The name, American Bounty Restaurant, perfectly captures the image of the award-winning restaurant, which features delectable American regional cuisine, perfectly prepared and served by the students as part of the degree requirements at the prestigious culinary school, The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, New York.

The concept of the restaurants at The Culinary Institute of America is to provide culinary students with practical restaurant application that includes important front of the house experience as well as experience cooking in a restaurant for the public before graduating from the school. After completing their coursework in classroom kitchens, they progress to working in one of the school's award-winning restaurants, which provides the students with hands-on restaurant experience where every dish must be well-executed, beautifully presented, and delivered on time to meet the demands of the restaurant clientele, as well as their instructors, which for American Bounty Restaurants students, is Theodore Roe, CIA '91, C.H.E., Chef-Instructor, and Heather Kolakowski, CIA '02, C.H.E., Maitre d'Hotêl Instructor; and Dwayne LiPuma '86, C.H.E.., Assistant Professor in Culinary Arts, and Damir Juric, Associate Professor, Maitre d'Hotêl Instructor.

American Bounty Restaurant

Edward and I had dinner at American Bounty Restaurant in November 2009 while we were enrolled in the school's 2-Day Holiday Boot Camp, and we were impressed with the students' ability to professionally interact with guests as well as create and deliver palate and eye pleasing courses.

The philosophy of American Bounty Restaurant is to create exceptional American cuisine using fresh ingredients from the Hudson Valley. The school has the distinct advantage of being located in a fertile region surrounded by produce, fruit, dairy, and meat farms, and combined with their domestic wine and beer offering, the restaurant offers the public the opportunity to not only dine well, but also to help support education as well as the hospitality industry.

The menu featured a wonderful selection of starters, autumn soups, salads, main courses, and small dishes on the side, and Edward began with a starter of Cage-free Foie Gras from the Hudson Valley that is prepared daily, and was attractively presented as three wedges of foie gras on toast and topped with caramelized onions with a taste that matched the presentation.

I had Louisiana Lump Crab Cakes with Vanilla Bean Cole Slaw and Gulf Coast Remoulade, which were presented as three round crab cakes that were perfectly golden, topped with minced cole slaw, and set on a pool of rich and spicy sauce. The crab cakes were delightful with crisp exteriors and sweet and succulent interiors, that worked well with the flirty spicy sauce.

For his main course, Edward had Slowly Simmered Beef Short Ribs with Soft Polenta, Sun Dried Tomatoes, and Mascarpone, which was another well executed and tasty course presented in a deep round bowl. The beef was fork-tender presented in a rich sauce with sun dried tomatoes on a bed of polenta, and was paired with Fetzer Merlot, 2007, Mendocino County California.

Beef Short Ribs

I continued with Maine Lobster "Burgoo" with Chanterelle Mushrooms, Autumn Vegetables, and Carrot Froth, presented in a deep oval bowl with the lobster cut into medallions, with mushrooms, potatoes, carrots, and peas, in a rich broth and topped with a light and gorgeous froth, and was paired with Seyval Blanc, Clinton Vineyards, 2006, New York, with crisp pear notes and a clean finish.

Main Lobster "Burgoo"

Pass up dessert prepared by pastry students at The Culinary Institute of American? Not a chance, especially when we walked by the pastry kitchen window on the way to our table and saw the chefs in action. Edward selected Ice Cream-filled Profiteroles with House Churned Ice Cream, Chocolate Sauce, and Candied Almonds, which was an artistic arrangement of three light and airy cream puffs filled with vanilla ice cream, drizzled with hot fudge sauce and almonds, and dusted with confectioners sugar. Graciously, Edward did share a bite of his dessert with me when he saw me gazing with longing at his dish.

Ice Cream-filled Profiteroles

For my dessert, I had Warm Chocolate Cake with Pistachio Ice Cream, Brandy Snaps, and Toffee Sauce. I have been a fan of pistachio ice cream ever since I was a small child, and happily this ice cream satisfied my craving for this sweet treat. Combined with a perfectly baked chocolate cake that yielded its rich, warm, liquid chocolate center at the touch of my spoon, this dessert was lusciously decadent. As the perfect finale to our experience at American Bounty Restaurant, we toasted to the students' success with glasses of Remy Martin XO, and wished them well on their upcoming graduations.

Warm Chocolate Cake

American Bounty Restaurant is open for lunch Tuesday through Saturday from 11:30 am until 1:00 pm, and for dinner Tuesday through Saturday from 6:00 pm until 8:30 pm. The American Bounty Lounge is open from 6:00 pm for guests with dinner reservations. The restaurant is closed from December 19, 2009 until January 5, 2010.

To make a reservation at American Bounty Restaurant, please call Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:30 am until 6:00 pm, or visit the restaurant website at: www.CIAChef.edu/Restaurants/Bounty.

For additional information and culinary program schedules, please visit The Culinary Institute of America website at www.CIAChef.edu or call them at 1-800-888-7850.

Read other articles on The Culinary Institute of America in the Restaurants, Gastronomy, and Chefs' Recipes sections.

The Culinary Institute of America
1946 Campus Drive
Hyde Park, NY 12538-1499
United States
Telephone:                 +1-845-452-2230
Toll Free Telephone:  +1-800-888-7850
E-mail:                       This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
www.CIAChef.edu 

Please read about Dutchess County in the Destinations, Hotels and Resorts, Gastronomy, and Restaurants sections.

For information on Dutchess County, please visit the website: www.DutchessTourism.com, or call them at: +1-845-463-4000, or Toll-free in the United States at 1-800-445-3131.

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