One of my biggest goals in life is to eat a piece of brie the size of my head. Until that glorious day, I will feel great jealousy towards Remy from “Ratatouille.”
If you ever found your stomach grumbling watching Timon and Pumbaa chow down on those grubs in “The Lion King,” or your mouth ever watered at those beignets in “The Princess and the Frog,” then this recent campus event would’ve been for you.
On Wednesday, Union Board and Metz Catering collaborated to cultivate a unique movie viewing experience: A “Ratatouille” Taste Test. Metz Catering Manager Pedro Hopkins II, who has worked at Albion College for over 10 years, said he loves doing new things like this taste film, “especially food we’ve never done before.”
The menu included two charcuterie boards, creamy potato leek soup, “Remy’s” omelet, sweet bread à la Gusteau and a classic ratatouille. Participants received a paper chef’s hat and sparkling red grape juice at their tables.
Fellow Pleiad staffer, Opinions/Features Editor Jocelyn Kincaid-Beal and I put on our chef’s hats, poured ourselves a glass of red and donned our own “Grim Eater” – AKA “Ratatouille” food critic Anton Ego – personas.
We rated the food served to us on an 80-20 rating system from a Medium food reviewer, Alan. Our breakdown was a little different, as we weren’t rating price or overall value.
“The overall rating score is divided into 2 sections: the basic section (out of 80), and the extras section (out of 20). Together, they sum to 100, which is the theoretical maximum score that a restaurant can attain,” Alan said.
Our Score Breakdown:
Food Flavor and Texture: 60 points
Food Quality and/or Skillfulness: 10 points
Service and Setting: 5 points
Presentation: 5 points
Legitimacy or Creativity: 5 points
Memorability: 5 points
Bonus Category: 10 points
The Charcuterie Board
Our Thoughts:
This dish was brought out during the exposition of the film, and as a charcuterie board enthusiast, I was thoroughly excited about this section.
The brie was delectable and paired well with fresh strawberries, which are very hard to come by these days as they are out of season. I even tried them both at once, per Remy’s suggestion (though unfortunately, not at the same time as him), and it was actually pretty good! I wouldn’t describe it as “lightningy,” but it did the trick.
However, the hazelnuts on the plate seemed to be an afterthought, and there was no prosciutto, as was promised on the menu.
Our Score:
Food Flavor and Texture: 40/60
Food Quality and/or Skillfulness: 10/10
Service and Setting: 5/5
Presentation: 1/5
Legitimacy or Creativity: 2/5
Memorability: 5/5
Bonus Category, “Doing the Remy Thing”: 10/10
Total: 73/100
Creamy Potato Leek Soup
Our Thoughts:
I was really excited about the soup; I’m a huge fan of all things potato and it always looked so good on the screen. I also have to say that I related to Remy’s controlling need to fix the soup.
The soup, for me, had a really good thick texture and consistency, it had a bit of spice and a good tang. Jocelyn wasn’t as much of a fan of the texture, so our combined score is lower than my individual rating would’ve been.
I will say, I wish the soup was served with a slice of nice crusty bread, as there were many scenes with French bread in the film and I was foaming at the mouth for some.
Our Score:
Food Flavor and Texture: 45/60
Food Quality and/or Skillfulness: 7/10
Service and Setting: 5/5
Presentation: 4/5
Creativity: 3/5
Memorability: 2.5/5
Bonus Category, “Not Cooked by a Rat (That we Know of…)”: 10/10
Total: 76.5/100
Remy’s Omelet
Our Thoughts:
I’ll be honest, I wasn’t super enthusiastic about the omelet, as I can’t say I’m a fan of Metz Dining’s eggs. Compared to the rest of the menu, it just didn’t seem as appetizing. We also weren’t served the omelet in tandem with the film, which was a little disappointing. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the texture and flavor of the peppers, and the pairing with the feta cheese. And the eggs did not taste like the ones served in Baldwin!
My only complaint is that there wasn’t a rat-sized omelet like there was in the film.
Our Score:
Food Flavor and Texture: 50/60
Food Quality and/or Skillfulness: 10/10
Service and Setting: 2/5
Presentation: 2.5/5
Creativity: 2/5
Memorability: 2/5
Bonus Category, “Not Tasting Like Baldwin’s Scrambled Eggs!”: 10/10
Total: 78.5/100
Sweet Bread A La Gusteau
Our Thoughts:
While the sweet bread of the movie included ingredients like cuttlefish tentacles and anchovy licorice sauce, the sweet bread we were served was just breaded beef – for better or for worse.
Now, full disclosure, I am not typically a red meat eater, especially beef. But I was committed to the review and had Jocelyn the carnivore as my backup taster.
Unfortunately, neither of us enjoyed it.
The breading had a good texture, but the meat was, well, odd. The sweet bread was also served without Remy’s sauce – the quintessential part of the film’s sweet bread – leaving it without a lot of flavor.
Our Score:
Food Flavor and Texture: 10/60
Food Quality and/or Skillfulness: 10/10
Service and Setting: 2/5
Presentation: 3/5
Creativity: 1/5
Memorability: 2.5/5
Bonus Category, “It’s a New Thing I Wouldn’t’ve Eaten Otherwise!”: 10/10
Total: 38.5/100
Charcuterie Board Round 2
Our Thoughts:
This was, unfortunately, the most disappointing dish for both of us. There was no soppressata (salami) like the menu said there would be, the presentation was lacking and Gouda cheese happens to be one of my least favorites.
The grapes saved the flavor combination for me, which delightfully we were able to eat in tandem with Remy and his brother on screen. But, Jocelyn’s grapes were not as fresh as mine.
Our Score:
Food Flavor and Texture: 15/60
Food Quality and/or Skillfulness: 2/10
Service and Setting: 5/5
Presentation: 0/5
Creativity: 0/5
Memorability: 0/5
Bonus Category, “Doing the Remy Thing, but With Remy!”: 10/10
Total: 32/100
Classic Ratatouille
Our Thoughts:
I was ecstatic to try this. In no universe would I ever order this, but I have always wanted to try it. It looks absolutely delectable on-screen, and Ego’s reaction makes you want to eat it even more.
I’m happy to report that this dish was a winner. The sauce was amazing, the texture of all of the veggies was stellar and the presentation was exquisite. I was so excited to be able to eat ratatouille which looked right out of the film while watching it.
This dish was the highlight of my experience to be sure.
Our Score:
Food Flavor and Texture: 55/60
Food Quality and/or Skillfulness: 10/10
Service and Setting: 5/5
Presentation: 5/5
Memorability: 5/5
Bonus Category, “It’s Ratatouille!”: 10/10
Total: 95/100
Final Thoughts:
This was a truly well-thought-out, creative and put-together event. Kudos to Union Board and Metz Catering for seeing the vision come to life.
Watching “Ratatouille” with Jocelyn enriched the experience. We commented on the food and animation style, giggling about the beauty and serenity of watching it during fall time.
And I, for one, love a task. So, having something to eat (and review) that was also on theme with the film? A truly unmatched experience.
If you missed out this time or want to get involved with planning campus events, the President of Union Board and Raleigh senior Miles Newman says to join the Union Board. He is eager to hear other movie-tasting film suggestions:
“Share your ideas because guess what? We’ll probably make it happen for you,” Newman said.
Jocelyn Kincaid-Beal also contributed reporting to this story.
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