The anticipation leading up to Parents Weekend can be stressful. Students must make sure that their rooms look presentable, beer cans have been hidden or recycled, beds are made, and incriminating photos have been removed from screen-saver montages. But all these preparations prove well worth the event that lies at the heart of every parental visit: being taken out to dinner.
You may have the kind of parents who insist upon judging these so-called No. 1 dining services for themselves, or the kind who made their October 29 reservations at Starfish Grill even before you received your acceptance letter. But if your parents don't fit into either of these categories, don't fret about getting the kind of meal you deserve out of your Parents Weekend. There are other options?possibly better ones.
At the corner of Maine Street and Mason Street, Henry & Marty sits rather unassumingly, almost hidden by the faded sign for J&J Cleaners. The delicate glow of small, white Christmas lights illuminates the purple brick façade, welcoming you to a dining experience that will be anything but bland.
The dining room is small and dimly lit. There is a serenity about the place that could almost put you to sleep if it did not fill so quickly with chatty costumers whose jubilance could very well be the consequence of an extensive wine list.
A small bar is tucked away in a corner by the kitchen and provides an optimal waiting area for parents to relax as their children struggle to pick out the least odoriferous shirt from their laundry pile.
The appetizers boast a selection of salads, including one with pear, gorgonzola, and pecans. For seafood starters, the menu offers calamari, pan-roasted mussels (prepared differently each night), and a lobster, salmon, and scallop chowder.
With parents footing the bill, there is always the option of sampling the specials, which on my visit included a salad with beets and goat cheese, and a soup of locally-foraged mushrooms.
Several seafood dishes are also offered as main courses. The linguini with jumbo shrimp, scallops, sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, and olives was creamy but light and full of flavor. The Scottish salmon was as soft as butter and served with a huge potato pancake.
Some dishes feature beef from Wolfe's Neck Farm, and the filet mignon, monarch of every menu, is uniquely prepared with a thick smear of gorgonzola butter.
Even if you're full from two decadent courses, pause for a moment to make a little room for dessert. The key lime pie was perfect, neither too tart nor too rich, and the contents of the crème brulee had such an exceptional consistency that the indulgently sugary crust, normally a show-stealer, had to struggle to hold its own.
The waitstaff at Henry & Marty is pleasant and professional, and water glasses are so well-attended that your meal might be significantly extended by frequent bathroom breaks. Luckily, Henry & Marty is not a bad place to spend some extra time eating, drinking, and catching up with the folks.
While the restaurant may be relatively obscure on campus, it is a local favorite and should surely be a hit with you and your parents. Do not hesitate to make your reservation.