Black Bean Soup
Black beans and rice...and no other flavors to speak of. This soup takes minimalism to the point of not tasting like anything. Possible ways of improving it include adding vinegar, adding salt and pepper, or adding cheese.
Overall Rating:5.3 of 10
Unimproved: 4.0, Improved: 6.6
Monday, January 26, 2009
Outtakes
Garden Salad With Curried Chickpeas
A decent salad, but nowhere near enough chickpeas. Therefore, dangerously close to zero calories unless you mix in the italian dressing, which doesn't go that well with curried chickpeas. I ate this around 12:30 and was more or less starving by about 4:15, and that was after eating a granola bar for a snack at 2:30. This would be a pretty good outtakes option if there were about 8 times as many chickpeas.
Overall Rating: 4.0 of 10
6.0 for taste, 2.0 for nutrition/feeling of satisfaction
A decent salad, but nowhere near enough chickpeas. Therefore, dangerously close to zero calories unless you mix in the italian dressing, which doesn't go that well with curried chickpeas. I ate this around 12:30 and was more or less starving by about 4:15, and that was after eating a granola bar for a snack at 2:30. This would be a pretty good outtakes option if there were about 8 times as many chickpeas.
Overall Rating: 4.0 of 10
6.0 for taste, 2.0 for nutrition/feeling of satisfaction
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Grille Station
Cheese Quesadilla
A little greasy, not entirely flavorful, but almost always dependable. You can add guac, sour cream, salsa, or even additional veggies of your choice. Use your imagination to make this even better. A timeless classic.
Overall Rating: 5.6 of 10
A little greasy, not entirely flavorful, but almost always dependable. You can add guac, sour cream, salsa, or even additional veggies of your choice. Use your imagination to make this even better. A timeless classic.
Overall Rating: 5.6 of 10
Monday, January 19, 2009
Homestyle Station
Cordon Bleu Lasagna
This is probably better than the dining halls cordon bleu. It tasted like a so-so casserole with chicken, ham and a lot of cheese in it. Someone said it resembled cheesy potatoes. It was definitely edible, but not not really a brilliant idea.
Overall Rating: 5.0 of 10
Tuna with Teriyaki Sauce
A huge disappointment when compared to the salmon teriyaki. Tuna steaks can be tasty, but not when they are way overcooked. For some reason, the marinade didn't really seep into the tuna that well either, so it really didn't have much flavor.
Overall Rating: 2.0 of 10
This is probably better than the dining halls cordon bleu. It tasted like a so-so casserole with chicken, ham and a lot of cheese in it. Someone said it resembled cheesy potatoes. It was definitely edible, but not not really a brilliant idea.
Overall Rating: 5.0 of 10
Tuna with Teriyaki Sauce
A huge disappointment when compared to the salmon teriyaki. Tuna steaks can be tasty, but not when they are way overcooked. For some reason, the marinade didn't really seep into the tuna that well either, so it really didn't have much flavor.
Overall Rating: 2.0 of 10
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Ice Cream Station
Chocolate Ice Cream, sans ice cream machine.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
At one point during dinner, everyone at my table got up to get some ice cream. Apparently the machine was broken (I didn't actually look at it), but this proved to be a blessing in disguise. The ice cream that was brought to the table for me by a nice person was significantly better than the ice cream that comes out of the machine. The harder texture was better for some reason. I can't really tell you why. Someone mentioned that they felt like they were chewing on the ice cream. In short, if the ice cream machine is broken, you should try the ice cream from the tubs.
Overall rating - 8.6 of 10
Sunday, January 18, 2009
At one point during dinner, everyone at my table got up to get some ice cream. Apparently the machine was broken (I didn't actually look at it), but this proved to be a blessing in disguise. The ice cream that was brought to the table for me by a nice person was significantly better than the ice cream that comes out of the machine. The harder texture was better for some reason. I can't really tell you why. Someone mentioned that they felt like they were chewing on the ice cream. In short, if the ice cream machine is broken, you should try the ice cream from the tubs.
Overall rating - 8.6 of 10
Pasta Station
Spaghetti with marinara sauce. I added spinach, garlic, and mushrooms.
Sunday, January 18, 2009 - Dinner
Today was my first dinner experience with the dining hall since last May. I kept it safe with a trip to the pasta station.
This actually came up pretty good. The dining hall's recipe for marinara sauce is fairly flavorful and relatively herb-ey. The sauce certainly defeats blandness and the flavors were fairly well balanced today. Although the pasta can sometimes be poorly cooked or old, the first spaghetti of the year was tasty. I asked for a lot of spinach today, which seemed to improve the pasta even more. Since pasta is an everyday mainstay with a lot of variations in sauces and in pastas, there will be many more reviews of this station.
Overall rating - 7.7 of 10
Sunday, January 18, 2009 - Dinner
Today was my first dinner experience with the dining hall since last May. I kept it safe with a trip to the pasta station.
This actually came up pretty good. The dining hall's recipe for marinara sauce is fairly flavorful and relatively herb-ey. The sauce certainly defeats blandness and the flavors were fairly well balanced today. Although the pasta can sometimes be poorly cooked or old, the first spaghetti of the year was tasty. I asked for a lot of spinach today, which seemed to improve the pasta even more. Since pasta is an everyday mainstay with a lot of variations in sauces and in pastas, there will be many more reviews of this station.
Overall rating - 7.7 of 10
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Contact Information
For submissions, please email:
Dean Porter porterde@grinnell.edu or Mona Porter portermo@grinnell.edu
Dean Porter porterde@grinnell.edu or Mona Porter portermo@grinnell.edu
Tasting Grinnell
Starting this semester (Spring 2009), we will be reviewing Grinnell Dining Hall cuisine. Through our journalistic pursuits, we aim to provide readers with a comprehensive guide to best enjoying what the dining hall has to offer. We will attempt to eat each dish that the dining hall offers in its rotation and tell what we think of it. Our publication will also include recipes that can be made with items available in the dining hall as well as other noteworthy information related to eating in the JRC. Submissions are welcome. If you want to review a dish that we haven't eaten yet or have a favorite recipe, send us an email with submission and we'll consider publishing it.
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