If there’s one thing we’re known for as college students, it’s our eating habits. Rather, our unhealthy eating habits. How many of us have had that fourth slice of pizza at 1 a.m. before we go to bed, or made grilled cheeses for lunch twelve days in a row on our George Forman because we’re sick of dining hall food?
What about when we do go to the dining hall because it’s a perfect place to socialize and fully take advantage of the “all you can eat” offerings? Pizza places, Chinese restaurants, Sodexho, and local restaurants offer us enormous portions of all other types of greasy, sugary, fattening foods, and if you’re anything like me you give in willingly to the yummy temptations.
Of course, as we all know, being lovers of food, these good things are not easy to give up. The key then, must be moderation. Our small college town is oozing with all types of cuisine; its time to weed out the bad so we can spend our calories on things worth eating. Let’s find the lone filet mignon within oceans of lo mein.
I have made it my mission to be your food critic. From fancy sit-down restaurants to the little pizza place on the corner, I hope to do the research for you, so when you’re hungry at 1 a.m. you know what number to call and when your parents come to visit you know just where to take them.
The Italian Farmhouse falls into the latter category. They’re open seven nights a week but never during the day, so be sure to plan ahead. When you first arrive, expect a wait. The restaurant is a popular choice in the area, and their limited hours make the times they are open rather hectic. Luckily, the atmosphere in which you wait is comfortable as they offer a bar and benches and lots of things to look at.
Once you’re seated, expect mediocre service. On the surface the staff appears friendly, however, my waitress was all too quick to point out my dining mate’s ignorance in calling capers, peas – how silly of us.
The food is a very different story. As the name suggests, they serve Italian food. And by Italian food, I mean pasta, pasta, pasta, pizza, pasta and some more pasta. Nevertheless, the food is excellent. After ordering, all guests are welcome to feast on bread and butter or oil. Although entrées are limited to minimal assortments of pasta, salads and pizza they have a wide variety of appetizers and desserts (may I suggest the chocolate chip cheesecake?)
The Farmhouse, however, is not so good on your wallet. If everyone in your party shares an appetizer, has their own reasonably priced entrée and a desert, you can expect to pay around $25 apiece, a little bit of a stretch for a college student’s budget. For special occations, though, I would definitely recommend the Italian Farmhouse.