Earlier this year, I wrote an article listing and ranking every school lunch this school offers. I can admit, sometimes I am wrong. But that’s only because I discovered new aspects of meals and finally refined my rankings.
As a veteran of school lunches, I have eaten every lunch special the Wildcat Cafe has to offer and have compiled a new list to gauge what you should eat. Not everything is purely based on taste, as some are judged by their value, but a lot are based on their taste. Some of these opinions may seem controversial but remember that these are just my opinions. However, they’re right and especially now that I’m doing this a second time they’re even more right.
MEALS I STILL DON’T LIKE
At dead last in 26th place, we still have the Mini Corn Dogs. These continue to be just so okay and lackluster in anything redeeming. They’re still dry and you take one bite of them and immediately get tired of eating them due to flavor fatigue. Honestly the only reason I would ever get this is the Mac-and-Cheese they offer with it. The last time I remember the school offering hot dogs was in elementary school, and I still want them back because this is not doing it for me. Thanks, Covid, you took my 5th grade away and took my hot dogs away too. This is a meal I would personally get the regular pizza or chicken nuggets over any day this is served. Ew. 1/10
In 25th, we have the Salisbury steak meal. What is this?? Like what is Salisbury steak? It felt like they only did this meal like four times every quarter and every time I was so scared to eat it. It had gravy and I like the school gravy, so I think that’s the only good part about this. Scary to eat and the steak was dry, this was just a little bit better than a TV dinner. What is Salisbury steak???? 1.2/10.
At the 24th spot, we have the meatloaf. My mom makes an amazing meatloaf that I love every time she makes, but this attempt to get that home cooked meal back during school just fell short. I think it’s the freshness of ingredients, but it will never beat my moms cooking. 1.5/10.
At 23rd, we have the Tour of Italy Pasta Bar. I figured out what I don’t like about this dish and it’s the pasta itself. I think it’s grain free or gluten free, it’s something weird and it’s not like normal pasta you would buy and boil from the store. The sauces are good and the meatballs they have our good, but the pasta is weird, it’s too al dente, and they give you like four pieces of pasta. The portions of this meal are also super small and the salad they give isn’t enough, I’m usually left feeling hungry after this meal. 1.8/10, I need more food and pasta to not be weird.
At the 22nd spot, the chicken wrap/fajita wrap meal is up. This meal has grown on me if I’m being honest, I think it’s pretty okay! It’s not anything terrible, the wrap still kinda sucks and from the times I have gotten this it usually falls apart, but this meal is good when you get a fork and just eat the rice and chicken that will eventually fall out on your tray, that’s when I can enjoy this meal pretty well. 2/10, chicken is yummy but the wraps need to not break and shred.
In 21st, we have the chili spaghetti and coney meal. I’m sorry, Sue Tolke; I know it is not Skyline, but since no other establishment in America puts chili and cheese on spaghetti, it’s hard to not compare. The quality is definitely not as bad as I made it seem, but I discovered this is way better adding hot sauce and beans into it to cut from the taste of it. I would rather get the coney over the 3-way, because the hot dog does taste better than the spaghetti they have. Look, it’s lower quality Skyline, that’s what this meal is. It’s still good, but would I get other things over it? Yes, I would. 3/10.
I put the Tony’s Pepperoni French Bread Pizza in the 20th spot. It’s just okay, this follows under the corndogs of dealing with flavor fatigue but fortunately there’s more to this meal than the corndogs with the possibility of salad, but still on its own, it’s only okay. This meal is the lunch equivalent of Times New Roman: boooring. I give it a 3.4/10.
THEY’RE GETTING BETTER!
The fresh fare deluxe double cheeseburger is at 19, and I actually like this. It tastes pretty good, it’s nice to be able to customize toppings on it, and the choice of bacon is nice for extra protein. The burger patty is dry, but as it is school cafeteria food, my standards for the patties are fairly low. I give it a 5/10.
The breakfast meal they serve for lunch is placed at the 18th spot, and I like this meal! It’s a great spread of food, going from salty with the egg and sausage to sweet with the funnel cake. The funnel cake can be fairly inconsistent, but when it’s good, this is a pretty scrumptious meal. I’ll give it a 5.5/10.
I feel very, VERY strongly about this spot. “Made to Order Chinese Dish” placed 17th. This, to my distinction, is the exact same as the General Tso’s Chicken. I LOVE THE GENERAL TSO’S CHICKEN!!!!! However, fresh fare is more expensive and tends to be smaller portions, so to me it seems like less value. The taste is fantastic but the value really makes it hard for me to like this. I can’t give it anything higher than a 6/10, the value really makes it hard to do so.
The famous Deli Destination is in 16th, and look: I like this meal as much as the next guy, but it feels like they do it twice a week, and I’m getting sick of it. It was really good when they first started serving it, but now it feels like they do it a million times a month. I like variety! And not only that, but by the time you get through the line half of the toppings are gone so you just have a meat, cheese, and ranch sandwich. I want my tomatoes!! That’s not anyone’s fault but I’m petty. 6.5/10.
Interesting meal for me right here, Taco meat, cheese, and salsa is not as good as I remembered. It tastes good, but I get really tired of the taste of the meat a lot quicker than I liked. I’ve loved this meal before and had one time where it was SO good, but this has certainly dropped, it was only just okay. It gets the 15th spot and a rating of 6.7/10
The fresh fare calzone is next at 14th, and did these things get smaller? I remember being in elementary school and having calzones the size of my hands, but I totally feel like they’re way too small. Either way, these are good and usually really warm so they’re a pleasure to eat. A little ranch on the side and I enjoy these. 7.2/10.
What I grew up eating, known as skyline dip, or is officially called Chili Cheese Dip, sits deservingly at 13, and I really enjoy this meal. It’s warm, the taste difference of the cream cheese compared to the chili is honestly really delicious, and the cheese is just an added bonus. Tip from me, add hot sauce. It takes it to the next level. Any day they’re serving this I’m usually pretty happy. I give it a 7.4/10.
Starting off with a bang we got Fish on a Bun at the 12. I was extremely dubious when first eating this meal, but after enough bites I like this meal! It doesn’t taste too fishy, and with some tartar sauce and hot sauce I really like it. The only thing that’s scary is the texture of it, the texture can scare me. However, everything that this school orders and that comes from a food packaging plant is safe to eat, so I just have to get over the fear. I give it a solid 7.5/10.
We have turkey with gravy at the 11th spot, which this may be an unpopular opinion, but I don’t dislike this meal too much. This meal is a lot more consistent than others and is usually really good! I have A lunch, so it’s always piping hot, and with some hot sauce and gravy is a really nice meal for when it’s cold and rainy. I give it a 7.7/10
FOOD I LOVE! MORE OF THIS, PLEASE
Cracking the top 10, it’s the meatball sub. I wish they did this more regularly because WOW, the quality is so good. Like I didn’t expect that food could get this good quality for a school cafeteria but wow, I really appreciate this. It’s warm, soft, and has a good balance of flavors between the cheese and sauce. I like this meal a lot! Enters at 8.2/10.
The other Mexican option (outside of fresh fare, we’ll get there) is the Chicken Quesadilla at 9, and this is so good. It’s spicy, crispy, and has 18 grams of protein for all my people who care about their macros. With the provided sour cream and salsa, this lunch is honestly so good. I recommend this to anyone who wants a Mexican option. 8.5/10.
This meal I haven’t had since last year, we have the Pulled Pork Sandwich at 8. This is a really good meal! Again, another example of me being surprised by how high-quality lunch food can get here, but I’m very impressed. It tastes smoky but doesn’t taste like you’re chewing on a wood chip, it’s super meaty and with barbecue sauce it’s so good. I wish they did these meals again. 8.7/10.
Just barely beating the Pulled Pork Sandwich, I think the Deluxe Chicken Sandwich is better at the 7th spot. I really like how fresh this is, with the customizability of toppings, which can fall under the issue of Deli Destination, but for this one I think even without toppings it’s so good. There’s really no way to mess this up, and it’s consistently a good meal. Mayo is the move with this. 8.9/10.
With such a fall from grace, Rotini with Meat is at 6th. Look, I loved this meal, and I still do, but it’s just boring now. It was too good, too meaty, too cheesy, too..rotini-y? I liked it a lot, but it’s become too redundant and eaten over and over again, I can’t with it anymore. I need this few month break away from it to really appreciate it. 9/10. It’s good, but I need a break.
Another fall from grace, Mexican Madness at the 5th spot. In the top 5, I adore everything up here. Any day I see these are the specials I am genuinely happy. These are the meals you don’t appreciate till they aren’t served for more than a few weeks, but this was something I also got sick of.
In my last article, I mentioned how this was the school’s version of Chipotle, and I guess that rings true now because this meal is 80% lettuce, like you start the meal getting a HUGE handful of lettuce and then some chicken and a whisper of rice. I like the fact that I can add toppings, and I like most of the ingredients, but I’m just bored with what they have. I don’t like the lettuce, it feels dry and wilted compared to Chipotles springy, juicy lettuce. I WANT MY LETTUCE JUICY AND CRUNCHY!!!! I say all of this making it seem like it’s bad; it’s not, this is a very very good meal. But it just doesn’t hit the same level anymore. 9.1/10.
Great meal here, Go Bold Go Buffalo sitting at #4. I love this meal! It’s spicy, yummy, and I’m an Ohioan so I love ranch and I love to douse my wings in ranch. But that’s the problem, I only have 3 wings to douse my ranch in. I love the wings, but the buffalo chicken dip is not it. I love buffalo chicken dip and honestly, I cannot put my finger on what about it makes it weird, maybe it’s the tortilla chips or something but it just tastes off. And the dip is the part of the meal with the most food, leaving me hungry because if I don’t eat the dip, I only have a few wings for sustenance. This carries on with my problems of fresh fare not giving enough food, but I’ll address that later. 9.2/10, very yummy meal but I need more food!
At the 3rd spot with Bronze, I put the Flat Bread Pizza, or as I call it, the circle pizza. This is SO good. It’s hot, tastes really good, with toppings and ranch it’s even better. It feels like just a small step down from something I’d get at LaRosas. Love this meal! Only problem is it is SMALL, and there’s really nothing else I can eat with it. Despite that, still so delicious. 9.5/10
At what I have heard is a school wide favorite, the oven grilled cheese is in the 2nd spot, taking silver. This meal has grown on me the most, it’s so so so good. It’s warm, cheesy, buttery, and with the tomato sauce is genuinely delicious. Maybe I’ve got lucky with mine being soft, but they’re so good and my stomach is rumbling thinking about it. 9.7/10, please do this more next year.
With gold, at the 1st, my favorite, General Tso’s Chicken. All people lose something dear to them. A family member, a pet, a friend, objects, what not. Grief is an emotion that can be very strong for some people, and I’ve been feeling grief because where has this meal been??? They haven’t done it in forever and it makes me so mad because this meal is good. It’s hot, spicy, yummy, filling, I can taste the Schezuan peppercorns in it, I love this meal.
To whoever decides what meals happen during the year: do this one more, please and thank you.
10/10. Pure art in a food.
That was the year in food rankings! We did it, and made it through this year with a lot of yummy or not yummy food to eat during it.
Genuine wonder of mine as I’ve gone through this: What is with the food portioning? Why are some foods “Fresh Fare”, and others the normal special?
There are a handful of Fresh Fare meals you can’t get fries with but definitely should come with them because the meal by itself is not enough food. Flat Bread Pizza and Deli Destination all come to mind; I have been left hungry after eating those meals.
Despite those concerns, I can comfortably say that some of these meals are truly awesome. Can’t wait to eat them next year!
If you want the article from earlier this year to compare to, it’s right here:
Food Fight! But Not that Kind – The Paw Print (harrisonpawprint.org)
