David
Lunch time on a college campus is crucial.
Lines can be long, viable options may be few and sometimes you don’t even know what you want.
However, one day during my junior year as I came out of class and walked past Sundial Pizzeria and Bistro, a particular menu item caught my eye for the first time.
Chicken marsala.
Up until that point, I had no knowledge that Sundial even had pasta. I was psyched that there was a place that had pasta in Armstrong, but my mother’s chicken marsala holds a special place in my heart.
Little did I know that not only would my expectations be exceeded, but the dish would become my signature lunch moving forward. It’s even better than my mom’s, but please don’t tell her I said that.
I will never forget the first time I took a bite in the newsroom. The sauce was delectable complimented with the al dente penne pasta. The chicken was surprisingly moist.
I was so shocked with this new discovery, I made everyone in close proximity have the opportunity to have their third eye open to chicken marsala. I even converted some of my friends into getting it.
My fondest memories of junior year consist of eating chicken marsala and watching “Judge Judy” with managing editor Briah Lumpkins and design and style editor Owen Berg.
I couldn’t shut up about it for weeks, and seeing how I am sitting here writing about it, I haven’t shut up about it for almost a year.
To this day, I look forward to my bowl of chicken marsala while daydreaming about lunch in class. If you have not tried it yet, I could not recommend it more.
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The wait may be long for the bistro, but with how fast you will inhale the entire bowl, I’m sure it will balance out.
Briah
I would literally rather do anything else than wait in line for food in Armstrong.
Usually, when I leave my 1:15 class, Armstrong is full of students rushing to grab a bite to eat in one of its many restaurants. It gets crowded and sometimes claustrophobic.
But despite my disdain for long lines, I always find myself waiting for the chicken marsala.
It’s not a meal I usually go for. But once my fellow managing editor David Kwiatkowski introduced me to it, I knew there was no turning back.
I think part of the appeal is seeing the food cooked in front of me. Watching the chef carefully craft my meal and sauteeing the ingredients right before my eyes adds something to the experience that no other Armstrong restaurant can.
The recipe the chefs follow is perfectly designed. The flavor of the chicken covered in mushroom sauce is something you’d only get from a home cooked meal.
I always make sure to ask for extra parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes to jazz up my portion to my design.
More importantly, though, I enjoy the experience. I’m always accompanied by a friend when getting chicken marsala. Once our food is done, we usually head up to the newsroom to watch an episode of Judge Judy or Catfish on my laptop.
Although I’m sad that I discovered chicken marsala at the end of my college career, I’m happy with the memories it’ll leave me long after.
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