Bocuse | Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, NY
today my Gramma, Mom, and i went to the Culinary Institute of America to have lunch at Bocuse. we’ve been wanting to make this trip for a while now and we finally pulled the trigger and booked a reservation, just a few weeks ago.
at the CIA you have a choice of dining at American Bounty, an all-American type of cuisine, where they harp on a farm-to-table philosophy, Ristorante Caterina de’ Medici, an Italian restaurant, or the Bocuse Restaurant, which serves up French dishes. there’s also a bakery called Apple Pie Bakery Cafe, which offers sandwiches, soups, and loads of delectable desserts and pastries.
we chose to try Bocuse. French food is one of my favorite types of cuisine and it’s something that i don’t have the opportunity to try often, so when i get the chance, i always jump on it!
when we arrived on the beautiful grounds of the CIA in Hyde Park, overlooking the Hudson River, we strolled around for a bit both outside around the campus and also inside the main building--Roth Hall. there we walked around the bookstore (and picked up a few things) and then made our way to the restaurant for our 12:30 reservation.
overall, the experience was amazing and wonderful and a serious first-class affair. we were greeted by two men who were certainly not students, probably the professors grading the rest of the students. all of the servers and cooks are students of the CIA going through the programs to become chefs and/or to work in hospitality. all waiters and waitresses who we encountered were so lovely.
i started with a drink called the “first blush”--a vodka cocktail with citrus and rhubarb flavors, which was so refreshing and also presented beautifully.
then we all decided to try the prix fixe lunch menu, which would include an appetizer, entree, and dessert. i started with the corn soup, which was delicious. i wish i had taken out my camera to take a video when it was served because it was done in such a unique way! my dish came out with a little corn cake in the center of the bowl and a strip of corn chip laying across the bowl (it was almost like a long, thin frito, but a lot nicer). then the server poured the soup right into the bowl over the corn cake and it was just so cute and beautiful. i swallowed that up so quickly, i’m sure the servers were watching in awe. (sorry, no pictures!!)
after the appetizer, i ordered the roasted saddle of lamb for my main dish. it was delicious. the meal came with two medallions of lamb, a small crispy potato cake, spinach, onion, a few baby carrots, artichoke, and spring greens on top. it was all simply amazing. the presentation, the sauce, the vegetables and lamb all cooked to perfection.
for dessert, i ordered something that was just so unique that i was so curious about, so i had to give it a shot. it was called the bread trilogy (aka, they basically made it for me, the bread lover!!!). it was made up of three different bread-inspired desserts. the first was the toasted baguette ice cream with caramelized croutons. it was ice cream that tasted like a toasted baguette. oh. my. god. amazing. the second part was a beignet with blueberry compote. it was so light, so fluffy, perfectly coated with cinnamon sugar, i just never wanted it to end. and then the third was a baba au rhum with a passion fruit foam. i didn’t particularly care for this one. i think i would have liked it sans the rum. i didn’t realize how strong of alcohol it would taste, so when i went in with a big bite i was so surprised and couldn’t help but make a face similar to my “i hate shots and i really hate this kind of shot” face. regardless, i’m happy that i chose this as my dessert because it was just so unique, something i couldn’t pass up!
overall the meal was amazingly delicious, everything rich with flavor, and served so beautifully and intricately with detail that clearly took a lot of time to prepare and perfect. some things to know about the restaurant: when you get the prix fixe for lunch, the portions are rather small. (i’m not sure if portions are larger when ordering alla carte.) this is something common to many restaurants, but if you’re hoping to leave feeling full, you won’t. you’ll be satisfied, that is for sure, but you will not be busting out of your pants. (for someone like me, who rarely cleans her plates, small portions are perfect for me.) also, since all of the staff are students and are being graded on everything, they really take the time to serve you in a meticulous and precise manner. i really enjoyed it and it made for a wonderful experience, but i can see how others might find it odd and maybe a bit frustrating that they will only take your plate from you from one side or that they will not leave the bread basket at the table, it’s something to ask for as they walk around offering, for instance. these are things that i do not find annoying at all, in fact, it made the lunch that much more enjoyable for me and it was great and interesting to see all that goes into the schooling for these students. i found it intriguing to see all that they had to learn in the classroom being put to good use on the floor of the restaurant.
after finishing lunch we walked around Roth Hall a bit more. we saw a couple of classes in session, peeked our heads into American Bounty and the bakery and just oogled at all of the students walking by and all of the history that lined the halls of the building.
the day was wonderful and it was a great experience. i’m already looking forward to a time when we can try the other restaurants. i would highly recommend a day at the CIA if you’re in the Hudson Valley area. there’s also so much to do in the Poughkeepsie and Hyde Park area that after lunch you could explore the towns, walk across the Hudson River, or visit the home of Franklin Delano Roosevelt in Hyde Park. (last year for Bonomolo weekend we visited this area of the Hudson Valley, which you can check out here!)
