Face Off: Carrie's vs. Scallions

Like so many practical, non-liberal arts majors, hotel and restaurant management anticipates that what you learn in college must one day be applied to the real world. And what better way to break in these "hospitality" students than by putting them in charge of a real restaurant, if only for three hours a week. Missouri State and Ozarks Technical Community College's charges have their own little eateries, Carrie's and Scallions, respectively, and we visited both-with pretty favorable results.

Hours

Carrie's: Tuesday and Thursday, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Scallions: Thursday, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Winner: Carrie's. It open three hours a week more than Scallions, though it will close for the semester a week earlier than Scallions (November 30).

Ambience

Carrie's: The venue is basically a classroom with some tablecloth-covered tables in place of desks; definitely a work in progress.
Scallions: This is the more developed of the two eateries. The restaurant's menu and dining room have different themes in different years-this year's theme is old-school Italian. With a couple of wine posters and an old dude fingerpicking classical guitar in the corner, Scallions is a passable Tuscan joint.
Winner: Scallions

Food

Carrie's: Carrie's is a general "Americana" restaurant, full of fusion and cross-cultural ingredients not normally found in nature-I had a pulled pork sandwich with guacamole, mixed greens with Grand Marnier dressing. The food is certainly more adventurous than your average lunch shop, but tasty.
Scallions: The gnocchi, as recommended by the hostess, was flavorful, hearty and rich, with lots of cheese and potato dumplings. Like Carrie's, was a little heavy for lunch.
Winner: Based on the dish we tried, Scallions.

Price

Carrie's: At around $9 a plate (after tip), the amount you get is a deal.
Scallions: The gnocchi came out to about $11 after drink and tip. A little  more pricey though it was still a bargain.
Winner: Carrie's by a whisker.

Overall

Winner: Scallions. We were impressed with both places. Whoever's cooking in these kitchens sure likes to play around with food ideas. Scallion's gets the edge on account of the gnocchi that, though heavy for lunch, was excellent. Pork, Parmesan, potatoes...mmmmm. Carrie's is intriguing, though, and we can't wait to watch it develop.