The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park is well known for educating the next generation of great chefs. So it's a no-brainer that there are plenty of opportunities for the chefs-in-training to hone their skills in the restaurant environment—always on expert display at their on-site restaurants, which also play host to special events all year long. From comfort-food classics to gourmet French specialties, the enticing events coming up for the spring and summer offer something for everyone.
Mardi Gras Roman-Style
It might sound like New Orleans-Italian fusion, but the name is actually a reference to Italy’s own debaucherous, pre-Lent festival of Carnevale. This Tuesday, February 25, don your sparkliest mask and head over to Ristorante Caterina de’ Medici to indulge in a feast of Italian classics paired with Tuscan wines. Menu highlights include cacio e pepe, roasted pork loin with a charred fennel and apple slaw, and a pull-apart king cake.
Winner of the best costume will be rewarded with a complimentary dinner for two at one of the CIA’s restaurants. Tickets are $95 prepaid, all-inclusive, and can be purchased here.
Traditional American Sunday Supper—For Lunch
Headed to American Bounty Restaurant is the traditional Sunday supper—held at a more reasonable lunchtime hour so you can enjoy it mid-week. Lunch on Wednesday, March 18 will feature prime rib carved tableside, vegetarian cottage pie made with Impossible Burger, roasted Brussels sprouts and baby carrots, airy Yorkshire pudding, and the restaurant's famous Parker House rolls. Purchase tickets ($59 prepaid, all-inclusive) here.
Regional French Classics
Held at The Bocuse Restaurant, this gourmet four-course dinner on March 25 will take guests through a tour of four of the most famous wine regions of France—Champagne, the Loire Valley, Burgundy, and Bordeaux. Each will be represented by a classic dish matched with a wine from the same region. Menu details to come. Purchase tickets ($95 prepaid, all-inclusive) here.
