For those unusual moments when spending little cash doesn't matter, the Gandy Dancer offers elaborate dining - with a price to match. Its classic style and elegant atmosphere attract students and non-students alike. The restaurant offers a detour from the monotonous campus dining, as well as a plethora of character.
The building itself was established back in 1886 as the Michigan Central railroad station because heavy amounts of train travel required the creation of a depot at the halfway point between Buffalo and Chicago. Detroit architect Frederick Speir, who also designed the Kelsey Museum on campus, developed the building in the Richardson Romanesque style; using glacial stones from Four Mile Lake, Gearing and Sons of Detroit made Speir's plans a reality.
Throughout the late-1800s and then into the 1900s, the station served multiple businesses that used the railroad as their primary shipping source. When train travel was popularized, business people and students used the station to hub their journeys. Famous folks like Benny Goodman and 1960 Presidential candidates John Kennedy and Richard Nixon made appearances there.
In 1970, Chuck Muer bought the building and transformed it into the modern establishment it is today. Following a trend of similar renovations at a fire station in Cincinnati and another railroad station in Pittsburgh,
Muer kept many of the building's classic elements intact. Characteristics such as the fireplace, stained-glass windows and baggage scale remain the same; Muer added a kitchen between the former baggage building and the waiting room, and he windowed-in the former platform area. He also originated its name after the laborers who once worked on the railroad tracks.
According to Dan Huntsbarger, general manager and executive chef, the restaurant offers a "blended atmosphere of people, with a casual yet classy setting." Many patrons abandon their casual dress for more formal attire, but it is not unusual to see people in jeans - especially on a football Saturday.
With a menu of mostly seafood, the choices change on a daily basis. Huntsbarger guarantees options like fresh lake fish, as well as fresh lobster, crab and shrimp. The menu also offers some game selections and pasta specialties. The Swiss-trained pastry chefs create fine desserts which rotate on a monthly basis.
Various salads and sandwiches are offered for lunch for a reasonable price. Most dinner entrees range from $15-$19, with specialty items, such as lobster, priced at around $30. The Gandy Dancer also offers an all-inclusive Sunset menu from 4:30-5:30 p.m., where meals cost from $10-$13.
For some diners, the Sunday brunch tops the list. More than 300 items, ranging from shrimp cocktail to fresh-baked pastries to virtually every other culinary delight under the sun, are offered weekly from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. The all-you-can-eat extravaganza also includes orange juice and coffee for $14.95 per person - what a deal!
Some folks don't come for just the food alone. A lounge is connected to the dining room area, where a pianist entertains guests seven days a week from 5-11:30 p.m. When the weather is appropriate, the courtyard is used as a banquet hall for special occasions.
While most of the restaurant's clientele includes business people and local residents, some students escape dorm food traumas in the establishment. A graduate student in the School of Public Health, Jyoti Bhatia, said, "The food not as good as the cost, but the atmosphere is great." She was impressed with the service and would like to make a return visit.
For some, the chance to dine at the Gandy Dancer requires a special occasion: When parents come to visit, or perhaps when trying to impress a special date. Whatever the circumstance, Huntsbarger guarantees a comfortable atmosphere and excellent dining; unfortunately, you will probably leave with a full stomach and empty wallet.
JULLY PARK/Daily
Jill Tabachnick, University of Arizona junior, and David Levi, LSA senior, dine at the Gandy Dancer.