Criteria:
For this review of the Sherman Dining Hall on the evening of Nov. 21, Jacob Grosof and I, Clay Napurano, decided to try everything offered. From the toast bar to the kosher fruit, we took it upon ourselves to sample a small portion of everything. In order to prevent food waste, we ate as much of the food sampled as possible.
Ratings:
We rated on a scale from zero to five with five being fantastic and zero being nearly inedible. Although food reviews are incredibly subjective, we hope to provide a guide for future students, faculty, staff, or students looking to try a new station at the dining hall.
N.B. We did not rate the ice cream, frozen desserts, or the drink options. We chose to do this because these products are either from concentrate or from an outside vendor.
| Jacob | Clay | Meal |
| 3 | 0 | Kosher Soup
(Tortilla) |
| 2 | 2.5 | Veggie Bounty Soup |
| 2.25 | 2.5 | Pizza (Including Pasta Salad, Pesto Chicken Pizza, and Cheese Pizza) |
| 1.5 | 2 | Kosher Meal (Lentils, Corn, Vegan Nuggets, Pasta and Cream Sauce) |
| 2.5 | 3 | Kosher Salad (Tuna Salad) |
| 1.5 | 1 | Salad (Everything Offered) |
| 1.75 | 3.5 | Vegan Meal (Rustic Roots) (Vegan Bolognese) |
| 2.5 | 3 | Simple Servings (Quinoa, Zucchini, Carrots, White Fish) |
| 1 | 2.5 | Marinara Pasta Station (Turkey a la King, Pasta, Cream Pesto Sauce, Red Sauce) |
| 3.25 | 3.5 | Chef’s Table (Orange Chicken, Lo Mein, White Rice, Chinese Vegetables) |
| 3 | 3 | Dessert Bar (Chocolate Cupcake, Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip Cookie, Sugar Cookie) |
| 0 | 0.5 | Kosher Dessert (Packaged Oat Cookie) |
| 3.75 | 3.5 | Burger Bar (Grilled Chicken, Beef Mushroom Blend Burger, Onions, Mushrooms, Turkey Bacon, Waffle Fries) |
| 2.75 | 1.5 | Kosher Fruit |
| 3 | 2.5 | Toast Topping Bar (Butter, Marmalade, Whipped Cream, Cream Cheese, Smart Balance, Jam, Apple, Chocolate Sauce) |
| 2.5 | 2.75 | Fruit |
| 3.25 | Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie | |
| 1.25 | 1.5 | Yogurt (Gluten Free Dessert) |
| 2.5 | 0 | Gluten Free Snickerdoodles (Gluten Free Dessert) |
| 1.75 | 2 | OVERALL |
Clay’s Summary:
I want to preface my reflection with the caveat that I don’t normally eat like this in the dining hall. Most of Sherman’s offerings, I physically cannot stomach. The day-to-day selection invites stomach aches and an unbalanced diet. Although there are options for vegans or those with allergies such as the rustic roots station for vegan options, (which was also the only meal properly seasoned) the only food that isn’t spicy, overly acidic or creamy is the burger station. There is a significant problem when the plain grilled chicken is the highlight of my meal. I think it is also important to note that aside from the inconsistent labels with a few common allergens listed, we had absolutely no clue what was in what we were eating. This is a huge problem. Another striking observation from my meal is that capatavi pasta was used at almost every station. Sodexo seems to sacrifice quality for quantity considering how they feel the need to upkeep so many options but do so by providing a different version of the same mediocre meal at every station. Overall, Sherman does its job in feeding students and providing the illusion of variety. However, it does its job in an inconsistent and strikingly poor manner.
Jacob’s Summary:
A very disappointing meal. The Sherman shits are made on nights like these. When your dining hall prioritizes desserts and high-emission animal protein, something is deeply wrong. I’ve seen the potential that Sherman has when its chefs are creative and not just staring at you with dead eyes at the end of the weekend. Maybe Sunday nights aren’t the best time to go to your neighborhood dining hall. Maybe the chefs got left with bad ingredients when the time came for this review. In any case, one thing is for sure: Sodexo can do better.
