Ditching the Dining Hall: The Middlebury Marquis

The new and improved Middlebury Marquis opened just last week.  In addition to two revamped movie theaters, the Marquis also opened Middlebury’s first Southwestern restaurant.  At first we were skeptical of a Southwestern restaurant located inside a movie theater. You usually just don’t put the Hunger Games and burritos in one venue.  However, after going to the Middlebury Marquis Theater on Main Street, our suspicions were discredited.

The first thing we learned when we entered the Marquis movie theater was that they served Southwestern food, not Mexican food. “Southwestern food is Mexican food with an American flair,” Mady Despins ’15, a Marquis employee, said when asked about the difference between Mexican and Southwestern cuisine. Southwestern food still includes the spices and the flavor of Mexican food, but also incorporates other ingredients. The added ingredients include pesto, pineapple, and Gouda, things you may not traditionally associate with stereotypical Mexican food.

We got a taste for these added ingredients when we ordered the Vegetable Burrito and the Quesadilla Rustica. The Vegetable Burrito included an array of flavors including cilantro and chipotle braised cabbage. We have to say our favorite part of the Veggie Burrito was the quinoa. It was unexpected for a burrito, but it gave it a lighter and fresher feel than a regular burrito with heavy cream sauces and rice. The lighter burrito made it so we were able to down it an hour before practice and finish sprints without throwing up. Success!

The Quesadilla Rustica came with the option of adding carnitas, pollo, or carne.  We decided to try it with pollo (pollo is chicken, for all of you non-Spanish speakers).  The Quesadilla Rustica also came with roasted peppers, black beans, and cheddar cheese.  The best part of the quesadilla was the cilantro pesto.  It really distinguished it from the average quesadilla you would make at Proctor or order from the Grille. Another differentiator between Marquis’s quesadillas and other food venues is their original ingredients. They have incorporated items such as carrot habanero sauce as well as ingredients of chester cilantro and jicama.

We know many people that drive 45 minutes to Burlington to go to Chipotle, and after eating here we have to say the drive is no longer worth it. This restaurant serves a different style of food than Chipotle’ s cuisine, but the spices and flavors satisfy the taste buds the same way that Chipotle does.
Another added benefit of Marquis is that you can order at the countertop and then take your food into the movie theater.  Therefore the next time when you think your most entertaining option for the night may just be sitting in your bed watching Netflix, think again.  If you’re not already convinced, the food is cheaper than most popcorn at movie theaters. The prices at the restaurant range from four to ten dollars. Popcorn averages at about 7 dollars at a movie theater.  You can also opt for take-out if you don’t want to see a movie or don’t have any friends to go with.

The combination of price, entertainment and really good southwestern food makes this a place you need to at least try … we have a feeling this may become your new favorite Middlebury eat-out spot.