Lee L.
Yelp
We've had the pleasure of dining at the CIA multiple times over the years, but it has been a long time since our last visit. On the last night of our brief jaunt through Northern California we decided to come here as a family.
As anyone who visits knows, this is a restaurant run by the chefs-in-training at the Culinary Institute of America. The front of house and back of house are all staffed by the students, who are hard-working, attentive to detail, and driven to ensure that all the patrons enjoy the best meal possible. This evening, like every other past meal, was nearly perfect in every way.
The original restaurant - called the Greystone Restaurant - used to be housed in the main building, if I recall correctly. It has since moved to smaller separate building and has been rebranded the Gatehouse Restaurant. This has a decidedly more intimate feel, as there are far fewer tables than the former incarnation. There's also no open kitchen, but while you can no longer see the students hard at work, it also makes for a quieter atmosphere.
We arrived about 15 minutes early for our reservation but were seated right away. We were offered still or sparkling water as we agonized over our choices for the four courses - Garden, Sea, Pasture, and Confections. A bread platter was brought to the table, with grissini bread sticks, warm brioche buns, and a light and airy foccacia. The courses came out at an appropriate pace for the meal, allowing for plenty of time for us to savor each dish.
At this point of my reviews I usually share notes about the individual dishes, but this is probably of little use to future diners because the menu is continually changing. We didn't swap plates during this meal - it just didn't seem like the thing to do at a fine dining experience such as this - so I can only comment on the dishes that I ate. For my Garden starter I had the citrus and beets, which was a delightful pairing of the earthiness of the beets with the freshness of the Mandarin orange and watercress. For the Sea course I had the ahi tuna crudo, which was sashimi grade tuna (tasted like yellowfin to me) with apple and a light vinagrette dressing. My Pasture course was the pork belly and hoppin' John (Caroina rice and blackeyed peas). This was incredibly tasty; the pork belly just seemed to melt in the mouth and its flavor suffused the rest of the dish. For dessert I chose the Chai Tres Leches which was excellent as well; certainly a novel take on a traditional dessert.
I opted for the wine pairings, which were all very well-suited for the dishes that I selected. Here, the only thing that was missing from the meal was a sommelier description of the wines. Part of the issue was that our main waiter is not yet 21, and as such had not had the opportunity to sample the wines or take a sommelier course. Other than that, the service was impeccable.
At the end of our meal, we asked for a copy of the menu as a souvenir of our wonderful experience. It took a little longer than expected for our waiter to bring it to us, but the reason was clear: the menu had been signed by all the front of house and back of house staff. It was an unexpected surprise and very much appreciated. We will certainly be returning, hopefully soon.
