Dinner at WCI

I took Ricky to bleu, the Western Culinary Institute restaurant. I'd been there a couple of times before, since my cousin went to school there and we went one time right before she started school and another time to harass her while she was working there, or maybe it was to celebrate her graduation. Anyway, I'd been there before but they've since moved the restaurant so it was a different experience, and Ricky'd never been.

The thing to remember is that it's a teaching restaurant. Everyone who works there is in training at WCI. So things might not be as tight and crisp as you'd get in other upscale restaurants, but it's good food, good service and great value. It's probably the only place we'll ever order a 5 course meal!

Soup
Ricky had the creamy mushroom with pork and apple, while I had the tomato bisque. I definitely got the better end of that deal. While Ricky's was good, it was cold, unfortunately - and not on purpose. Mine, however, was absolutely amazing. Bursting with flavor, the perfect amount of creaminess. Amazing.

Appetizer
This time Ricky had the better deal. I ordered the melted brie and sauteed mushrooms on some sort of flaky bread deal. It was good, but ordinary. Ricky's clams, on the other hand, were out of this world. Buttery, garlicky, incredibly yummy. I thought he was going to take the paint off the bowl trying to get all the broth out.

Salad
This was probably the only part of the meal that we were both "eh" about. I had a beet and endive salad that was good, but not incredible. Ricky had a Caesar salad. Again, good, but not out of the ordinary.

Entree
Ricky ordered beef rossini while I had a roasted game hen. I'll start with the game hen.

Incredible. So yummy, and yet totally unique and unexpected. It was roasted with shitake mushrooms, which were fantastic, and then set atop a bed of creamed corn and pesto. Such an odd combination - or so you'd think. But it was wonderful. All that savory with the little sweet crunch from the corn. It was so good!

The beef rossini was served with mashed sweet and russet potatoes. It was an interesting idea, and one that paid off. The russet offset the sweetness of the sweet potatoes so that it was just darn good. Ricky said the beef was great, and cooked to perfection - not overdone, and not underdone. He also said that the sauce that went over it was incredible.

Dessert
There were two desserts on the menu so we ordered one of each, though I ended up wishing we'd ordered two of the chocolate souffles. It was served nice and hot from the oven with a yummy vanilla sauce to go with it. The other dessert, profiteroles, was served with vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce and strawberry coulis. Both were wonderful, don't get me wrong, but it didn't feel like a cold dessert night to me.

All in all a fantastic meal with great service and a value that can't be beat. The menu changes often, so we're looking forward to going back for another special occasion.