The Challenge:
Thorne versus Moulton
Alicia's Review
My friend perfectly articulated my sentiments this evening when he said, "If I had three-quarters a bottle of wine, I might be enjoying this right now."
I couldn't agree more. It's about a week before Spring Break, and like everyone, I'm ready for it. I have to be perfectly honest: dinner Wednesday night didn't particularly please me.
To be fair, my favorite dish of the night was the pasta with seitan and mushrooms. Yes, seitan is kind of weird and is disturbingly called "wheat meat." However, there wasn't much in the dish, so it could be avoided. I liked the gemelli pasta they used though—the twists held the tomato-based sauce well and tickled my childish fancy on which my pleasure inevitably changes. I love all of the different shapes that pasta comes in. When I'm home and grocery shopping, I will often go down the isle at Whole Foods just to look at them all. Anyway, I think it's nice when the dining hall changes things up a bit. Like any good relationship—a little variety keeps things exciting.
The other vaguely sexy thing about the dish was the mushrooms. Mushrooms add so much earthiness to a dish and have such a beautiful, juicy chew. They seem to hit some primal part of my palate that moves beyond the classification of savory and into the realm of umami. A combination of button and Portobello mushrooms were used, really adding to the interest of the dish.
Again, the meal tonight wasn't my favorite. Hearing that the Polar Chef's secret ingredient was beef tenderloin only embittered me. Instead of something on the verge of satisfying, I could have enjoyed something truly sexy, truly umami. In any case, given current levels of stress and exhaustion, I have no qualms (and neither should you) about spending the next several days seeking out the finest steak, or glass of wine, to help make this last week or so a little sweeter.
Dorothy's Review
Whenever my older brother, a Tufts alum, comes to visit me at Bowdoin, he does so on one condition—mussels must be on the dinner menu. It seems that a love of seafood runs in the family and for good reason too. Unlike most red meats, seafood possesses a unique fresh flavor that feels pleasantly light in the stomach. Another thing about seafood, mussels in particular, is that many college dining halls do not tend to serve it as much, and instead, opt to serve standard meats, including chicken and beef. Here, at Bowdoin, with local seafood and shellfish vendors nearby, we are privileged (and spoiled, according to my brother) with a generous amount of seafood entrees, including tasty mussels. Throughout my three years at Bowdoin, I have had my share of mussel dishes—whether prepared in a Thai style, in an onion and wine sauce, or with a simple garlic and herb seasoning—but not until I tasted Bowdoin's mussels with garlic, tomato and white wine at Moulton did I experience what I like to call "mussel bliss."
Perhaps what first surprised me upon chewing on my first mussel was a deliciously sour, salty taste unlike any other that I have encountered in a mussel dish. I suspected that it originated from the acidity of lemon juice, but after picking up a small, green ball on my fork, I was overjoyed to find the true culprit—capers. Capers, or more specifically, caper buds, get their delightful salty taste after being pickled and salted. They are used as a common garnish in Mediterranean cuisine, though in small amounts due to their strong taste. Many of you have probably encountered capers in common Italian entrees, including in pasta dishes, and even atop pizza.
The capers, along with the other components of the mussel dish, including chopped tomatoes, white wine, onions, plenty of garlic and a sprinkle of parsley, were able to do something I had not thought possible—make the mussels even more irresistible than before. Capers brought a new, undeniable flavor to the palette offered by previous mussel dishes that now seem quite bland in comparison. Though some may find capers to be too overpowering, I like my capers just like I like my cheese—the more pungent the taste, the better. So, as I ate my mussels and capers, I began to appreciate Bowdoin dining for introducing me to this new recipe and reminding me of why I never take any of its seafood dishes for granted.
The Verdict:
Mussels take the cake. Dorothy's appetite is satisfied and will likely make it through to Spring Break with her sanity intact. Alicia, however, can't stop thinking about beef and wine, like some sort of crazy person. Enough said.