Mad About Midd Dolci Dinner Priceless

Author: Dave Barker

Dear Parents,

I wanted to set your jaws back in their upright positions after they no doubt plunged upon reading President of the College Ronald D. Liebowitz's letter concerning the 5.25 percent tuition hike for the coming year. I am sure you did some quick math over the many ways you could spend $44,320 if your kids had decided to go to their in-state public school, where tuition averages $5,491. How about 55 round-trip plane tickets to Maui or a field box seat at Fenway for close to six seasons? If you're feeling charitable, you could cover the GDP per-capita income for 44.32 residents of Mali.

Let me allay your worries about cutting the check. You probably hear about the academic benefits of $44k from your stressed child during finals. Here's a less-academic, but still educational reason for signing "twenty-two thousand three hundred…" twice next year: the Dolci Student-Run Restaurant.

That's right your son or daughter might learn to chop an onion or shred carrots using a mandolin while preparing a four-course gourmet meal for 88 during his or her time at Middlebury. Students can elect to cook, wash dishes or wait tables at Dolci. They can also take the less taxing route of getting "free" tickets and enjoy a meal with friends. Dolci means "dessert" in Italian, but each of the four courses satisfy just as much as the last one does.

Last Friday, the four courses came paired with three glasses of red wine and a glass of champagne, making the meal even classier. Don't get the wrong idea about the alcohol: student head-chefs Scott Kleiman and Meg Guffin, both '06, loaded the tables with tasting sheets and wine descriptions, forcing students to sip attentively. "We wanted to initiate a process of students thinking about wine and food together," said Kleiman, who along with Guffin, took a course during J-Term on food and wine preparation.

I entered Redfield Proctor dining room a foodophile and left an oenophile. Determined, I tried to make out the aromas of strawberries and blackberries of the Talomas Syrah & Cabernet Sauvignon or the subtle licorice flavor accompanied by a "bit of heat" that characterized the Domaine Drouhin Pinot Noir.

Reading material also accompanied the food. Three local cheeses served during round one came with descriptions of their characteristics. Prior to last Friday, I would have thought Tarentaise was a type of tonsillitis instead of an aged alpine raw milk organic cheese from grass-fed cows.

You would expect to find the three courses that followed at a restaurant where reservations are required a few years in advance. A braised lamb shank came with herbed gnocchi and sautéed greens. The lamb almost slid off the bone before it landed in my mouth. Thankfully, the waiter brought a mescaline, chévre, pear, and walnut salad after as a breather before dessert. When the molten-chocolate cake arrived centered in a pool of chipotle-raspberry sauce, I was on the verge of tears, as if I had just witnessed a perfect game in the playoffs.

I could write a year's worth of columns on the many perfect "games" that happen at Middlebury during the course of a year. You could get the calculator out and see if they merit the bill. Save yourself the time and take my word: the comprehensive fee is worth the sacrifices you've made for your son or daugther, even if retirement comes at 85.