For those who want a break from Aramark or perhaps don’t have the cash for off-campus eats, the eating clubs at Psi U and Alpha Delta Phi both accept points and provide an affordable alternative.
The Chique Chaque of Psi U, advertised as “the oldest restaurant on campus,” serves meals Monday through Friday Lunch is 11:45a.m. to 12:15p.m. and dinner is 5:30 to 6:15p.m. There is no dinner on Friday evenings.
Thanks to a contract agreement between Chique Chaque and Aramark, students can opt to use points or cash for their meals- six for lunch and eight for dinner.
The crowd at Chique Chaque, according to Psi U president Andrew Bleeker ’07, primarily consists of regulars.
“(The attendance) tends to be pretty consistent,” he said. “Mostly made up of members of Psi U and their friends.”
Even though the diners are usually affiliated with Psi U, the Chique Chaque is not exclusive.
“It’s extremely convenient,” Bleeker said. “It adds to the community feel of the house, and lets us meet other people from campus.”
For lunch and dinner, desserts and soft drinks are always included.
“(The options) are pretty eclectic,” Bleeker said. “But there tends to be a lot of Italian dishes, like Chicken Parmesan and ziti.”
Psi U brother Mike Goodwine ’06 said he is pleased with the menu.
“I like the variety of choices,” he said. “It’s a nice pleasant environment. Also, it’s nice to sit down and have soup and a meal with the brothers.”
The Chique Chaque menu can be accessed online at http://www.wesleyan.edu/psiu/cc.
Also appealing because of its friendly atmosphere and quality food is Alpha Delta Phi’s restaurant, The Star and Crescent Eating Club. Founded in the 1850s as The Chronometer, the name changed in 1878 to Star and Crescent. When it was first established, the restaurant was located off campus and exclusively served the literary societies that preceded Alpha Delta Phi. When the Alpha Delt house was built n 1906, the restaurant was moved to its present location in the house.
Today, Star and Crescent is not exclusive, serving lunch and dinner to all who attend dining hours—12:00 to 12:30 p.m. for lunch and 5:00 to 7:00 p.m for dinner. Alpha Delt Steward Lynn Cartwright-Punnett ’07, emphasized the open atmosphere of Star and Crescent.
“The restaurant is for us but it’s also for the Wesleyan campus,” she said.
“It’s nice to get [my food] on a plate all prepared for me,” said Hannah Drier ’08, “That way, I don’t feel like cattle.”
Even when Star and Crescent is at its capacity of about 80 people, the dining experience is efficient, with an average of 20 to 40 people shuffling in and out for lunch, and 40 to 80 people for dinner.
The Star and Crescent dining contract includes three lunches and three dinners a week for 13 weeks. Like Chique Chaque, the Star and Crescent is closed for dinner on Friday and completely closed on weekends.
Chef Jonathan Michael, a Middletown native, was trained in the culinary institute at Nicholls State University, and is given liberty in choosing what to cook.
“I really enjoy the creative freedom,” Michael said. “I get to do a fair amount of international cooking, but it’s a nice mix of what’s out in the world and what’s good here in America.”
Last Thursday, Michael chose the theme of “Soul Food” for the night, which included collard greens, corn bread and pork chops with barbeque sauce.
All the food, Michael promises, is homemade or cooked from scratch. He offers a wide range of choices that aim to appeal to all kinds of palettes.
Leave a Reply