Published: March 9, 2026
After a riveting Free Press meeting located in Portland, the divas (yours truly) decided to dine at the exclusive Brooks Dining Hall. Cause nothing sounds better than USM food after dealing with people driving like freaks and hitting you with high beams all the way from Portland to Gorham.
To start us off: a few thoughts from Caydince. The potato soup was surprisingly very good. Typically potato soup isn’t where I think they thrive but they really hit it out of the ballpark for this batch. I added shredded cheese to my soup and attempted to find sour cream but alas there was none. This was only the first thing that I ate during diva time.
The second course was probably the best one. Popcorn shrimp. It was so amazing that I made the executive decision of seeing how many shrimp I could fit into my mouth. I’ll let you in on a secret, probably wasn’t the best idea. About halfway through I realized I forgot to actually keep count so for the sake of my cool exterior, lets just say I could fit nighty-nine shrimp in my mouth (it was more like ten).
I also decided to go to simple serve where they had a potato pancake, some kind of meatloaf (don’t ask me what meat it was) that was actually really good. This meal was very heavy on carrots. I did find something rather interesting (and probably not edible). All I know is that I did not appreciate having it in my mouth, and I found it hilarious when Makayla held it in her hand (most likely still wet from my salvia) to take a photo.
Caydince’s final rating: 6 out of 10 huskies.
Now, a few thoughts from Makayla. Dinner on this particular evening wasn’t bad at all. The real issue wasn’t the quality so much as the… creative freedom displayed in the menu lineup. Shrimp, potato wedges, and beef stew? I’m not saying it can’t work, but it felt like a very random assortment of food that somehow all ended up on the same plate. Personally, I think something like rice or vegetables might have tied the whole shrimp situation together.
Speaking of the shrimp, let’s start there. Honestly, it was amazing. For a brief moment, sitting there in the dining hall, I felt like I was dining with the elegance of royalty.
Next, the potato wedges. I’ll be transparent here: I’m not really a potato wedge—or baked potato—lover, so they were already fighting an uphill battle with me. The complete lack of seasoning didn’t help their case much either. That said, I do appreciate that the dining hall provides an impressive lineup of seasonings so you can customize things however your heart desires. With a little salt and optimism, almost anything can be improved.
Next, I had some of the beef stew. It was genuinely good and had that comforting, homemade feel. A very good dish, just perhaps in the wrong culinary storyline for the evening.
Personally, I didn’t go for the pizza this evening, but a fellow dining hall goer did tell us: “My younger sister could have made better pizza than that; she’s eight.” Do with that what you will.
Upon searching for a sweet treat, I realized none of the desserts really spoke to me this night. For the sake of journalism, I did try a blueberry blondie bar. Was it flavorless and hard as a rock? Absolutely. I was more confused than anything. Also in the name of journalism, I very messily tried a tres leches cupcake, forcing Caydince to indulge with me. Did it taste like clay? Also absolutely.
Makayla’s final rating: 6 out of 10 huskies
