Melissa A., Dartmouth College
Orientation has finally come to an end, which means that the seemingly
ceaseless parade of free food events has also concluded. This, of
course, led me to transition from Medlife organization meals and
Ultimate Frisbee team dinners to the actual dining halls on campus. Over
the past few of days, I have grown to frequent Collis Café, the dining
location that lays in the heart of one of the biggest hot spots on
campus, the Collis Center. With its wide variety of options, charismatic
staff, and fantastic service, Collis Café attracts hordes of students.
In the center of the café stands a lovely salad bar with a variety of toppings and dressings. And as environment-friendly Dartmouth continues to express its “green-ness”, Dartmouth Dining Services takes special care in providing food that is organic and local. Special listings even indicate which local farm the lettuce in the salad bar hails from. Collis Café offers a sort of personalized pasta bar too, in which students may fill up plastic trays with vegetables from the salad bar and then have specific pastas and sauces cooked along with their choice of toppings. All of the pastas and salads are weighed for pricing, which gives flexibility to students who either have small appetites or are ready to chow down five pounds of pasta in one sitting. The café’s made-to-order omelette is one of the best ways to start off the day and the stir fry choices never disappoint. Additionally, the café provides a popular smoothie stand, at which students can choose from fresh fruits and yogurts to be whirled into a deliciously healthy smoothie. Sandwiches, scones and bagels, and multiple grab-and-go options are also available. A sushi chef even stands in the café on some days to prepare freshly-made sushi for students.
Although the café can get incredibly crowded during lunch and dinner hours and long lines sometimes ensue, Collis Café has definitely met up to my college cuisine expectations with its flexibility, congeniality, and fresh, quality of food. My college transition food-wise has been an appetizingly smooth ride.
