Restaurant Review: California Culinary Academy La Careme Room, San Francisco

There are many extraordinary restaurants in San Francisco, that range from neighborhood hang outs to four star fine dining establishments. An extremely memorable establishment I have dined in during my last two visits to San Francisco is the La Carême Room.

Located within the California Culinary Academy Le Cordon Bleu Program, the La Carême Room is one of the two restaurants of the famed cooking school. Located at 625 Polk Street in San Francisco, the restaurant is located a short walk from the Civic Center area, just north of City Hall. The building was once part of the German-American club when first constructed around the turn of the century, and features a huge concert hall, which is now the dining room. During the 1960s, this space was used as a rock concert hall, and it's said that such luminaries as Janis Joplin played there.

The two-story dining room now showcases culinary students busy at work behind walls of glass. On one side of the room, restaurant goers can observe students making cold hors d'oeuvres in one kitchen and pastries in an adjoining kitchen. Where the stage was once located there is now a two-story kitchen and working classroom where you can observe the entrees of the day being made.

Current students make all of the items served at the La Carême as part of the culinary arts program. Students not only prepare the items, but also take turns with serving, clean up and hostess duties.

During my first visit, my son and I sampled the Friday Grand Buffet lunch. I had toured CCA that morning and was impressed with both the program and the facilities. Our lunch was stunning, to say the least. It was graduation day for some of the students, and the menu had a Caribbean theme. A multitude of appetizers were laid out attractively at the center of the room. These included salad items, terrines and pates, fruits and vegetables, and cold seafood items. Entrees included jerk pork and many spicy interesting dishes too numerous to list, as well as sides of rice and plantains. The desert table was loaded with many cakes, pastries, sweet bars and cookies.

The lunch buffet was reasonably priced at $19 per person, and it was all you can eat. My college student son appreciated that aspect of the meal, and we were both impressed with the quality of the items.

I recently returned to San Francisco and this time we returned to the La Carême Room for Thursday dinner. This dinner was called the French buffet, and there was a choice of main course from the menu, with the accompanying appetizer and desert buffets. I chose a sea bass roasted and served with a light broth and vegetables. My son chose the maple-braised beef rib, which was enormous. He declared it the best he ever had. My daughter chose the pasta of the day, which was cheese ravioli. It was an interesting mix with a light balsamic glaze, which gave the pasta a purplish tint that was not very visually pleasing but was delicious. There was also a strip steak offered that night, which looked and tasted great.

Dinner was obviously more expensive, and prices change without notice. The menu changes constantly as well, with the available food items featured as they are in season. The La Carême Room has a full bar featuring wine, beer and mixed drinks.

You can get more information on the La Carême Room at the California Culinary Academy by visiting their web site at http://www.baychef.com/about_restaurants_catering.asp, or by making a reservation online at www.opentable.com (go to San Francisco, Carême Room). You can also make reservations by phone at 415-216-4329.

The La Carême Room at the California Culinary Academy - definitely worth a visit!