Community college restaurants offer fine dining in the suburbs
After being seated in the lovely new, window-lined Waterleaf restaurant, we scanned a menu describing fine French food.
A waiter draped our napkins across our laps; another server brought warm, freshly made rolls. Later, while savoring our Homard and Artichaut Moulee (layered lobster and artichoke over an herb coulis), we were asked if we were enjoying our “first course” as our wineglasses were refilled.
This high-end dining experience wasn't taking place in a downtown restaurant. It was in the College of DuPage's new restaurant, Waterleaf, which opened last month at the school's Culinary and Hospitality Center in Glen Ellyn. It's professionally run, but students create and serve meals on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Waterleaf is one of a handful of upscale suburban college restaurants that have debuted this year. McHenry County College unveiled Sláinte in Crystal Lake in February, and Robert Morris University opened Eyrie in Oak Park this fall. Those restaurants are in addition to established college restaurants at places like Elgin Community College and Harper College.
The restaurants aim to give culinary students hands-on training as well as real-life kitchen and service experience. In turn, they provide elegant meals for suburban diners at reduced prices.
A $10 lunch at ECC's Spartan Terrace, for example, might be a Southwestern seared pork tenderloin, turkey and smoked Gouda panini, or maple-ginger glazed salmon. A $7 meal at the Harper College Dining Room could be beef roulade with spatzel, braised red cabbage and a choice of soup or salad.
“They get really high-quality food prepared under the supervision of experienced professionals,” said chef Thomas Kaltenecker, the Austrian-born chef who oversees Sláinte. “You have the best of two worlds for the community here. It's cheap and it's awesome. The only bad thing is that not all of the student-run restaurants are open all the time.”
There's no reason to fear being a guinea pig; these kitchens are run by professional chefs and people with expertise in the field, but behind the scenes they're teaching students about ingredients, menu-planning, kitchen operations and service.
The boom in these community college restaurants is the direct result of growth in the colleges' two-year culinary arts programs.
McHenry County College, for example, has seen a 2 percent to 3 percent growth each semester, and officials there are now planning to expand the program.
“People will always be eating,” Kaltenecker said. “There are a few careers where there will always be work, including restaurants. It's a career you can have forever.”
Waterleaf is perhaps the largest and most upscale community college restaurant in the suburbs, and it's targeting the business lunch and dinner crowd, as well as ladies' luncheons. They offer a banquet facility for large groups.
As the suburban culinary programs grow, and more people discover these restaurants, who knows? The person cooking your meal could be the next Stephanie Izard or Grant Achatz.
Find a local college restaurant
<b>College of DuPage: Waterleaf</b>
Where: 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn (in the college's new Culinary & Hospitality Center), (630) 942-6881, cod.edu/w/waterleaf.htm
Culinary specialty: French
Hours: Lunch: 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday; Sunday brunch: 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; dinner: 5 to 8:30 p.m. Monday, Thursday and Friday, 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday and 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. Sunday
Reservations: Recommended, by phone or online
Seats: 150
Price range: Lunch $7-$24, dinner $7-$34, plus extensive wine list
<b>Elgin Community College: Spartan Terrace</b>
Where: CAC1 on the main campus, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin, (847) 214-7382, elgin.edu/spartanterrace
Culinary specialty: Upscale small plates and entrees, including vegetarian and gluten-free dishes
Hours: Open during the academic year from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. most Tuesdays and Thursdays and 6 to 7:30 p.m. most Mondays and Wednesdays
Reservations: Strongly recommended
Seats: 125
Price range: Lunch $4-$10, dinner $5-$10, plus wine available by the glass
<b>McHenry County College: Sláinte</b>
Where: Employee dining room at McHenry County College, 8900 U.S. Route 14, Crystal Lake. Go to the flagpole entrance, building B, continue through to the back of the cafeteria. (815) 479-7800 or mchenry.edu/slainte.
Culinary specialty: Tapas. Chef stresses sustainability, and students use ingredients from their own vegetable garden at Woodstock North High School.
Hours: Closed for the semester; will reopen in spring 2012 for dinner from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays
Reservations: Recommended, either online, phone or email slainterestaurant@mchenry.edu
Seats: 60
Price range: Average price per person is $20
<b>Tech Center of DuPage: Bistro 301</b>
Where: 301 S. Swift Road, Addison, (630) 691-7588
Culinary specialty: American, with seasonal and regional food, including fish raised in their own tilapia farm.
Hours: Only open when class is in session, for lunch from noon to 2 p.m.
Reservations: Required, and must be a party of six or more. Students also willing to escort guests to their tilapia fish tanks and discuss their landscape management program.
Seats: 60
Price range: Around $14 per person for a three-course menu
<b>Harper College: Harper College dining room</b>
Where: Room A238, Building A, on the main campus, 1200 W. Algonquin Road, Palatine. (847) 925-6426 or, after 11 a.m. on weekdays, call the dining room directly at (847) 925-6580.
Culinary specialty: Varies
Hours: When school is in session, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. Monday through Thursday
Reservations: Suggested
Seats: 50
Price range: Fixed price of less than $7 for a full meal, including soup or salad and an entree (two or three choices daily). Desserts cost $1.50.
<b>Triton College: HIA Dining Room</b>
Where: B-201 on the main campus, 2000 Fifth Avenue, River Grove. (708) 456-0300 ext 3387. No website.
Culinary specialty: International
Hours: spring and fall lunch: Tuesdays and Thursdays: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; dinner Wednesdays 5:30-7 p.m.; summer lunch Wednesdays 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Reservations: recommended.
Seats: 75
Price range: Lunch $8-$10, dinner $10-$15, plus beer and wine available during dinner
<b>Robert Morris University: Eyrie</b>
Where: 128 N. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, robertmorris.edu/eyrie
Culinary specialty: Contemporary American
Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday
Reservations: Recommended, online
Seats: 28, plus a counter
Price range: $30 or less
<b>Kendall College: The Dining Room at Kendall College</b>
Where: 900 N. Branch St., Chicago, (312) 752-2328, kendall.edu/diningroom
Culinary specialty: Fine dining, plus special culinary programs
Hours: Vary with dates. See website for details.
Reservations: Recommended, online or by phone
Seats: 200
Price range: Prix fixe menus are $18 for lunch and $29 for dinner
<b>Le Cordon Bleu: Technique at Le Cordon Bleu</b>
Where: 361 W. Chestnut, Chicago, (312) 873-2032, techniquerestaurant.com
Culinary specialty: Continental
Hours: Lunch: 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.; dinner: 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday
Reservations: Recommended, by phone or opentable.com
Seats: 50
Price range: Three-course lunch $10, three-course dinner $12, four-course dinner $15