William Rollins, second year industrial design student, cooks fresh chicken daily at the Global Village cantina and grille.
Michael Conti

Amidst the continuing construction at Global Village, RIT’s newest eatery opened its doors early last week. In keeping with the international theme of Global Village, the cantina and grille offers selections of foods from the far corners of the earth.

The cantina houses three separate counters, each of which offers options from a different part of the globe. The first and largest of these counters is that of Salsarita’s. As a franchise of the popular Mexican chain, Salsarita’s offers standard Mexican fare, including burritos, quesadillas and nachos. In addition to these more traditional options, Salsarita’s offers Mexican pizzas.

For students looking to take their palates east rather than south, the cantina and grille offers fresh sushi. The sushi counter, Oishii Sushi, is owned and operated by the same people behind Park Point’s Wok With You. At Oishii, they offer many varieties of fresh sushi and, for those willing to wait, will even roll sushi to order, right at the counter.

The last counter, the Global Grille itself, offers a wide variety of cuisine. Each meal is grilled to order on a grill identical to the Mongolian Grill found at Gracie’s. The grill’s menu, which will be constantly rotating, uses fresh produce and meat.

Paul Smarsh, assistant manager of the cantina and grille, said that the new eatery has been a great success. “Since we’ve opened, we’ve been really busy. The Salsarita’s concept has been well-received,” said Smarsh. This was evident even at 3:00 p.m. on a Friday: A line of eight students had formed at the Salsarita’s counter.

To fit with RIT’s green initiative, Smarsh says that the cantina is looking for cost-effective ways to stay green. Currently, the Salsarita’s takeout containers are made from recycled materials, as is the plastic silverware. “We’re always looking for more green opportunities,” said Smarsh.

In addition to the cantina and grille, the Global Market opened right next door. The market is a combination convenience store and ethnic market. In addition to many of the products that can be found at Bytes on the Run or The Corner Store, Global Market sells many specialty items. The produce section includes foods that might by unfamiliar to many students, including okra, jicama, tomatillas and lemon grass.

In addition, the market sells a variety of local products, from maple syrup made in the state of New York to fresh bread from local bakeries. A small selection of gourmet and organic products are also available, including chocolates and cheeses.