Maybe you’ve heard of Isenberg’s Meals at the Marriott program and you’ve never been, or maybe you have no idea what I am talking about. If you’re like me and you’ve actually had the pleasure of dining on the 11th floor of the Campus Center, you know that this program is the best kept secret on campus.
Two HTM majors working hard in the kitchen!
Every semester for the last seven years, Isenberg’s renowned Hospitality and Tourism Management Program has given its students the opportunity to run a fine dining establishment for course credit. Every Tuesday–Thursday about 15 students at a time will prepare all of the food, wait on tables, and make sure that everything runs smoothly in the restaurant. Professor Jenafer Andren explained to me that the course provides its students with the experience that they need to manage a restaurant.
Sounds like a pretty sweet gig for an HTM major, but what does this mean to the rest of us? It means really great food, at an even greater price (not to mention the stunning view)!
The restaurant seats lunch from 11:45-12:30 and seats for dinner from 5:45-6:30. I grabbed a friend to check out what they had to offer for lunch!
The students at the door were eager to seat us. We got there towards the end of lunch, so the crowd was thinning. This meant we got our choice of pretty much any seat in the house. We chose one with a view (which is basically any seat because the large windows that cover the walls offer expansive views of the campus and beyond).
Shortly after we were seated, a waiter was over to take our order. He told us that we could get an appetizer, an entrée, and a dessert for their combo deal which comes to $10 per person. That is not a typo; you can get a three course meal for $10. There are lots of great places to eat in Amherst, but what sets this place apart is the convenience of being located on-campus, the price, and the phenomenal food.
Sophomore HTM major, Paige Macpherson, LOVING her Pesto Cremoso e Gambretti!
The menu offers a small selection of all of the homemade recipes that the class is making that particular week. Most of the items rotate but Professor Andren explained that there are a few staple items that are available almost all of the time. Her most popular dishes include the Brie en Croûte, “delicious brie cheese wrapped in puff pastry drizzled with an apricot-rosemary sauce” and the Apple Cream Cheese Torte, “a light and delicious cream cheese cake topped with fresh granny smith apples.” But she said the biggest hit has to be the bread. Everyone raves about it, so much so that she hasn’t changed the recipe in 6 years. Unfortunately I can attest to this, we ate a LOT of bread. We ate even more bread when Professor Anderson told us that she bakes it herself every morning!
Pictured: The Zucchini Roulade, The Cremoso Pesto e Gramberetti, and The Grilled Flank Steak & Bleu Cheese Salad. Yum!
If you haven’t checked out this haven of a restaurant you need to stop wasting your time. Skip Burgers 101 the next time you’re eating at the Campus Center and go for some homemade fixings! It will literally cost you the same price.
Reservations
Phone: 413.545.0877
E-mail: guest355@isenberg.umass.edu