Dinner at the CIA

When someone asks you, would you like to go to dinner at the Culinary Institute of America, the correct response is, "Yes." For years, I've wanted to go, but given that it's two hours outside NYC and I don't have a car, the logistics never worked out, until my friend Paul organized a trip to American Bounty.

I'm not sure if the service was impeccable because we had a large group or because it's always like that, but it was. The waiter was knowledgeable about all the dishes and was able to make suggestions about pairings. I started with a blanc de noir at the bar - I was so excited they actually had one labeled as such on the menu! And even the rosemary bread was delicious.

I had the daily preparation of foie gras, which was served with a sweet potato puree. I had a taste of the foie gras to start and then took a taste of the sweet potato. Both were delicious, but it didn't work for me until I took the final bite and put them both on the spoon at the same time. I could no longer taste the special flavor of the foie gras - but the combination was spectacular.

I generally find entrees less interesting than appetizers and I'm afraid that was true of the simmer short ribs. I can only describe it as monolithic - tasty and well-prepared, but ultimately not particularly interesting.

I had the gingerbread cake for dessert, mostly because I wanted to see how the CIA did caramel. It was fine, although not quite as much of a knockout as the foie gras. Unfortunately, I think 4 hours round trip is a bit much for even that foie gras.