar - for the Cal Times

Less than a year ago it was just a small part of the pool hall. Today, this same area houses the newest eatery on campus. Prime House Subs, located on the second floor of California University of Pennsylvania’s Natali Student Center, is more than just a sandwich shop.

Prime House Subs features sandwiches, subs, grab-and-go sushi, vegetarian options and breakfast sandwiches and omelets.

“Everything can be customized to your own taste,” said William Cowherd, Director of Communications for AVI at Cal U. “In a partnership with the university, AVI is committed to using fresh ingredients, whole grains, and sauces made from scratch.”

Fresh is a key focus for Prime House Subs. Chef Beth Samol bakes the breads for Prime House in an on-campus bakery and the grab-and-go sushi is prepared by a sushi chef in an area designed so anyone can watch.

In addition to the sushi, one menu item that is getting a lot of attention is the falafel. “I sold a lot of falafel,” said AVI employee Dorrie Geletei. Originating in the Middle East, falafel is a vegetarian favorite made from a combination of ground chickpeas and spices shaped to the size of a meatball, lightly fried in canola oil, and served with a yogurt sauce.

“The falafel is a great choice for vegetarians,” said senior Matthew Humphrey. The falafel, along with the vegetarian sushi, now gives students more meat-free dining alternatives.

For the carnivores on campus, Prime House Subs really shines. Their signature sub, the Prime House Club, is a combination of turkey, smoked ham, cheddar cheese, sugar cured bacon and sun-dried tomato cream cheese housed on a fresh baked roll that can be toasted or taken as is.

Another sandwich not to be overlooked is the Prime Rib Dip. Sliced to order, this sandwich is made with real prime rib and served with a side of French aus jus for dipping.

For breakfast, try a cup of hot organic coffee with an omelet or breakfast sandwich. The omelets can be filled with any combination of fresh meats and vegetables. Breakfast sandwiches come on a choice of bagel, muffin or croissant and can be topped with bacon, sausage or cheese.

In keeping with the fresh theme, organic iced teas and bottled organic Tazo teas and juices are the featured beverages of the food stop.

Adding to the charm of the warm brick interior are little touches like the chalkboard announcing Prime House’s menu and the authentic butcher paper used to wrap the custom subs.

“Its nice to have another option on campus,” Humphrey said.

Prime House Subs is open 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. Guests have the option of using cash, shop dollars, or a meal plan equivalency. As of yet, credit cards are not accepted.

Billiards Club Hurt by Renovations

By Stacy Skiavo – For the Cal Times

Not all the renovations around Cal U’s campus have benefited everyone. The Billiard’s Club has experienced extreme cutbacks in their venue in the Natali Student Center on account of space needed for a new food service area. And with the reduction of half of the club’s space taken away, they are trying their best to make due.

The decrease of playing space encounters several problems. It means not enough room for the amount of tables the club once had. The table count had to be reduced from ten to five tables in order to accommodate the new cramped room. Even with the decline in tables made, space is still limited. According to Cal U Billiard’s Club Leader Joe Watson, players are not provided with the appropriate amount of space in order to play a quality game of pool.

However, Mr. Watson says the bright side to the deduction of the billiard’s club space was that the organization was given more funding than usual for the year.

“Nevertheless, the room is very overcrowded, forcing the club to turn students away from joining them,” he said.

“There’s not much we can do about it,” said Watson. The only slight solution to the problem is having members play less in order to have everyone have a fair chance of game play.

The club also faced another setback from the renovations. Prior to the room’s construction the club was asked what tables they would like to see remain and others to go. However, this plan didn’t exactly follow through the way the members thought it would. Their table they frequently used for tournaments was somehow given away to Building C’s recreation room, according to Watson.

“The club tried to get their table back, but was given no hope for its return. “It’s like we’re stuck between a rock and a hard place,” he said.

The only possible solution the club feels is to reissue a petition. Last year, the organization gathered one together to protect their club and received 1,500 signatures. However, the billiard club’s plethora of names did nothing for their cause. This time they are going to shoot for 2,000 signatures and believe they will get a response in their favor.

Despite the billiards club’s best efforts, there really isn’t much they can do about their unfortunate predicament. At best, the club hopes to find space in Herron Hall after the newly renovated building opens on September 25, since they’re not allowed to relocate off campus. Otherwise the club will have to work with what they are given.

Comedy Tour Proves ‘We Can Make You Laugh’

By Chris Orient - For the Cal Times

On September 16, the “We Can Make You Laugh” Comedy Tour held a performance in the Natali Student Center. It was one of the many activities sponsored by SAB. It drew a number of students and had them laughing for the entire two hour event.

“We Can Make You Laugh” Comedy Tour is almost exclusively a college show. It spent most of last year touring 37 states, performing to countless students and young people.

The current line-up of comedians consists of Jimmy Meritt, Joe Anderson, and Ryan Seal. Each performer puts their own spin on the show and the offer of three comics means that there is something for everyone. The main feature of this tour is where a contestant’s ability to keep a straight face is truly tested.

In the style of a game show, audience members are selected from the audience via a raffle drawing. The selected contestant comes on stage and must survive two minutes of various comedic styling’s without laughing. If they weather the storm, they are awarded $25 cash as well as a “Make Me Laugh” t-shirt.

Jimmy Meritt was first up and brought his unique outlook on relatable subjects to get the crowd going. His energetic style was a good start to the show and an excellent introduction to the tour for those who may have never seen it before.

Joe Anderson followed and serenaded the audience with his guitar and a few hilarious songs. He also gave the audience his own musings on life, as well as his various impersonations.

After the two featured acts and a few other comedy routines, the show got to the main act: “We Can Make You Laugh” Game Show.

The idea is to sit through two minutes of comedy by one of the performers without laughing. If the contestant survives, he or she wins the cash. There are three judges who have buzzers to click if the contestant laughs. Each comedian too turns trying to make various audience members crack a smile as well as combining their talents to try and raise a laugh. One by one, students went up and came away a few dollars richer.

There were a number of skits including; an E.T. impression, Star Wars impressions, and Led Zeppelin acappella group. Anderson also sang an R/B styled song to one contestant and Merritt tried to get a laugh by having “story time” with another. Seal generated the biggest laugh from the crowd with his impression of E.T., however the contestant didn’t waiver at all.

“We Can Make You Laugh” Comedy Tour is not your typical show. It has different parts and different comedic styles that will tickle anyone’s funny bone. Even though the performers left with their pockets a little lighter, everyone walked away with a smile on their face.