Travis Kincaid (via Oak St. Drafthouse / Facebook)

Beer and college go hand-in-hand, but Denton's Oak St. Drafthouse has just made the connection a bit stronger. Set in the city's third oldest house, with antiques "strewn across the lawn," the bar at 308 E. Oak St. has been open since March, and for their first "back to school" celebration, they've partnered with Voertman's and are giving away two textbook scholarships via raffle tonight at midnight.

Each purchase tonight between 8 p.m. and midnight will warrant one raffle ticket, and Facebook shares will also result in single tickets. Winners will receive free textbooks for one semester and must be present to win. Since the bike-friendly establishment is only 1.8 miles from the UNT campus, it shouldn't be too hard to find an item or ten from the more than 50 draft beers (including a just-tapped Abita Roggen Weizen), 10-plus cocktails and the full coffee and dessert menu. More info here.

LDD

Chicken Schawarma at Prince Lebanese

Classes at UT Arlington started late last week and everyone is excited about the new fancy-pants $160 million College Park District, which includes a 7,000-seat center for sports, concerts and general hoopla (like commencement ceremonies). The 20-acre area on the east side of campus also has new dorms and "lofts" flanked by small restaurants, and since it's a state-mandate to teach kids about commuting, there's also a huge parking garage.

With more than 33,000 students each semester, the area around central Arlington is growing out of its pants so quickly you honestly wouldn't even recognize it. In what use to be a row of used car lots and furniture shops (well, there are still a lot of those), there's a bevy of new restaurants, like Twisted Root, Flying Fish, Babe's and soon, a Torchy's and Freebirds. All are within walking distance of UTA. Not that anyone would walk, we're just saying they could.

But, in an effort to make UTA and central Arlington feel more like home to all the displaced eager-to-learn young souls, we've put together a rough guide to some off-the-beaten path restaurants that will be kind to their thin wallet, or insufficient debit card.

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We'd be remiss to allow an entire College Week to pass without mention of the college life's main goal (well, you know except for the main-main one): procuring, hoarding and drinking booze.

It's a universal feeling, the simultaneous confusion and wistful nostalgia that comes with the memory of one's former "signature" drink. What the hell was I thinking?! And, God how I miss those simpler days. When dates didn't order $12 cocktails and browsing a beer list was nothing like cracking a textbook full of foreign words.

So we're here with a retrospective to remind you of the good old days, or the good new ones to come. These are in no particular order, because let's be real, each is as awful as the last. Pour out a little (very little) Deschutes Obsidian Stout in their honor.

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Ruthie's Food Trucks / Facebook

Ruthie's adds a new truck to the fleet that will be stationed at every SMU home game.

See Also:
*The College Diet: Breaking Down the Food at SMU's Cafeteria
*Digg's Taco Shop: Yeah, We Can Dig It

Well, RFOC is out. Big surprise. I distinctly remember finding the choices so taste-numbing that I once ate nothing but a bowl of croutons for dinner during my freshman year at SMU. Perhaps the cafeterias aren't solely to blame for the epidemic of disorderly eating on the Hilltop (Real Binging/Purging on Campus), but they sure don't help. But the kids these days are lucky. The food truck swarm has pulled on up to a few local campuses, offering inexpensive choices -- a damned sight cheaper than RFOC's $8.75, even if it is all-you-can-eat -- that might actually be made of real food.

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If you're not broke in college, then you're not doing it right. It's mandatory, like puking at the coast. College students should be able to pull together a weekend's worth of food and gas via a bone marrow donation and condiments at a 7-Eleven. They should also know stores that take several days to deposit checks in order to float a little cash. It's all about learning to "leverage debt," which is a trade you'll need after you graduate.

Until then, we've pulled out grandma's recipe book for six stunning bowls of Maruchan Ramen to get your through the semester.

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See Also:
The College Diet: Breaking Down the Food at SMU's Cafeteria
Digg's Taco Shop: Yeah, We Can Dig It

I left the RFOC dismayed and hungry, mostly because I pushed more food around my plate than I ate. As I walked across the street to jump in my car, I saw Digg's Taco shop on Hillcrest Avenue and decided it was a good day for a double lunch. I wanted to see how a restaurant a beer can's throw away from campus compared.

Digg's is a small, modern taco shop filled with trendy music, youthful diners and the smells of simmering swine. The pork taco wasn't true carnitas (it was braised, not fried) but the flavor was fresh and toppings were lush and vibrant. A chicken taco was even better, loaded with tender, juicy meat and topped with crunchy lettuce and a fresh salsa.

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Real Food On Campus

America's future leaders are piling back to their schools, and we're honoring them with how-to's, survival guides and personal stories of failure from Observer staff. That's right, It's College Week. See also: The Top 20 Dorm Room Posters Of All Time

As Nick and I walked into SMU's RFOC Cafeteria (Real Food On Campus), a nice lady greeted and gave us the rundown. For $8.75 we had unlimited access to a world's bounty. "It's Asian day," she told us, and pointed to a station tricked out with saucy stir-fries. She motioned to the salad bar to our left and told us the cereal bar was tucked just around the corner.

Ah, the cereal bar. It's been a long time since I've been in a college cafeteria, and a lot of things have stayed the same. As the woman swiped my credit card I remembered some familiar feelings as I surveyed the room and tried to formulate a plan. The various stations laid out an endless tapestry of prepared food that was mine for the taking and I was overwhelmed by a sudden, almost giddy and uncontrollable desire to eat everything.

And then I did.

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