With the last day of classes just around the corner, try to offset exam anxiety by thinking about this: only another week or so of living on campus food! Well, truth be told, I don’t think UR’s food selection is half bad – but after eight months, I’d like some variety. Fortunately, UR Dining Services decided to change things up April 21st-25th with Local Foods Week, incorporating local foods into dining hall menus and café offerings for a delicious, weeklong break from standard campus fare.
Photo by Agnes Chen
To kick things off, Douglass’ Meatless Monday went local with dishes that included spicy salsa ranch black bean veggie burgers (A+ rating from this Spoon writer) and mac and cheese pizza that ran out within the first hour.
Photo by Agnes Chen
Tuesday, Danforth’s Earth Day Local Lunch gave students a chance to lunch on Hoffman Bratwurst with Nance’s mustard and potato salad or tomato-gouda-arugula melts with sesame ginger coleslaw, among other appetizing selections. Top Your Own Beer doughnuts were also rather popular among sweet tooths.
Photo by Isabelle Chu
Those looking for a complete change of scene for their supper (and willing to spend $22 in declining) were more than satisfied by Wednesday’s Local Beer Pairing Dinner in the Mel. Featuring Fairport Brewing beers, the four-course dinner began with a smooth and tangy curried parsnip and apple soup, followed by a choice of entrée sandwich: bánh mì, lobster BLT with parmesan-parsley fries or falafel burger with house-made sweet potato chips. Though most diners were feeling full after devouring the delectable first two courses, few could resist the cheese plate – goat feta, aged cheddar, fig compote and crostini – much less the espresso ice cream with fudge crumble and waffle brittle for dessert. This freshman couldn’t review the beers, but let’s just say that many people were asking for refills. Accompanied by NJR tunes, the dinner made for a classy, scrumptious hump day.
Photo by Isabelle Chu
Another huge hit was Thursday’s Celebrate Rochester Dinner in Douglass. Starring Dinosaur BBQ beef brisket, DogTown chili cheese dogs and Reuben dogs, Country Sweet chicken pizza, and Cheesy Eddie’s cheesecake, the feast was, needless to say, very well-attended. The dark horse of the options was the mac and cheese that accompanied the brisket – splash on some Dinosaur BBQ sauce, and you were in a creamy, savory heaven.
Photo by Isabelle Chu
Lastly, D-Day offered a battle of the dining halls: Danforth’s Local Brunch vs. Food Truck Favorites in Douglass. The former featured Baker St. brioche French toast, vegan mango pancakes with coconut cream, buttermilk brown sugar kuchen and Gianelli sausage gravy on home-made buttermilk biscuits. Meanwhile, the student-voted-superior dining hall boasted gyros with house made tzatziki, salchipapas (mini-sausages served with fries and salsa rosada del soda), fried Oreos and lo mein. However students made the tough decision, they could enjoy an awesome meal to accompany the day’s, um, ‘festivities,’ rounding out a much-needed week of indulgence before the horror of finals. If this article whet your appetite, be sure to check out the local foods weeks of future semesters!
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