American Bounty Restaurant (Culinary Institute of America)
Monday, June 29, 2009 at 8:10PM Hyde Park, NY
(845) 471-6608
http://www.ciachef.edu/restaurants/bounty/
I was really looking forward to this meal, and I was not disappointed. Like the other restaurants on the CIA campus, the students work both the front and the back of the restaurant. The result is great service, remarkable food, and a pleasant atmosphere at a fraction of the price.
We started our meal with blueberry mojitos. I lived in Miami for a bit and I appreciate good mojitos. These were good. To start, I had fois gras on "French toast" with a cherry sauce. The liver and the sauce were delicious; the French toast was a bit greasy and overpowered the already rich duck. My dining companion had an asparagus salad with warm goat cheese and pickled beats. The sweet and sour beats paired nicely with the warm cheese.
For our main courses we had Lobster Burgoo--according to our waiter, a Southern dish that is typically made with possum or squirrel. The lobster was a welcomed and delicious substitute. My companion had braised short ribs. The succulent meat fell off the bone and into a pool of creamy polenta.
For dessert we shared a strawberry rhubarb cobbler with homemade ice cream. The top of the cobbler was more cookie like, and not my favorite (I am partial to biscuit crusts on cobblers), but the fruit compote and ice cream were delicious.