Soup's on! Dining at Tiger Inn and Colonial Club

The purpose of these reviews is not to proliferate stereotypes of the eating clubs, nor is it to atrociously offend any of the 75 percent of our fellow upperclassmen who. like ourselves, have joined an eating club. We are two juniors, two JP-procrastinating rebels without a cause, trying to discuss a crucial aspect of the street that is too often overlooked in the midst of bicker, sign-ins and Saturday night chaos.

We have visited each of the clubs in the past and are currently in the progress of visiting the clubs twice more and tallying the opinions of members, which is more fairness than what professional phantom gourmets offer their victim establishments.

There is, however, no consolation for the fact that we are judging with limited information, and we offer you only our initials under authorship because we do not wish to be known when we enter the clubs.

Food ratings are on a scale from one to five paws. For example: One paw: Go directly to the dining hall. Do not pass go. Do not collect 200 dollars. Five paws: I'm in heaven! But wait, I'm still in New Jersey.

Colonial Club

Dress Code: Weekday: Didn't you wonder how the Gap on Nassau Street stayed in business? Weekend: Pajamas and beer goggles

Décor & Atmosphere: The club shares a name with a historical American era for good reason. Everything from the Ionic columns to the mahogany mantles to the electric candelabras lend to a rich plantation-esque ambiance. Overheard from a member: "We have that portrait of Abraham Lincoln up because he was the greatest of the Colonial presidents."

However, the room volume was just short of sonic boom decibel levels; the boisterous members make your dining experience both energizing and deafening. Outdoor dining in the front patio is also a pleasant experience. Have you ever wondered whether those people eating outside are talking smack about the people from other clubs walking by? Indeed they are.

Cleanliness: A friendly reminder of last Saturday's festivities wafted up from the taproom as we entered the servery. Otherwise, the club's serving and eating areas were well maintained and clean.

Hours: Very flexible. Meals are often served up to a half hour after official closing times, which is good for athletes with practice and organization kids with busy schedules, subcategories that include nearly all Princeton students. Food Rating (out of 5 paws): The quality of the lunches we sampled significantly outshined the dinner offerings, but variety was consistent and impressive. Our sample lunch included porboy sandwiches made from shrimp, scallops, chicken or tofu, egg-drop soup, and a side salad of spring greens with fresh strawberries, blue cheese and walnuts. A deli sandwich bar, salad bar and fresh fruit was also available. The dinner of baked lemon codfish and lasagna was notably less gourmet than the lunch, but still of reasonable quality. A pasta bar and salad bar always accompanied dinners for pickier eaters.

All-American desserts like chewy chocolate chip cookies were a staple. Overall, meals could be characterized as consistently edible American cuisine with an international twist.

Tiger Inn

Dress Code: Men: TI sweatshirt and sweatpants, TI sweatshirt and jeans, TI sweatshirt and khakis or TI sweatshirt and flip-flops Women: See men

Décor & Atmosphere: The dining room might be the result of grandma designing a hospital cafeteria. Tudor windows that surround the dining room create the charming ambience of a Connecticut country home, while the long rows of tables and stainless steel servery gave a distinctively institutional vibe. Fortunately, the atmosphere did not have the pretension of Tudor country home. The comfortably rowdy crowd makes meals the closest thing to an indoor barbeque we could imagine.

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Cleanliness: The overall cleanliness of the servery and dining area were decent. However, there was an issue of sanitation that could no be ignored: Did you ever wonder if "that smell" emanating from the tap room on the weekends was a permanent resident of the house? Indeed it is, and it almost made us skip the meal altogether.

Hours: Flexible and accomodating Food Rating (out of 5 paws): The rating of two paws was attributed to lack of variety, more than lack of quality. Both big burger night and fajita night entreated us with well-prepared and well-seasoned entrees.

However, the fajita experience might have been more appetizing had there been any toppings and/or condiments; TI may just be a vegetable-hating second grader's dream. Meat seemed to be an overwhelming theme of the Tiger Inn's bill of fare, which many of the female members countered by eating meals consisting of creatively large salads.

The well-stocked salad bar was extremely accommodating to this strategy, and larger-than-your-head bowls are provided for both lunch and dinner. Desserts were predominantly prepackaged by Good Humor.