Arlington Station provides late-night slices

Joshua Goodman Assistant Life Editor

After hours of traveling and unpacking, only to find both the Retreat and the All Campus Dining Center closed, many returning Vassar students headed to their standby restaurant for late night meals: the Subterranean Skye Café. Those who made the trip to 7 Collegeview Avenue this year, however, were in for a surprise. Subterranean Skye had closed its doors and Arlington Station Pizza & Deli had opened in its place, garnering encouraging reactions from Vassar students.

Arlington Station Owners Dan Kelly and Dave Bell, best friends since high school, have owned a number of successful restaurants together in the Mid-Hudson Valley. According to Kelly, Arlington Station, their newest venture, opened on July 25 and promises to bring “great food and atmosphere to both Vassar and Poughkeepsie.” With a ten percent discount on Sundays for Vassar students and delivery to Vassar dorms coming soon, Kelly and Bell have made a considerable effort to cater Vassar students’ needs— and it’s working. Currently, Kelly estimated that 90 percent of their business comes from the College.

The menu at Arlington Station offers an array of choices including salads, pizzas, bistro sandwiches and subs. “We wanted the menu to be different from the traditional deli and gear it to more of a bistro side,” said Kelly.

After having one of Arlington Station’s meatball subs, Sam McDougle ’09 said it was “better than most sandwiches you can get on campus.”

As well-received as the deli section of the menu has been, it’s the selection of traditional “specialty” pizzas as well as more inventive “gourmet” pizzas that have students making frequent trips to Arlington Station.

Reed Dunlea ’09 said it was the “closest to authentic, New York-style pizza” he has had in Poughkeepsie. Students seem to enjoy the option of a more unusual pie with toppings ranging from goat cheese to proscuitto.

Kelly and Bell have also gone to considerable lengths to revamp the property by designing a welcoming and comfortable interior. The restaurant is freshly outfitted with red walls, a wood floor, and bathrooms that are more accessible than last year.

The Arlington Station Pizza and Deli won’t be open quite as late as the Subterranean Skye Café, but it will provide a meal well after the Retreat has closed. “It’s just the two of us here,” said Bell. “So it would be difficult for us to be open all night.” For now, Arlington will be open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Friday through Saturday 11 a.m.-1 a.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m.-10 p.m.