Dining Halls Transform Into French Bistro

Tourists have often commented upon stepping into a Harvard dining hall that they feel like they’ve walked into the magical world of Harry Potter.

On Sunday, the twelve House dining halls and Annenberg evoked less fantasy and more France.

With white tablecloths, fresh flowers, beret-clad dining hall staff, and Parisian tunes rather than the usual Top 40 hits in the servery, Harvard University Dining Services offered a thematic brunch reminiscent of the City of Lights.

The array of special entrées made some students say “ooh la la”: Crepes, baguettes, brie, potatoes au gratin, niçoise salad, and other concoctions rarely seen in Harvard dining halls filled the serveries.

According to Crista Martin, the HUDS spokesperson, HUDS offers one themed brunch at the beginning of each spring semester.

French food was a popular choice in the student survey that HUDS conducted at the end of the fall semester, Martin said, leading to this year’s theme choice.

Though some Houses sent emails inviting students to the special brunch, many students said they were unaware of the French meal in advance and were surprised to find their dining halls specially decorated.

“Sundays are usually bad days since I’m thinking about work, so it’s a nice surprise,” Linda Zhang ’15 said upon walking into Annenberg.

Kenia N. Lucey ’15 agreed: “It brightened me up—Harvard being classy.”

Another freshman, Christina M. Rodriguez ’15, said, “I wasn’t originally going to eat brunch, but my roommates came back ranting and raving about how good lunch was.”

Many pointed to their favorite details.

“The roses are real. That’s a very nice touch,” Tai Boon Ding ’15 said. “I will come for breakfast more if every breakfast is like this.”

Even the food delighted.

“The crepes were wonderful and not too sweet,” Alexander M. Willis ’14 said.

Chanel E. Washington ’15 observed, “The brie is a more pricey food item.”

But while Sabrina M. Castenfelt ’15, who is part French, said she appreciated the efforts of HUDS, she also pointed out inaccuracies in Harvard’s spin on a French bistro, from a sign that spelled “cordon bleu” as “cordon blue” in Annenberg to a Provençal sandwich that was not crisp enough.

“The crepes were really light, pale and like tortillas,” Castenfelt said. “But the mustard in the sandwich Provençal was a nice touch, and the baguettes were good.... There was a great ambiance and it really was a valiant effort.”

Even Annenberg’s youngest diners noticed the difference. Freshman proctor Benjamin L. Castleman and his wife Celia Castleman brought their four-year-old daughter Lila to brunch. According to Celia, Lila observed, “It doesn’t seem like Harvard at all because it’s so fancy.”

—Staff writer Laya Anasu can be reached at layaanasu@college.harvard.edu.