I didn’t need a date to enjoy last week’s Valentine’s Day dinner in the Caf. While the dining hall didn’t break out a buffet or take out the fancy table cloths like they usually do for Thanksgiving, the special Valentine’s Day menu was a nice surprise and one of the best meals I have had on campus since returning from winter break. 

To celebrate, special menu items included swordfish, fried shrimp, filet mignon and an array of delicious desserts. The fried shrimp has become a staple item for me this semester. In fact, it has easily become one of my top three favorite dishes at Dickinson. However, given the fried shrimp’s reoccurring nature, for this Caf review I want to focus on the filet mignon because of its rare appearance in the dining hall. 

Served with a mushroom sauce, the filet mignon was truly delectable! Steak and mushrooms are two of my favorite food items, so put together, this became the perfect dish. I tend to like my steaks cooked medium-well. While steak is often my go-to menu item, my meal becomes completely ruined if my meat is bleeding or too pink inside. However, this certainly wasn’t the case at this Valentine’s Day dinner! My steak was cooked just over medium, satisfying my personal taste buds but not alienating the majority of others who might prefer their steak medium-rare. The meat cut very easily which lead to a great sized bite. 

Taste wise, the mushroom sauce paired well with the steak; however, I do have some other complaints. The sauce was incredibly watery, making it more like a broth than a thick sauce. As well, I only received three small mushrooms! While the taste was delicious and complemented the steak nicely, it would have been even better if these desired qualities were present. 

Overall, the Valentine’s Day dinner was not as highly anticipated as other holiday themed Caf events. Nevertheless, I will definitely be looking forward to this meal in future years! I finished off my meal with a creamy cheesecake and everything I tasted that night was scrumptious. I’m not sure if one meal makes up for the regular lack-luster Caf menus; however, the Valentine’s Day dinner certainly has my high regards.