It’s an encouraging thought if Bento Go-Go is any sign of what’s to come for the Ohio State campus.

After the Insomnia coffeehouse was run out of town a few years back, the area surrounding the Newport Music Hall has lacked good social eating/drinking establishments.

Bento Go-Go, located at 1728 N. High St., intends to fill that gap, but the results are mixed.

The two-story restaurant and sake bar has a trendy atmosphere with wood and glass tables, a few couches, video screens, an attractive staff and the strangest elevator in town.

Upstairs, the sake bar blasts the music loud, and the restaurant is still working out a few kinks because the CDs on the sound system keep skipping. But these annoyances are almost worth it, considering that Bento Go-Go is one of the few places to drink sake in the area. If you haven’t had sake before, it tastes a little like mild whiskey, usually served warm. The restaurant also serves domestic and imported beer.

Food can be found on the lower level of the establishment and is ordered cafeteria-style – which is not as bothersome as it sounds because of quick service. The huge wraparound menu posted downstairs is kind of rough on the neck when trying to view it all, so a paper menu located by the register is a must-read.

Another problem with the menu is the description. The lack of detail desperately needs to be cleared up. Food is not always as good as it can be when you don’t know what you’re eating, especially with a type of food new to many of the patrons. Many of the dishes come with tiny salads and scoops of semi-exotic vegetables that many will have no clue about.

Many non-alcoholic drinks are available, including Asian canned drinks, fountain drinks, teas and juices. The Go Go Juice ($1.75) isn’t as uplifting as it sounds, but a nice accompaniment to the meals. The icy, almost creamy drink is made with red papaya.

Of the seven salads, the cheapest and smallest, the Side Salad (75 cents) is topped with a surprisingly authentic ginger-mango dressing.

As for the Miso Soup, the broth is a little bland and the tofu is the most flavorful thing in it – if you can imagine that – but at 75 cents, its another cheap appetizer if you’re looking to maximize the number of courses.

Like the Miso, the Soba Noodle Soup ($4.95) is served in a bland broth. However, it’s quite large and filled with plenty of long, dark soba noodles.

Bento doesn’t exactly serve the highest-grade sashimi, and the selection is small, but it’s a good place for beginners and only slightly more expensive than Big Bear. Sushi Deluxe ($9.95 for 13 pieces) has an assortment of nigiri and maki, a few rolls and a few small sides including tempura. There are four large pieces of meaty sashimi, with the rest being egg-oriented. If you want great sushi try Haiku and Sulan, which have the same owner as Bento.

The Crunching Buckeye ($4.50 for eight pieces) is one of several items on the menu containing Unagi, barbecued eel. The interesting sweet and salty taste is very good and worth trying.

Often the choice of the entry-level American sushi eater – the California Roll ($5.50/ 12 pieces) with rice, crabstick, cucumber and avocado and masago (bright orange smelt roe) – tastes like it does everywhere else, but it is nevertheless an essential part of any sushi menu.

The Teriyaki Chicken Bowl ($4.50) contains small, diced pieces of meat over an abundance of white rice. The pieces are all dark meat and small, but the teriyaki adds much needed flavor.

The Mango Chicken Bento ($6.50) comes in a box with an assortment of about ten small dishes colored a lively blend of pink, orange, white, green, black and brown. The chicken breast is grilled, sliced and doused with the same mango sauce as the side salad and sits on a bed of white rice.

A crisp-on-the-outside, doughy-on-the-inside piece of tempura (battered fried vegetables) makes an appearance, as does a smaller, similarly textured cake with what tasted like creamed broccoli in the middle. Each salad in the box has a handful of ingredients, again pressing the need for a more descriptive menu.

Most of the items are served in plastic bowls and dishes, making take-home easy for the busy student.

Bento Go-Go serves food from 11 a.m.-10 p.m., and The Sake Lounge is open from 9 p.m.-2 a.m.