Kendall College - The Dining Room

Went to the dining room with two co-workers for lunch, $18 dollars for a 3 course meal may seem steep for lunch, but you will not be disappointed. We all ordered different things and each was superb.

I had the chestnut mushroom soup for my first course, so creamy and flavorful but not too rich. The escargot and pork belly the other two ordered were also wonderful. They gave us an intermezzo between first and second course of a blood orange sorbet, I could have eaten a pint of it :) I know that is not the point though ;)

I had the striped bass for entree and it was perfect, the hanger steak and veal osso bucco that my co-workers orders was also superb. And our desserts were wonderful (lemon curd sorbet and sticky date pudding). I left the meal not having one bad thing to say about it, it was all perfect. I would definitely go back! Would love to try more things on their menu, it was so hard to even decide what to order!

Having the opportunity to dine here was a real treat. My wife and I came here with a few friends on a week night, and I must say their hospitality and culinary students put on a real great dining experience for us.

First thing you need to know is that this is a college, so the dining room servers and kitchen chefs are mostly students, supervised by chefs & restaurant professionals with years of experiences. They serve a pre fixe menu here and it changes every semester (as new students rotate in). It's probably a good idea to visit during the middle or near the end of a semester because it woudld allow that class to perfect their craft so you'll have an even better experience.

Overall, everybody here is just really professional and nice. Their dining room manager/sommelier recommended some really nice wine to go with our dinner. Make a reservation early and dress nice when you come here.

The food concepts are innovative and classical at the same time, and the execution was flawless. Below is a summary of what we had. The only minor suggestion we had for the food was for the scallops appetizer to use larger scallops. The smaller scallops may make an easier bit with the potatoes, etc., but some of the scallops were overcooked. Larger scallops would be more satisfying.

Appetizers:
-Juniper seared bison Carpaccio, sunflower shoot salad, little darling cheese, lovage oil
-Roasted winter squash soup, spiced apple butter, maple sugar, thyme cracker
-Sweet potato ravioli, toasted pumpkin seeds, brown butter sauce
-Pan seared bay scallops, chive gnocchi, oyster mushrooms, shallots, white wine
-Chicken croquettes, heirloom tomato jam, herb salad  
-Roasted bone marrow, oxtail marmalade, toasted porcini brioche

Entrees:
-Grilled skirt steak of grass-fed beef, winter green gratin, poached farmhouse egg, pickled tongue
-Brioche crusted halibut, braised collard greens, smoked ham consommé
-Grilled bison strip loin, roasted root vegetables, black currant gastrique, bone marrow hollandaise

Desserts:
- Apple cider, glazed donut, ice creme
- Molten chocolate cake, ice creme

Food was very good, especially the spice cake dessert.  Wait staff was outstanding.  Menu was good, not great, but it was a set menu.  I would go again.  Great value for the price.