Seven eateries. Two hours. One hungry man.

After skipping dinner the night before and breakfast this morning, I have prepared myself for the great undertaking: to attempt to eat food from all of Redifer Commons' seven new eateries in two hours. Will I survive or will I succumb to PSU victuals?

11:00 a.m.
Southside Buffet

I arrive ready to eat. I have to be careful here, though, since this dining commons-like area is all-you-can-eat. Southside is a rather basic commons, albeit a more hip and modern looking one.

It is smaller, due in part to the large number of options students now have in Redifer, but the food is all the same.

The presentation is nicer, with entrees being served out of buffet-style steel food warmers.

There's the requisite soup and salad area and a number of options for the campus vegetarian and vegan population.

The food, however, is still commons food. Pass on the mac and cheese and grab the frozen yogurt.

While this one tries hard, my heart (and stomach) will always be with Waring Commons in West Halls. C+

11:18 a.m.
Hot Steel & Noodles

If you've even been to Green Bowl downtown, you already have an idea of how Hot Steel & Noodles works. You walk up to a buffet-ish line, put veggies of your choice into a bowl, tell a worker what "protein" (i.e. meat) and sauce you want and then voila! They cook it all up together -- after a healthy wait (pun intended).

You see, to enjoy HS&N, you really have to want it. If it's crowded, you're going to be waiting quite some time for it. After checking my mail and having a conversation with an acquaintance, my number was called -- all in all, about 15 minutes on a busy day. My shrimp, rice and veggie mix with teriyaki sauce was certainly delicious, but if patience is not your virtue then pass by this place. B

11:41 a.m.
Piatto Felice

If I keep pushing and rushing, I won't notice the onset of stomach pains.

Next up on my trek is Piatto Felice, an Italian food lover's paradise.

This place was quite a bit less complex than the HS&N.

I merely tell the commons employee what type of noodle I wanted (in this case, spirals) and whether I want a meat or non-meat sauce (meat -- I'm a growing boy) and you're done. They even toss in a piece of bread to boot.

The noodles by themselves were nothing to write home about but wow, when mixed with the sauce, my tastebuds were in Italian heaven. The pseudo-brick-oven personal sized pizzas looked great but I had to pass -- for now. B

11:56 a.m.
Urban Garden

Okay, time for a breather. I'm not much of a salad man, so I was skeptical upon approach. I took some of the least offensive looking greens I could find and simply added a little bit of cheddar and ... what's this? Cooked shrimp?

What I thought would be a quick couple of bites as a mid-course break turned into a total scarf-fest as I demolished a platter of surprisingly crisp lettuce and deliciously warm and soft baby shrimp.

I'm officially a salad convert. B+

12:12 p.m.
Bathroom Break

Hey, ever superheroes need breaks.

12:20 p.m.
In a Pickle

I'm starting to walk a bit slower now. Holding in my formidable gut is getting harder as well.

I approach In a Pickle slowly, determined to delay dining venture as long as possible for my stomach's sake.

This sandwich and wrap place looked a little less than appealing and I was right.

My tuna and provolone wrap wasn't bad, but it left my working-overtime taste buds bored.

This place has a lot of promise, if only they'd add some hot sandwiches to the menu.

On a side note, I could only eat half the wrap due to shrinking stomach space. C

12:35 p.m.
Off The Ground

Waddling over to Off the Ground, I would say that my eyes were larger than my stomach, but I don't think that was possible at this point.

Snacks and coffee galore stared back at me and the choice was a difficult one. Brownies, muffins, fresh cookies and even marshmallow treats beckoned to me.

I slowly nibbled on a cookie for a couple minutes, which was almost of Waring Commons caliber, but not quite there.

I'm not much of a coffee fiend, and the shot I had didn't change my mind. C+

12:43 p.m.
City Grill

I feel like Jabba the Hut, but I can't give up now. Six down, one to go.

Hitting the home stretch, I headed for City Grill, a basic American fare joint.

If you like red meat and poultry, this is the place.

Prior to my mammoth food marathon, I had eaten a grilled chicken sandwich here.

It certainly beat my expectations, although I wish it had at least come with a piece of cheese.

If you want the works, grab the bistro burger.

You know how good McDonald's or Burger King manages to make their fast food sandwiches look in commercials?

The bistro burger is that fantasy made reality.

It's a puffy, high quality bun, a centered piece of cheese, an amalgam of tasty condiments and a juicy piece of beef.

That perfect combination sent my heart aflutter (into cardiac arrest). B+