Ristorante Caterina de’ Medici

I had an amazing experience at this Culinary Institute of America restaurant. I loved everything from the excellent food to the cozy atmosphere, and including the friendly service. The food was delicious, the presentation was great, and the portions filling and some even large. The Neapolitan style pizza was excellent, the duck breast was out of this world, easily the most tender and textured I've had, the seafood stew had great flavor and a peppery kick, and the chocolate and hazelnut budino was truly decadent. Most of the students were putting a lot of effort waiting the tables and did great. I really take my proverbial hat off to the students in the kitchen.

An elegant restaurant featuring classic Italian food, all created by the students of the Culinary Institute of America. The atmosphere is congenial and welcoming, while maintaining a traditional Tuscan style. The food is simply delicious. From the calamari appetizer to the dessert sampler featuring traditional rainbow cookies and cannoli, every dish was beautifully presented. We particularly enjoyed the Arancini and Porchetta. Service was friendly and attentive (our server recommended the standout porchetta - right on!) This is a very popular restaurant, rightfully so, and I highly recommend reserving well in advance.

The food was fantastic from start to finish. The arancini were perfectly crispy with a rich truffle sauce and just the right touch of heat from the chili oil. The tuna crudo was fresh and bright with citrus and mint, and the pepperoni pizza with hot honey and pickled jalapeños was one of the best I’ve had. Our server didn’t really seem to know how to be a server, friendly enough, just not very confident or attentive. Still, the food and atmosphere more than made up for it. Overall, a really great experience and I’d definitely come back.

A wonderful learning experience at the culinary Institute in Hyde Park. The entire experience was provided by students. The food was delicious a really nice selection of wines. Overall, we can’t wait to come back. You definitely need to make reservations an open table.

Fine dining from start to finish. Top service. Delicious food. The student staff of CIA provide a luxury dining experience that defines quality and excellence. If you can, treat the person you love the most to one of the best meals they are likely to ever eat.

What a wonderful dining experience! Beautiful ambience, delicious and visually dazzling good. Great place for a special occasion or marriage proposal. One orders a 3 course meal with many options for each course. Everything was outstanding. Favorites at our table were the Panzanella Di Gamberi, the Fiore Di Zucca Frito, Polpettas, and Capesonte con Pasta e Fagoli. Highly recommended restaurant!

Excellent student-run Italian restaurant on the Culinary Institute of America campus. The pre-fix menu is reasonably priced and perfect for a dining experience. Not only was it a perfect amount of food, but we were also able to taste a wide range of the culinary prowess by sharing!

It is hard to justify a 5-star here given the superb lunch experience we had in Bocuse earlier that day. So note to yourself, come here on a different occasion to have a better experience. The setting was gorgeous - like dining al fresco in a piazza. The server was attentive and very accommodating. But she ended up recommending dishes that we didn’t like - for example, the frito misto while sounded good on the menu, was just a plain old fried calamari…where the crispy and crunchy parts were missing. The portions were very generous, and given it was a 3-course menu, we ended up taking a whole bunch of food home. The desserts were the highlights! It was great that the five of us all got different ones to try.

Sitting-In Class at CIA Here's a class I would gladly attend. Reasonably priced below $50, we were practice diners during two concurrent classes at the Culinary Institute of America for Front of House (FOH) and Back of House (BOH) training. Undergraduate CIA students are from all over the world and I had fun chatting with them as much as sampling their work. The meal is comprised of three courses: appetizer, entree and dessert. The drinks menu is an impressive list of well curated local and imported wines, specialty beers, and creative cocktails and mocktails. The class also has a student sommelier! There are three restaurants currently offering pre-fixe courses by students: Caterina de Medici for Tuscan cuisine, Paul Bocuse for French cuisine and American Bounty for New American cuisine. Reservations are required. I liked the Tuscan restaurant more than the French and is looking forward to attending one class at the American cuisine. #curious_eater #culinaryinstituteofamerica #hydeparkny

The tuscan style interior is warm and intimate with various metal decorative touches, chandelier, and center piece olive tree. Getting a window spot would be amazing, but we were seated in the center of the restaurant. We had a few light mishaps with who ordered which drink and dish (a few were mixed up). Otherwise, food was amazing! The homemade cavetelli was cooked perfectly, and I really enjoyed the earthy-herby canneli bean sauce for our perfectly cooked octopus antipasti. Short ribs and broccolini were also cooked perfectly; the honey nut squash purée was extremely smooth. The salmon was probably the dish that least impressed us, as the kale-quinoa and truffle sauce almost felt a bit heavy. I'd give everything a little bit of slack since I heard the students did just switch to new posts; Overall I'd definitely come again to try new dishes.

I'm going to start this review by saying I love the CIA and it's restaurants,. I'm the first to recommend any visitors to the area look the establishment up and dine there. Lunch at the restaurant was my idea to begin with, and I was so disappointed and embarrassed after this visit. My group had a reservation and were seated promptly. We all came in with the understanding that this was a student-run restaurant, so we weren't expecting perfection in any way. However, we didn't expect our lunch to take over two hours, most of which was spent waiting on the food or trying to flag down the staff for assistance (get boxes to pack up food, pay our check). I can overlook the timing issue as the staff was overall very pleasant to deal with and the kitchen staff was probably new, but I can't overlook the fact that they shorted us on our food! At the end of just over two hours, we requested our desserts to go. The staff didn't give us any issues about this, and we paid the bill. However after we got back, we found that they left out several items in our to-go bags. We were missing a box of leftovers from one of the main dishes, as well as two whole desserts, and half of a third dessert. This was extremely disappointing as the desserts were something we were all very much looking forward to, and the one person who wanted to bring back a larger portion of leftovers felt like they had been cheated out of their meal. The food was food, a solid 4/5, and staff was friendly though a bit awkward, 3/5. The service was beyond slow, however it's a school so that's no big deal. But to leave out so much food we paid for is really inexcusable. It was very disappointing for everyone I brought here, as it was the first time for most of them.

Highly recommend the short ribs!!! Melt like butter in your mouth! Also highly recommend the Budino if you like a rich chocolate dessert! Tiramisu was good, but not at all like traditional tiramisu. Didn't love because it had a flan-like texture, but wasn't bad. Ambiance is fun!

I know these are CIA students and I applaud them for the work they are doing. We've gone to the American restaurant several times and thought we'd give the Italian restaurant a try this year. The decor and feel was very Italian, but we had a few issues the night we went. I didn't find the food overly Italian-especially the entrees. To start, we had the fennel artichoke salad which I liked very much. I love a crunchy flavorful salad and this was that. We also had the breaded mussels which was like a clam casino but with a mussel. The breads served were very good. Entrees: My husband and I were excited to try the skate and eggplant compote entree after our server described it so exquisitely...only to be told after we had ordered that was no more skate available. Nothing else on the menu was speaking out to me, but I settled on the trout in pesto sauce. My husband got the steak and although it was good, there was nothing Italian about it. My fish was good. Trout is pretty bland to begin with so the pesto oil was definitely needed. I think a thicker pesto might have been better for this dish. The potatoes were done very well with a crunch and lightly salted exterior. There were some pretty interesting mushrooms on my plate which I enjoyed. For dessert, I had the chocolate bandino which was good but could've used less crunchies and more custard for a better balance. Our cocktails were tasty, a peperoncini martini and a Bellini. We had two servers. Our drink server was very attentive and we relied on her to get us our check and to help us with a mistake of a full bottle of wine on our bill which we never ordered. We waited for our server to come by but wound up asking our drink server to correct it which she did. We were with friends at another table and although we were all seated at the same time, they finished 40 minutes before us.

Finally got to eat at the CIA. The restaurant is beautiful, decorated in Tuscan yellow tones with big chandeliers. The staff were all lovely, charming and attentive. It was fun to hear their stories. We started off with a basket of excellent bread with EVOO. There was an amuse bouche involving puff pastry, onions and Gorgonzola that had a complex flavor. We were lucky enough to be there for their winter special. We ordered a three course lunch for $29.99. My wife started off with really good mezzaluna. I finally had bucatini cacio e Pepe and it was delicious. The pastas were cooked just right. My wife's branzino was a top 5 fish experience. I had an excellent order of cioppino with a generous portion of fish. I was happy to see a choice of 4 types of affogato for dessert. We sampled two and both were excellent. This restaurant would hold it's own in Manhattan. It was fun to interact with CIA students and faculty. We're glad we came.

Ate here today with parents, sister and cousin for us try for the first time. We all had different kinds of dishes to share and together. The food was definitely good and delicious. The service wasn't bad at all that we kept waiting patiently to get our orders that we don't mind waiting for quite some time and could've been a bit faster. Finally, I would eat and come back again next time! :)

I have been trying to get to the CIA restaurants for 4 years. Finally, I made it to the Italian restaurant. I was excited for the Prix Fixe menu so I could try several things. I ordered the Cappellacci di Zucca to start, and it was my favorite... but I am a pasta girl! For my second item, I had the Duck Breast. It was very flavorful and loved the balsamic with it. They breads were also very good... I tried each kind. I had a bottle of Valpolicella wine, which you can never go wrong choosing. Finally, dessert... I love pistachios. Therefore, Pistachio Pastiglia won. I wasn't sure what to expect with the roasted thin pastry, but it was thin, crunchy and fit the dish perfectly, finish off with creamy Gelato. The decor was beautiful and I recognized and assumed the chandeliers were Murano glass... and they were. Very happy I finally got to visit.

Great food. Beautiful atmosphere and restaurant. Student waitstaff was awesome. Thank you Dylan! Pizza, chicken and short ribs were delish! Zeppoles we're fabulous! The only critique- the music playing did not match the setting.

Wonderful Italian restaurant on Culinary Institute of America campus. They were offering a 3 course menu for $50, appetizer (which could be eaten as an entree on its own), an entree and a dessert. Everything was delicious, service was attentive and professional. It was a little cold inside the restaurant - had to wear a jacket (not an elegant move for an elegant restaurant) - it was just not comfortable. If you are considering bacalao - not a fan... our table did not enjoy it...

Had one of my corporate officers in for a visit and happened upon the winter special at the Culinary Institute. The booking process defers you to open table which I'm a member of. So I didn't get my points on OpenTable but instead they opened up a new account for me. I'll straighten that out later. This review is strictly about our experience on March 22 at Ristorante Catherine de Medici. We did not start out so well because they could not find our reservation. A bit embarrassing for me since my big boss was there. Restaurant staff handled it very well, considering. Mauro make sure we were seated, I'll be at not where we would have preferred. But all was well. Because the reservation agent the night before, did not complete the reservation alerts, the staff was not aware that I had a food allergy. So the chef had to improvise. I was offered several tantalizing options and was pleased with my dish overall. The beet salad was lovely, but my recommendation for presentation would be to Place to Beach on the top, rather than bury them beneath the frise Photographed here is the Bronzino, which was my allium free option. The Branzino was really delightful with a very crispy skin and seasoned to perfection. Well done. The frise salad was just OK, in part because of the presentation. My dining partners had a more simple pallet and ordered the margarita pizza, which we thought was going to be a personal size, but could have fed the three of us, as an appetizer, at the very least. The lasagna: the ratio of noodles, The Ragu and delicate noodle was really lost beneath the Bechamel, which was a bit heavy-handed. Presentation was lovely. But I did see my table meat, scraping away the bechamel sauce. The other table made had the covered towel with a Ragu. She seemed to enjoy it, but noted that it was very spicy. Because it is the winter special, restaurant week, each of us had this wonderful experience for under $30 per person plus service. No tipping allowed here but the service does go to the scholarship fund for aspiring chefs. I'm going to try this one again with my daughter next week and hopefully they'll have advance notice of my allergies on hand. I want to try. Le Bocuse next. Overall a wonderful experience. Please bear in mind. These are chefs in training and restaurant tours in training so be patient.Prix FixeSea BassWood Fired Pizza

Despite the ups and downs of today's visit, I wholeheartedly recommend this restaurant, especially when considering the value for money. The pricing left me pleasantly surprised--$84 for a three-course meal for two people is an absolute steal. I was comfortably full after just the first course, a testament to the generous portions and the caliber of the cuisine. My hope is that this review is received in the spirit of constructive feedback, recognizing the restaurant's evident strengths while also highlighting areas ripe for refinement. During my visit to this student-run restaurant at the CIA, I experienced a mix of highs and lows. The ambiance was a high point, reflecting the energy and enthusiasm of its student staff. However, the service didn't quite match up to the setting, lacking the polished touch you'd hope for in such a place. Diving into the food, the PAPPARDELLE stood out, deserving a perfect 10/10 for its impeccable taste and texture. On the other hand, the POLLO ARROSTO was a disappointment, managing only a 4/10. The chicken itself tasted as if it were day-old, presenting a confusing mix of textures with some parts surprisingly juicy and others uncomfortably dry. The skin, which held most of the dish's flavor, was unfortunately rubbery and inedible, detracting significantly from the dish's overall appeal. The RISOTTO ALLA MILANESE also fell short of expectations, earning a 4/10. Promised to be a flavor-rich experience, it instead delivered an overwhelming saltiness that masked any other flavors, including the saffron and bone marrow it was supposed to feature. Desserts were more consistent. The tiramisu was excellent, meriting a 10/10 for delivering a perfectly balanced treat. The Coppetta, while good, was a bit too sweet for my taste, earning a 7/10. Service-wise, I was left wanting more. Our waiter's casual demeanor felt out of place, and there were moments when basic needs, like utensils, were overlooked. Overall, while the restaurant clearly showcases the talent and potential of its student staff, my experience highlighted areas in need of improvement, especially in achieving consistency across dishes and elevating service standards to match the ambition of the institution. Food 3/5 Service 3/5 Ambience 5/5 Sadly no pictures mistake on my behalf

After last year of my first CIA experience, I was patiently anticipating the re-opening of Ristorante Caterina De' Medici. I was so thrilled when the email flew into my inbox that they're re-opening this year. So I took my partner up north with me and indulge ourselves in delicious wine and food experience. We started off with a bottle of red that was delicious and smooth. Then we each ordered a pasta appetizer and followed with an entree. The focaccia bread that they served us was so amazing that we asked for more. The olive oil was really delicious as well. We really couldn't fit dessert in or else we would have ordered a few to try. The students serving us was so caring and constantly checked up on us. Their service was amazing and the food was so worth every dollar of it. I highly recommend this place and don't forget to support the students and school!

Belated 2018 review for my increasingly senile memory. Reviewing Bocuse made me realize I never left a review here. We visited in Sept 2018 and had an amazing Family Style Pasta Night dinner. I think we tried at least 6 different kinds of pasta, and all had their unique perks. Combined with the gorgeous decor and fantastic service, this is my favorite of the CIA restaurants.

I have had the pleasure of dining in most of not all of the CIA Hyde Park restaurants. Keep in mind, these employees for the most part are students learning how to provide professional table and food service and hospitality - set your expectations accordingly. That being said we had a phenomenal time with our experience, from very good service and top notch food. My 11 year older daughter even shared that the pizza that she ordered was some of the best she had ever had! We enjoyed some appetizers, entrees and sampled two desserts. If you plan to be in the area and are interested In dining here or any restaurant at CIA, be sure to make reservations well in advance.

Ambiance 3 Food 3 Service 3 Portion size 5 Came in yesterday with my fiancé for date night. We were greeted by staff coming in and someone offered to take my coat for me. Sitting down was a bit crowded as we were immediately next to 2 larger tables. Due to limited space and the positioning of our table, a waiter often bumped into my fiancés chair while helping the nearby table. We asked our waitress about red wines and I was unsure which I would like. She was kind and offered to bring me a sample to try. The first item we ordered was the pizza margherita and it was one of the best we have ever had. The sauce was flavorful without being overpowering or too acidic. The cheese was delicious in the right amount and paired well with the sauce. The dough was cooked perfectly, crispy yet fluffy. Overall 9.5/10. The second item was the duck ragu, also very delicious. There was no cream yet it tasted creamy in the mouth. The dish was mildly sweet and all the spices blended well together. The pasta was cooked perfectly and flavorful from the ragu. Overall 8.5/10. Everything was going wonderfully up until this point, when we ordered the steak for 2... A chef came with the cooked steak and cut it up for us. He plated the meat along the with beans and spinach. It was apparent that the steak was cooked very unevenly, with one part of it very rare. He offered to take the section and cook it more, which we accepted. The plated meat was also visibly cooked unevenly and was rather bland. We didn't care for the beans but the spinach was decent. The meat that was brought back to us was placed at our table but no one cut it up this time. We attempted to do it ourselves but it didn't cut well and it was STILL unevenly cooked. We left most of the dish on our plates and when someone came by to ask us how the steak was , we politely gave our opinion. The person apologized but was a little awkward and suggested we "wash the steak down with our wines" and that now we have "more space for dessert." We would have been fine with an apology, only, and appreciated a complimentary dessert or something. Sadly, very disappointing especially for the $76 price. Overall 0/10. Lastly, we ordered the tiramisu and hot chocolate for dessert. The tiramisu was a little runny and tasted OK but liked that it wasn't too sweet. The hot chocolate was creamy but didn't care much for the pastries that came with it. Overall 3/10 Before leaving, I took my ticket up front to get my jacket. Maybe I'm being picky at this point, but it would've been nice if the person who brought it out helped me put it on, as this has been my experience at other restaurants with coat check. Overall, I think we would go back for the pizza and duck ragu, but not for anything else.

This Italian restaurant is only open for dinner, so be sure to plan if you want to hit up all of the restaurants at the CIA. After having lunch at The Bocuse, the quality of food at this restaurant just wasn't at the same level and the overall flavor was a little lacking. You can get an appetizer or entree size for the pasta dishes, which was great since we wanted to try a few different things. The cioppino was a little light in flavor and the pork saltimbocca was a little too salty. I might try a different selection of items next time. While the food was a little disappointing, the service was not. A big thank you to our server who noticed that we enjoyed our bread basket so much, he got us a whole focaccia to take back home!

Finally got to try the last of the 3 CIA restaurants...Not usually opened on the weekends or major holidays but for Hudson Valley Restaurant Week, they have a special pasta dinner for $39/pp. Opened so they could supplement income/funding, which is a good idea. Came here on Saturday... Restaurant itself is very nice - nice décor, love the chandelier, the main dining and smaller room. We had the a table in the smaller room which was warm, but we got adjusted after a bit. There weren't enough students to staff the restaurant so kitchen was staffed with the pros. A couple of students did the service. We had an early dinner and had booked in advance on Open Table. The Pomegranate Prosecco was delicious! Highly recommend it! :) Bread was good. $39 Pasta Dinner special: Family style appetizers: - Ceasar salad - Antipasta platter - Italian cured meats, cheese (burrata and dunno what orange cheese), grilled veggies, olives Then pretty much pasta, pasta, pasta! Passed Pasta: they come around to ask if you want any and you can request more if you like any specific dish... carb/starch overload! All pasta freshly made on premicise. - Bucantina Cacio e Pepe w/ black pepper, parmesan, butter - spaghetti could be a little thinner and more sauce. Good though. - Ricotta Gnocchi w/ sage, wild mushrooms, mascarpone - way too heavy to eat. - Cheese Ravioli w/ roasted red peppers, pesto, roasted zucchini - ravioli and pesto sauce itself was good, the cheese was a bit dry and needed more sauce and water to swallow. - Rigatoni lamb Bolognese - the most flavorful of all the dishes - Roasted Shrimp & Asparagus Risotto - shrimp was delicious, risotto a bit bland and heavy. Dessert: Honey Corn Cake w/ spiced honey syrup, marinated berries, mascarpone - Not a fan of corn bread, so not my favorite dessert as it was a bit dry w/o any syrup (not a fan of syrup either). Others thought it was ok. FYI - For our student server, there is a big difference b/w English breakfast and Earl Grey tea. I've had both many times and yes, they do taste different...not the same. Earl grey has bergamot oil. Will have to come back another time day to try the regular menu or restaurant week menu during the weekday.

Rounding up from a 3.5 because the food was pretty good but the overall experience fell a bit short of expectations. It could be because it's the beginning of the semester, but the service was spotty. It was friendly, but a bit scattered. We got the grilled octopus and mushroom pizza to start. For mains, we got the lamb duo, ricotta ravioli and clam pasta. The octopus was good but the puree it sat on was a bit lackluster. The pizza was solid. The ricotta ravioli was good and the sauce was tasty. It was simple and clean, but perhaps I was expecting something a bit more complex. The clam linguini was good and a heartier portion than the ravioli. The lamb duo was good- the lamb chops were delicious but I wished there was more of it. The second kind of lamb was a tiny portion, a bit fatty and honestly forgettable. Overall, the food was good but I'd opt for one of the other CIA restaurants next time.

Happy to report that my return trip to the CIA was farrrrr better than the first! They still have a timing issue and force everyone to wait in the main space until the reservation time which I think is in poor taste (come on what is this Chili's?) We arrived at 5:45 and were not let into the room until 6:20. A 6:30 dinner and we still did not wrap up the night until 9:30. That is one thing with this place, they are not in any rush and don't expect a quick in and out meal. I understand the concept of relaxing while eating but 3 hours can be overkill. Food quality tho was far superior this time and i attached pics of all the delicious items that went directly into my guts. The fritto misto was especially good, and the burratta made me swoon in the caprese. I would say the cheese board i had for dessert should have been explained or the names/types of the cheeses written on the paper it was served on, upon the cutting board. I was left in the dark and had to taste test and guess what perhaps was what. But overall, second time was a definite charm, food was fabulous, service was better and I enjoyed my night. They still need to work on the timing kinks though for those who are desperately trying to move the meal along.

While it is one of the three main restaurants under the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Highland Park, it is difficult to find the right time to visit as it closes on weekends and major holidays. I was in Garrison for the weekend and as I pondered on where to eat on Saturday night, I went onto Opentable and found an opening at 8pm! Little did I know, it is their special pasta dinner every Saturdays between Feb. 3 to July 21. (otherwise the restaurant remain closed on weekends) For $39 pp, you get to share salad and antipasti (salami, olives, cheese) as starters and sample as much of the 5 different pasta dishes! My favorite was the risotto and the hubby enjoyed the penne. But it doesn't really matter as you get to try them ALL!!! Now that you are stuffed with pasta, they bring out a gigantic chocolate cake...a pretty good deal I'd say!

I visited there for dinner with my wife on 7/3/2019. I really had a great experience dining there. Food and service were excellent. My server, senior student HS Yoon was very attentive and served very professionally. The only issue was that food was served late. We loved it so much and returning next week with friends!. Thank you all students for good experience.

I had read mixed reviews on Yelp and wasn't sure what to expect but given the fact I wanted to try something new and I have always supported education, I was willing to give it a try with my family. Reservations - We made a reservation about a month in advance. I would recommend making one as well, the place was packed on a Monday night (it was restaurant week as well). There is plenty of parking in the connected garage. The signs will help you find the restaurant, although there isn't a ton of signage. Drive slowly, or you may miss it. The campus is beautifully landscaped and the pedestrian road signs near the restaurants are hilarious. Instead of the basic icon walking in a cross walk, they have chefs hats! LOL We walked into the beautifully designed restaurant and were greeted warmly and professionally by the host. The woman checked us in and assigned us to be seated by a nervous student standing by. Our corner table was set and was very elegant (which is probably why they recommend "dressy attire") The effort they put into the setting - it just makes sense to not wear shorts and a t-shirt in here. Once seated one of the servers quickly came over to give us water and take our drink orders. While we waited for our drinks they brought a HUGE serving of bread for the table....delicious...delicious bread!! The menu is a 1 pager and there is plenty to select from. A few dishes means they are likely all going to be great because they can focus their craft. The night we went it was during Restaurant Week and we selected the pre fixe menu. If you select an item like the filet, there may be a supplemental charge. That should dissuade you, because it will be worth it. The wait staff/students are very well trained to answer just about any question you might have related to food or drink. Be patient as they do seem a bit nervous (quivery voices and almost scripted). They do try their best to be thorough. Having been a student teacher, I loved the effort they put forth to be perfect. The drink selection was decent and I was impressed that they serve their own craft beer. It was pretty good. The versions of the dishes were creative and unique and it started with my caesar salad. It tasted great and was so unique(see picture). The flavors were amazing. Grandma's meatballs were delicious! They tasted like homemade meatballs, so much flavor, didn't have a processed texture. I was able to try my husband's first course of Tagliatelle and Oh My Goodness- one of the best pasta dishes I have ever had. I didn't eat any of the veal, but the noodles and the reduction were light and creamy and full of flavor. Rich Rich Flavor. My dish of choice was the Sauteed Local Chicken Breast. Seems simple right? Well, with the little leg and skin attached, so much can go wrong. The great news, nothing was wrong, it was perfect! The skin was lightly crisp and the meat was juicy and tender. There was nothing left but the bones. The potato olive gratin was a perfect compliment, wasn't too heavy or too much to distract from the chicken. The dessert I chose was the Pasteria - it was delicious. Sour cherry in that ribbon on the plate (see picture). It was decadent, but not too much or too heavy. Not sure why I didn't get a picture of the dessert menu. Everything up to this point was perfect. The bill came and we asked it to be split evenly over two credit cards. Unfortunately something went wrong and one card wasn't charged anything and my card was charged for the full amount and then again for 1/2 the bill. Yikes... We tracked another waitstaff member since ours was no where to be found and let them know something was wrong. She disappeared and instead of our server, a gentleman in a suit (perhaps a manager or teacher) came over to find out what was wrong. We explained the situation and he apologized and disappeared. In the distance we see the distraught student with the manager. The manager returns with the corrected bills and the cancellation of the previous charges. Unfortunately there was a credit hold for 2x times the bill until the cancellation cleared. Inconvenient, but luckily it wasn't a problem for me, I just wasn't happy it even happened. All in all, it was a great experience. I would highly recommend this dining experience to anyone in town. I can't wait to try it again.

I eat at CIA restaurants a few times a year. Overall, all three restaurants are very inconsistent. Depending on the students and instructors, sometimes the meal is great , and sometimes not so much. I have to say today's is the worst I have ever had. The duck was a piece of sinew, I couldn't even cut it with the steak knife. I gave it to my husband, and he also had a tough time cutting it. We sent it back, though they offered another piece, but I had lost my appetite. My husband ordered the chicken, though the chicken itself was pretty good, but the sauce was terrible and didn't go well at all. They did do a great job with the scallop appetizer. It's delicious.

Had the pleasure of taking part in the Family Style Pasta Night. Meal started with what appeared to be an average antipasto platter and Caesar salad. The antipast was highlighted by marinated roasted peppers and creamy burrata. The selection of cured meat, was a slice or sopresata and capicola. The pasta courses were tasty and unique. In my opinion the highlight was the Fusilli Casarecci with braised chicken, squash and shallots covered in pecorino in a chicken aid jus. The flavor of the chicken stock coated the pasta perfectly, it was a nice touch to the sweetness of the squash. The gnocchi and braised beef short rib was also a nice offering by the chef. The beef short rib was tender and tasty. The Ribiola Due Latte, a mixed cow and sheep soft cheese, added a contrasting creaminess to the softness is the meat. I was stuffed by the time dessert cake. But the chocolate cake was tasty.

We dined here for their Saturday night pasta dinner. I like the concept of it - you get a prix fixe four course dinner for $39! And the pasta is technically unlimited, as CIA students walk with the family-sized dishes around and serve you whenever you'd like. We had a last minute reservation at 8:30, but still had to wait 15-20 before getting seated. We started with some antipasti of olives, cheeses and meats. Our salad was a simple Caesar salad. I was excited about the burrata but was disappointed in the lack of that fragrant milky flavor; instead it was tasteless and watery. There were five (!) pasta options and we tried them all. First was a orecchiette with broccoli and sausage. The pasta was a little stale and the flavor just wasn't there. Second was a cavatelli with pesto, which was better - nice al dente pasta with arugula. The fusilli unfortunately tasted like chicken noodle soup. The squid ink risotto was watery instead of creamy, and tasted more like porridge to me (though my boyfriend did like it). My favorite by far was the gnocchi with braised beef. This dish was the only one that I thought had flavor depth, I enjoyed every bite of it. My expectations for dessert wasn't that high, but it did end up being delicious. It was a rich, warm dark chocolate cake with berries and vanilla sauce. The presentation was meh - my cake was served all broken - but the flavor partially made up for it. Overall I would not recommend this restaurant. For the price, I felt the food was not outstanding and really missed the mark on flavor and richness. I felt I could make pasta just as good at home (except for the gnocchi). There are better options for a meal at CIA - next time we're back, we'll reserve earlier and go for one of those.

We've been planning a trip to CIA for some time and finally we made the effort to make it happen. The grounds of the school are stunning. So well designed and manicured. We had some pep in our step as we took pictures of the five of us heading towards the restaurant. The staff is attentive if not overly pleasing. You need to have an understanding that these eager individuals are in training. No mistakes but the level of confidence just isn't there. Would not pass for NYC quality. Not even the suburbs where we live. That said it's just fine. The food however was not fine. The pizza of the day arrived too many minutes out of the oven. Well past when it could have been tasty. It lacked flavor as well which was the theme of everything else they delivered from the kitchen. Caesar salad was tasteless. Asparagus resembled a frisée salad and nothing like described on the menu. The entrees were completely lackluster. Three of us ordered the duck ragu which was a tragedy. Pasta was cooked fine but the duck ragu looked like old chopped meat pebbles. No other way to describe it. Tasteless. Textureless. Not enjoyable to any extent. The chicken entree was forgettable. I personally didn't have a bite but as related by my wife she shrugged her shoulders and said "eh" when I asked how it was. The cioppino looked good and was steaming hot but it had zero taste. So disappointing! Maybe it's the impact of Covid on my taste buds but it's the first time I've had this issue over the pandemic. Overall would hesitate to ever return to CIA. I love the concept and the eagerness of the students but I will not spend that kind of money for a terrible meal.

My dilemma with this review is: how to fairly describe dinner at an Italian themed eatery -- which is basically a classroom at a famous culinary school? In other words ... how do you evaluate the performance of wannabe chefs and service staff in training -- whose work product IS NOT that of experienced and seasoned food service professionals from whom we reasonably expect the best -- especially at fine dining prices? Our meal at Caterina de'Medici -- the marquee Tuscan-style eatery at CIA -- came courtesy of a generous birthday gift I received years ago. The spectre of a 3 hour round trip drive to enjoy an evening meal discouraged me from using the gift sooner -- so we bought a gift card for friends last year -- thereby insuring some company. ;) You should expect food and service hiccups here -- and like other reviewers note -- we found some. For starters -- the staff seemed uniformly ESL challenged -- which would have been perfectly ordinary if they were ethnic Italians -- but they were not. Despite their enthusiasm and politeness -- the language barrier made for awkward moments with the maitre d and our server; the latter convinced for example that the bar could not mix me a dirty martini -- and that I was limited only to a selection of 8 or so specialty cocktails (all sweet btw) from the printed menu. A brief trip to the barkeep fixed that misconception -- and it was pleasing indeed to see two servers brandish my well prepared martini at arms length as if the Holy Grail or something -- carefully placing it in front of me without spilling a drop. Similar confusion reigned when we tried to order some vintage wine off the wine list on their supplied iPad -- encountering problems with the vintages we selected ("we have it -- err -- we don't"). The server's ensuing struggle freeing the chianti cork from its bottle was mildly amusing. Eventually we settled in and the alcohol began to have its desired effect. The food. The mushroom risotto had barely any mushroom flavor and was watery -- as in too much liquid used in the preparation compared to rice and cooking time -- and not enough cheese -- hence short on the rich flavor you expect from the best versions of this dish. This is the sort of uneven result I expected from newbie chefs preparing something that depends on technique for 90% of its success. A single amuse bouche to share for 4 (served at the end of our meal instead of as a starter??) of pork tenderloin over pureed peas with maitake mushrooms was dreadful - chewy pork and raw mushrooms over what looked and ate like green baby food. The filet mignon with a béarnaise was better -- properly cooked and seasoned -- as were the medium rare double lamb chops -- although the potato "confit" served with the chops was rock hard, flavorless and cold -- and the lamb dish begged for some saucing and/or seasoning. The veal ragu over pappardelle pasta and sage butter infused gnocchi with pancetta were well flavored and prepared -- probably the most authentic dishes we ate -- over fresh house made pasta. My favorite bite was the fritto misto starter -- gently floured and seasoned fried shrimp, fish, scallops and squid tentacles -- all melt in your mouth tender -- delicious all by themselves. The pink young shrimp were so fresh and flavorful you could eat them whole -- head and all -- which I did. Equally well prepared was a generous serving of octopus over flageolet -- looked nice and ate mediterranean -- as did the seared scallops served atop pureed cauliflower -- fresh and briny with a pleasant creaminess from the cauliflower. . My dessert sorbet was excellent -- pear ginger and raspberry flavors exploded on my palette -- cold/sweet/tart/spicy -- the perfect finish -- along with a cup of Illy double espresso -- brewed as well as any I've had. Sweetie had the ricotta torta filled with cherry preserves and was pleased with the flavor and preparation -- although the presentation could have been a bit more elaborate. This restaurant and the building housing it is an homage to its donor and commercial sponsor (Colavita Olive Oil) -- and it is that blended oil that is used in all the food served here -- so don't expect some sort of artisanal, small batch EV stuff from Tuscany. Top Tips: Not open weekends. Make the trip during the daylight hours if you can to appreciate the splendor of the CIA campus -- sitting high above the Hudson Valley -- and enjoy the view and walk it a bit -- especially this time of year when the foliage is at peak. This property is palatial and chateau-like and includes lots of stone and brick work, tended gardens and elaborate fountains. If you have a choice -- eat at their French restaurant (Bocuse) which is a tougher get for reservations -- but better reflects classical French CIA training and techniques.

Powerhouse. One of the Hudson Valleys very best restaurants. Exquisite food. Bombastic setting. Best service outside of New York City. Wonderful menu. Tastes are off the charts. Absolutely a 5+ star restaurant in Hyde Park. The reason this incredible restaurant has less stars, is because uninitiated folks with no grace can eat here: they show up in flip flops, frayed jeans and expect to get a free shirt for eating their meal. None of these simpletons have culinary degrees! Caterina de'Medici is incredibly scrupulous and scrumptious haute (highest of high) cuisine. This is finest World Class dining. You wear a tie. Women wear evening gowns! Way high class, refined meals with spot-on food plating. The Rebel says: 5+ stars

Third trip to the CIA and having Italian at Caterina de Medici. Made reservations for Hudson Valley Restaurant Week and found out they weren't doing restaurant week on Saturday. They offered an al la carte menu and a pasta dinner menu (see photos). We ordered the pasta dinner for $39 per person which comes with a family style salad and Antipasti Platter, five different pasta and dessert. For the pasta, it's pretty much an all you can eat. If there's one you particularly like, you can ask for more. For those who never been to the Culinary Institute of America...give them a try as the restaurant is run by the CIA students. There's also a Apple Pie Bakery Cafe that's only open on weekdays that I haven't tried yet...looking forward on making another trip.

We were in a private room on an upper floor. The view was great. The service was excellent, we had two servers who were there all the time. We had a group of nine people. Food exquisite as usual. Wine delicious too. It was an event to cherish and remember forever.

The place is run by students which is interesting in a good way, but our server had no idea or knowledge about wine... NONE. At least say that you're not sure, not go on and on about how EVERY wine on the list is "rich and intense" - seriously? We went on "Pasta Night" on a Saturday evening and you get one big plate in front of you with 4 different pastas served buffet style. Not the most gourmet or fanciest meal. The pastas and appetizers were mediocre, and the way they served it was no better than a high school cafeteria. The wine was not good either; tried two different kinds and they tasted like they were not stored/kept well. The only plus was that the restaurant managers were accommodating. We were very excited to try a 4-course CIA meal, and all our expectations fell short. AND it was expensive! ($40 each for unimpressive pasta, a BAD bottle of wine, and the 20% tip that's automatically charged to your bill = $78 total pp). I do NOT recommend this place; you'd be much more satisfied going to a local diner.

It was OK- the service was kind of all over the place, but I forgave it due to the youths and their general courtesy and patience. For an appetizer, I got the prosciutto with fried dough- I was intrigued especially when the waiter said they tasted great together. But, the two didn't pair at all and the prosciutto quality (for a world-renowned culinary establishment) was subpar. I also got the gnocchi with brown butter, garlic, and sage- this was pretty good and an overall balance to the experience, although not close to the best gnocchi I've had. The highlight was actually the red wine and I'm honestly a little upset I didn't write down the name!

2 hours treck from nyc to Hyde park but oh so worth it: this will not disappoint. Make a day of it by visiting the fdr library and Eleanor Roosevelt's house nearby and then finish the day with a dinner here. The students are well trained already by the time they get to you so this is like a really great dinner for unbelievable prices. On the day we were there the menu was 39 dollars for 3 courses plus bread. Fresh baked bread to start, Caesar salad with delicious toasted cheese to start, along with pickled Vegetables and charcuterie. Main was family style pasta (4 kinds, they bring it out and serve it for you as many times as you'd like when it's just gotten ready on the stove) and a delicious risotto with chest nuts and truffle oil. Pear almond cheese cake to finish. Great wine selection. Service fee is 17% and it all goes to scholarships. Definitely happy to pay. Great place all around!

As a cooking enthusiast vacationing near Poughkeepsie, NY, a visit to the Culinary Institute of America was a must. There are several restaurants on this campus of aspiring top chefs. Each features students in the kitchen and the dining room, under the supervision and tutelage of their expert professors. I chose Caterina de'Medici for dinner because I wanted to see what they could do with Italian food, one of my favorite cuisines. I was not disappointed. The meal started with summer vegetable relish by turns sweet and earthy. Bread had the crispy crust and soft middle that it should. My main dish, Trenette al Pesto, was profound in its simplicity with the pesto ingredients (basil, pine nuts, etc.) distinct and identifiable instead of being a mush. My wife's rabbit dish was distinctive and featured a whitish polenta with an onion or shallot flavor. At the end of the meal, the kitchen gave us a "gift" of a cookie sampler, including some wonderful pistachio cookies. We followed this with our dessert choices. My wife's warm chocolate cake with berry sauce oozed molten flavor and heated comfort. My tartlet with cherries was filled with a smooth custard that was not too heavy, not too light, just right. Throughout the meal, we received wonderful service from our student waiter, who explained each dish and answered each question deftly. As we left the restaurant, he, his supervisor / instructor and the maitre d'hotel all thanked us for dining with them. In summary, Caterina de'Medici was simply outstanding in a literal sense. All dishes were prepared well and served with care in a way I've seldom seen. If you're in the area and love Italian food, you must go.

We were pretty disappointed because we couldn't really understand what we were eating. Perhaps we are not very highly educated how fine dining should be like, or what kind of food we usually will see in the menu in a restaurant like this. What I can tell you is, I've been to Italy twice and I went to more than one fine dining restaurants, and the major difference between this culinary school and a real Italian restaurant is, the Italians keep things very simple. We ordered the five course meal, we had soup, appetizers, main course and desserts. They all have very complicated tastes, perhaps they will go well with wine, but we really didn't enjoy the meal very much. Servers are all students, so we do not tip them according to their regulation. The quality of the food itself is pretty good, however the way they present the dishes is too complicated for me to handle.

I'm so sorry to say the service and food aren't what they once were. I've been here many times in the past and was appalled by the lack of professionalism. What happened? I've been to the Napa branch in the past year, so surely, it cannot be a CIA-wide issue. My friends specifically asked when making the reservation if we'd be rushed out at the end of dinner (for a late reservation made months in advance) and were instead actively cleaned around. This was my last dinner with my friends before getting married and it ruined the occasion. Very unpleasant experience.

I love the staff/students very pleasant and the food was delicious. Definitely would recommend if you are in the area.

I was a bit disappointed with this place, and it seems like other Yelpers were, too. We stuffed ourselves with the: -different selection of cured meats and veggies (they tasted fresh and there was a variety of 'em) -potato gnocchi (it was ok, but the one at American Bounty is SO delicious!!) -risotto (ok, this was actually my FAVORITE dish of all!! It was SUPER good, especially when they shred cheese for you on top!!) -braised beef (ok), the polenta and creamed spinach that comes in a super cute, tiny pan are great for looks but were a bit cold in temperature -apple tart for dessert: unique and interesting, but not necessarily a big fan of as for drinks, the moscato was tasty, and the cocktails were strong. We talked a bit with our server, which was nice. And even though the food was interesting, it didn't really blow us away.

When you dine out as much as I do you are bound to have a "not so great" experience from time to time, and it can happen at any given restaurant...even the best of the best. Well, tonight was one of those nights. The Host who showed us to our table was awesome but everything went down hill from there. Menu offers little detail to what each dish actually is, very poor service ..... I won't go into all the details because it really doesn't matter .... people love to dine at the CIA restaurants and I'm sure if I dined on any other given night my experience would have been completely different. Although after reading reviews on Yelp it appears that my experience may not have been so rare.

The Culinary Institute of America. I so wanted this to be a 5 star review, but it isn't even close. This particular restaurant is large and has nice decor. It's an Italianate structure with high ceilings and an open dining room. It's-upscale and somewhat fancy. It is on the loud side. On Friday evenings, they have implemented a prix fix $39 pasta dinner. Antipasto, salad, four pastas and desert. They readily accommodated one of our diners with four gluten free pasta dishes ++. The first course was good, but nothing special. The pastas were interesting preparations. Some were better than others. The seafood dish was not good. (None of the six in our party liked it). About the service... now these are first year students waiting the tables, so we tried to be extra tolerant. But they were clueless. When one brought us cappuccinos that were cold, I mean cold. We complained. The server said she would see what she could do. Really? 20 minutes go by, no one comes back. By the time I could flag a server just to ask for the check, she says, "oh I think we are making you more cappuccino let me see where it is." We were ready to leave but they did bring it out, hot this time. A 20% tip was automatically applied to the bill. $450 for party of 6 is including 2 bottles of wine. For four of us, it was the first time to CIA. Two in our group had been to the French Restaurant. They said it was worse. Overall, we were disappointed.

The restaurant is beautiful. Outside and in. The service was charming. Many of the servers were working front of house for the first-time! So, not top notch and on point, but they were all super kind and thoughtful. Our lunch was pretty good. Great focaccia to start. And the creamy saffron risotto was great, as well. Samesies for the swordfish and roasted veggies. My squid ink pasta needed salt and other flavor impact. But the affogato for dessert was yum, for sure! All in all, it was a very nice dining experience. Definitely recommended for those passing through the area!

Just so-so food and mediocre service. I ordered the Sea Bass, wife ordered the lamb. After eating the fish they told us it was snapper, not sea bass! What's with that? Wife's lamb tasted like chalk. Myself and another person at our table tasted it and agreed it had no flavor. For the price and venue we expected much better.

Loved the food in this place. I ended up ordering the prix fix and loved every little thing they served. The service was better than Pangea and I liked the food a little better also.

The service was good. Our waiter was very attentive and polite. I ordered a winter salad which wasn't good. There was little to no dressing on the salad. I ordered the grilled polenta, which was good and the escarole side dish was amazing. My son ordered a meat sauce with sausage which he said was delicious. My husband, a vegan, had little choices and what he requested (grilled spicy vegetables) were not spicy. The ambiance was amazing.

We visited the CIA on the last evening open for the summer. The bar was open until our table was ready and suggestions for sparkling rose were excellent. Our waiter was on his first night rotation as front of house staff and was very anxious but earnest and sweet. Charcuterie plate came first, and no bread was offered, Squab ragu had many little potentially choking bones in it. Black squid ink risotto was excellent as was sea bass. Decaf coffee was definitely not decaf and this writer did not sleep that night. When going to the CIA there is always an understanding that there will be missteps, however the two mentioned were amateur and if the master chef was checking his students creations, would have been noticed and corrected. I never blame the students at the CIA, they are there to learn from the best.

We had been very excited to eat at this restaurant as we know the reputation of the Culinary Institute. We were very disappointed in the service, ambiance and food. The decor here reminded me of a big dining room in a Best Western, the details are just not there, everything looked a little generic, or decorated by Home Depot. Lighting was horrible. For the prices and the hype, you'd think that they would put a little more effort into the space. Our waiter was a mumbler, we could barely understand what he was saying. He was severely lacking in personality. We forced him to talk to us and he told us that he was a senior at the school, I would have guessed a freshman. Yes, I understand that they are students who staff the restaurants, how has this student made it to senior year but lacks so many skills, I would have given him a D- for our experience. There were 4 in our party and our food arrived at different times, my pasta was cold before the the last plate arrived, which was a rack of lamb, (actually 2 tiny lamb chops) and the lamb was ice cold, like it had actually been chilled, we sent it back and waited another 10 minutes for it to come back. No apologies were ever offered. The food was tasty although the portions were so small that while we waited for our check we googled where we could get a slice of pizza for the ride home as we were all hungry despite a nearly $300 food bill!! We ordered a cheese plate, when it arrived we asked our waiter what the cheeses were. I guess no one had ever made this inquiry before because his mouth hung open and he looked very confused, he ran off and I saw him consulting with at 2 staff members before he disappeared into the kitchen. A while later he returned with the names of the cheeses written on a scrap of paper, he quickly mumbled them to us, and I asked if he could point out which was which, he could not.....unforgivable in a serious restaurant as far as I'm concerned. Dessert was good. We ordered coffee ($4 a cup), and the annoyingly small cups were filled 1/2 way by the waiter, how stingy, my husband, who had had enough by this point ordered him to fill the cup...is it really too much to ask to have a whole cup of coffee? The added 20% gratuity was annoying since I get better service in a damn diner. For the prices and reputation of this place I would hope that we had a better experience. We will not be returning to Caterina De Medici, although we will be trying the other restaurants at the Culinary

It was our fist dining experience at the CIA. First it made us feel old with these young college kids running around. I liked the iPad's for the wine and drink menu. The service was just ok as it took a while for them to get us a drink and had to ask for the bread which we were starving for. But let's get to the important part. Apps- endive salad- very average Risotto- outstanding!!! Entrees- duck leg over beans and polenta- excellent! Some type of stuffed ravioli which was also a homerun. Desert and coffee was good as well. I'll be back if I'm in the area.

I came here for lunch. Took a while getting there (G-maps had all kinds of problems directing us there). The location is picturesque since it is right by the hudson and the restaurant has an Italian villa feel to it. They seated us right away which was great. The key thing to note here is that everybody serving you, the chefs, etc are all students. That being said, our serving staff were very good. Once seated, I ordered the Pizzetta Funghi as an appetizer which was top notch. I loved the flavors of the mushrooms and how they interacted with the egg on top. For the second course, I got a Duck Ragu Tagliatelle and here I was sorely disappointed. The pasta was too al-dente and he duck lacked flavor. Overall, a decent choice if you are in the neighborhood but no point driving from the city for the food.