With the world’s premier culinary college just across the river and down the road, Hudson Valley residents have the good fortune to experience world-class cuisine on regular occasions – and none more festive than the Culinary Institute of America’s annual Dining Series presented each winter. The 2010 Dining Series has been announced, beginning on Tuesday, January 12 and running through Friday, April 2, and reservations are now being taken for the 50 themed lunch and dinner sittings to be held in the four restaurant venues on campus.
The American Bounty Restaurant, located in Roth Hall, features the wealth and diversity of foods of the Americas, including specialties prepared with ingredients from the riches of our region. French recipes representing the culinary traditions of the regions of France – from rustic Provençal to sophisticated Parisian – are prepared in the Escoffier Restaurant, also located in Roth Hall. Diners can enjoy delectables true to the principles of legendary chef Auguste Escoffier, served with authentic presentation and a contemporary touch.
The Ristorante Caterina de Medici is located in the Colavita Center for Italian Food and Wine and features six distinct areas, including the elegant Joseph P. DeAlessandro main dining room with its Venetian chandeliers and brass sculptures and the more casual Al Forno Dining Room with its antipasto bar, wood-fired oven and views of the kitchen. In the Tuscanlike setting, diners can partake of a menu highlighting seasonal ingredients and special flavor combinations, as well as a selection of Italian wines, beers and apéritifs. The St. Andrews Café exemplifies the best of the farm-to-table movement, with an à la carte menu focusing on locally and sustainably sourced ingredients that are prepared using both American and European culinary traditions. The casual atmosphere and dress code make this the perfect dining spot for the entire family.
Founded in 1946, the CIA is an independent, not-for-profit college that confers bachelor’s and associate degrees, as well as certificate programs in either culinary arts or baking and pastry arts. In addition to its degree programs, the CIA offers courses for professionals and food enthusiasts, as well as wine education. The dining rooms and kitchens of all campus restaurants are also classrooms, and Dining Series meals are prepared and served by CIA students under the leadership of a truly world-class faculty.
This year, many special events will feature the vintages of famed international and American winemakers, such as a Taste of Taittinger, Italy’s Bortolomiol Winery and California’s Benziger Winery. Great brews are celebrated, too, at the popular special Festival of Beers I: The Domestics and Festival of Beers II: Around the World. Other themed events include: Farmer’s Table, Gluten-Free Gourmet, Cognac: Elixir of the Gods, Slow & Savory Cooking, Women Chefs of the CIA, The Titanic Remembered and a Hudson Valley Homage to Cheese. With fabulous culinary offerings like these, even a visit to the CIA’s website can make you salivate!
Lunches priced $33 to $35 are served from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; dinners are $55, $60 and $65, and are served from 6 to 8:30 p.m. For a complete 2010 Dining Series schedule, visit www.ciachef.edu. CIA gift certificates make a unique holiday gift for dining enthusiasts, and they are available in any dollar amount. To purchase a gift certificate, call (845) 451-1588 or visit the CIA’s Hospitality Office in Roth Hall, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. To make a reservation, call (845) 471-6608, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Reservations or gift certificate purchases can be done online also. Chase away the winter blahs and taste the world at the CIA on Albany Post Road in Hyde Park.