By Nancy Covert
The brochure read, in part, “…if you believe food presentation can be a form of art…” Hmmm—that sounded tantalizing, indeed.
So when Feb. 23 rolled around a group of Town on the Sound women braved the early morning snow/sleet/hail that descended on the area and headed off for their monthly lunch gathering. Clover Park Technical College’s Rainier Room was the destination.
If you’ve never been there, consider adding it to a “must do” list. This secluded eatery, tucked in an out-of-the-way corner of the CPTC campus, is the training site for the college’s culinary arts program.
Each menu item, from the well-laden crab bisque to a wide array of entrees: stuffed chicken breast with prosciutto-wrapped broccioli and an herbed-filled baked potato or a chai braised salad,
finished with a poached pear/ice cream or raspberry sorbet dessert. Each dish was indeed a “work of art.”
The Rainier Room, open only between 11:15 a.m-12:45 p.m., Wednesday-Friday, provides patrons with the opportunity to dine on quality meals at a fraction of what they will, one day, cost at some up-scale restaurant.
Students enroll in the five-quarter program, offering either the opportunity to train as a restaurant or catering/banquet manager, a sous or executive chef, as kitchen-station supervisors and as cooks. The classroom includes a lecture hall, an immense kitchen and dining hall.
Unexpectedly, the server for the day’s meal was Renee, of Steilacoom. She said that she’d returned to school to learn a new skill since her children were grown. At meal’s end she delivered “take out” boxes to each guest who planned to finish the rest of their meals later.
Thanks, Renee. Best wishes.
Reviews about the Ladies Lunch Group events appear occasionally in the Suburban Times. Restaurant reviews are definitely biased.
The Rainier Room is located in Building 31, close to the Campus’s west side. Reservations are required. More details (menu selections, etc.) are available at www.tacomaculinary.com Clover Park Technical College is located at 4500 Steilacoom Blvd., SW in Lakewood. Phone 253-589-5889.