Tanta Robina

Future Forward, the special lunch for Intro 1 students at 561, the school's bistro, was a relaxed affair and we had a good time eating and chatting before our lab class. We ended up with a mostly girls' table, including our Chef instructor.

Elvia and Camille

Lunch started with an amuse bouche: a parsnip-honey soda served in a shot glass. Interesting, but not something I would look forward to having again. Then we were served seared scallops with pea purée, bacon, faux caviar, and carrot foam. The scallops were my favorite, even though the bacon was a bit overwhelming compared to the other elements. The pea purée was tasty, and the faux caviar – little orange balls of tapioca – looked great, but had absolutely no taste. The carrot foam was purely decorative and as neuter as the tapioca.

Me and Thalia (oldest and youngest in our class)

Always texting

Beef short rib. This one I liked a lot even though I am not big on beef; it was super tender and tasty (how do you like my professional terminology, eh?). The soft polenta I could have done without, but that's my personal bias. The greens were limp and lifeless. What can I say; I am an Italian girl and I love my side dishes to be part of the meal, not just a decorative accent.

But company was good.

Because of my allergy to cinnamon, I was served a different dessert from the rest of the group. It was too rich for me, but someone else was very happy to take it off my hands.

Everyone else landed the cinnamon-laden dessert. If I ever open up a bakery, I will ban cassia and use exclusively the real cinnamon, or cannella.