Food Review Draft
Food Review: Peregrine Dining Hall
The largest dining facility on the Suny New Paltz campus is Peregrine Dining Hall. The conveniently located facility is named after the peregrine falcons you may see flying above the lake, or as residents like to call it, “gunk.” The name is also a reminder of Suny New Paltz’s values, including being welcoming to everyone living, learning and working here, regardless of where they came from.
For many residents here, Peregrine dining hall is within a very easy reach for any meal of the day. Students can walk here, swipe their campus ID card, and have access to the all you can eat buffet style meals. With music always playing, this facility comprises many booth and table options.
First thing I chose was from the Simple Eats section. They served Ancho Lime Marinated Chicken and White rice.
The Ancho Lime Marinated Chicken was a surprise to my taste buds. Its darker color along with the taste made me think it was roast beef. Although I enjoyed the garlicky taste, its lime juice seemed to be overpowered by other flavors. I wish that they were more balanced. The meat itself was very difficult to cut into. I was expecting it to be difficult to chew as well, but unexpectedly, it was fairly easy. Along with this, the chicken was very dry. Chewing the meat almost felt like eating toilet paper. It’s safe to say I probably will not be getting this again.
The rice on the other hand was simple and delightful. It was soft and very salty to my liking, moreover a gratifying side to the chicken and soup.
Along with this, I decided to try the Lentil soup. Kept at an agreeable temperature, I poured some into a small bowl. I was expecting the soup to be a lot more chunky and filled with vegetables, but instead, I was met with an unpleasant, watery, grainy, and somewhat gritty texture. Although it was soup, it still managed to feel somewhat dry in my mouth. The taste on the other hand was not too bad. The salty, vegetable flavor was good and I loved tasting its hints of carrot, but I wished it was more creamy.
Next, I grabbed a plain slice of pizza from the pizza station. I grabbed a slice fresh from out of the oven. The slice was cheesy and stringy in the best way possible. It reminded me of the frozen pizza that I used to snack on at home, but only better. It had warm and soft dough and toppings, but the cheese slid off extremely easily. I wished I could bite into it without it all falling off, but at the same time, the cheese was my favorite part of the pizza. It is definitely not amazing, but is a considerable comfort food to get when you’d like.
Lastly, for dessert, I grabbed an M&M brownie from the dessert table. The presentation was quite messy, but it was scrumptious nevertheless. Although sticky and quite difficult to eat with your hands, The brownie was soft, moist, and the M&Ms added a perfect crunch. Almost melting in your mouth, the sweet chocolatey flavor is great for anyone with a sweet tooth like me.
There are many options for you to find something to enjoy, especially with their vegan, vegetarian, and special-needs diet friendly foods. The food here is pretty hit or miss, but it will definitely be able to fulfill your hunger with all of it’s choices, and a suitable location.
Peregrine Dining Hall
Suny New Paltz– 1 Hawk Drive
Contact: (845) 257-3352
Hours: Breakfast- 7:30AM -11:00AM; Lunch- 11:00AM -3:00PM; Dinner- 4:00PM -9:00PM; Late Night- 9:00PM -11:00PM
Highlights: Ancho Lime Marinated Chicken, White Rice, Lentil soup, Pizza, M&M Brownie