St Andrew's Cafe

AGREE AGREE AGREE~~~
Was able to go here for a lovely treat (thanks B).
Student run....they all get "A's" !!!!

Scrumptious desserts----I had a rum raisin apple crisp with smooht ice cream---


Not a la carte-----

My panini was vegetarian crispy with local veggiies----I could almost smell the farm! B had a portabelle panini that made him long for more---had he had room after the appeteaser of mushroom risotto!!!

Blessed is he with reservations at St Andrews Cafe!

God I miss the good old days of college. Not because I want to be a student again, but because I studied in the same town as the Culinary Institute of America and took full advantage of that proximity. St. Andrew's Cafe is the most casual of their campus restaurants, but don't let that fool you - it's a culinary experience that is not to be missed.

First of all, yay for being a Certified Green restaurant! They truly epitomize the farm to table movement in their menu, which obviously changes seasonally so you can keep coming back and be assured of different, yet still delicious, dishes to try. Seriously, I don't think any single dish has disappointed me every time I've dined here. I always love to share food at a meal, and my bf and I maximize that by always ordering any sampler they offer - usually soup. Their fall soups are my favorite, especially the squash ones, they really bring out the full flavor of the ingredients and the texture is always perfect.

But what I truly love about St. Andrew's Cafe (and the CIA in general) is that this is affordable. In fact, you will pay less for amazingly incredible food here than you would at many chain restaurants (no, really, I'm not kidding just check out their online menu prices). It's so affordable, and so delicious, that you HAVE to make reservations. IN ADVANCE. Don't say I didn't warn you. And use their convenient online system.

Black bean soup. Gemelli pasta. Duck. Ginger ale unfiltered. Soup a little too salty bu still tasty. Chili croutons add nice touch. Gemelli was too salty to be edible, we sent it back. Replacement was much better. Bacon adds nice dimension to contrast the sauce. Duck was a little salty but good. The pistachios were a nice textural addition.

I've been meaning to try the restaurants at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) for some time now. I scheduled lunch a few weeks out, choosing St. Andrews for it's menu, which seemed the most down-to-earth of the restaurants available.

We arrived ten minutes earlier than our scheduled seating, and we were seated promptly. Service started out well, with the server explaining in detail all of the dishes we inquired about. We finalized on the black bean soup, gemelli pasta, and the pan-roasted duck.

We were soon brought a bread "basket" (it was more of a spiral cone thing lined with paper), sans butter. We later requested butter along with a refill of bread. The breads themselves were freshly baked and were delicious. Probably the highlight of the meal, as you will see soon.

The "Wild Hive Farm Hearty Black Bean Soup with Bacon, Crème Fraiche, Cilantro and Chili Croutons" arrived promptly, however, without spoons. We had to flag down a server to request appropriate silverware. The first taste of the soup brought then sensation of salt, and too much of it. We decided to stick it out, as this might have been a bit of an oversight. Aside from the saltiness, the soup was tasty. The croutons provided a nice bit of heat, and the bacon some nice texture.

Then the pasta came. The "Gemelli Pasta with Sweet Peas, Marinated Tomatoes, Bacon, Watercress, and Caciocavallo Cheese" was so salty, we had to send it straight back. It was intolerably salty. The server returned shortly with a less-salty replacement, which although still very salty, at least was edible. Again, if only it was not over-salted, this would have been an amazing dish.

We inquired as to whether the chef had gone salt-crazy, but our server (the servers and chefs are all students at the CIA) explained they were taught to flavor for how the patron wants it, not for their own palates. Apparently they were listening to the complaints of too many salt-addicts who couldn't be bothered to add salt on their own at the table.

Finally, the "Pan Roasted Stone Church farm Duck with Warm Grain Salad, Pistachios, Golden Raisins, Roasted Salsify, and Lenz Winery Merlot Sauce" came, and although I requested my meat done 'medium", it still came out "medium rare", with a little more emphasis on the rare. Again, plenty salty, but edible. The duck was not gamey at all, but still expectedly fatty. the grains received a nice textural addition from the pistachios and a sweet contrast from the raisins.

There were many hiccups in our service, ranging from missing silverware and butter to checking on refills for water. On the other hand, the server knew the menu inside and out, and she was quite helpful in that regard, making it easy to avoid dishes that may have components one wishes to avoid. The over-salting of every dish we ordered is unacceptable, even for a student-staffed learning restaurant. The presence of so much salt is incredibly unhealthy, and it impedes the flavors of the food far too much to be enjoyable. If any staff are reading this review, for the sake of all that is healthy, please have someone smack some sense into whoever is adding so much damn salt!

I would hope this is not the norm for the restaurants at the CIA, but as far as first impressions go, i am largely unimpressed. A two-hour drive from New York, just to have such mediocrity at regular restaurant prices is absurd. I am hesitant to return.

Stopped in here on a whim while deciding to visit the campus before going over to FDR's home in Hyde Park. We had a family of 4 including two small kids.

What else can I say that the first reviewer didn't capture. The food was simply sensational, a three course meal including a wonderful desert for $19.95 per adult. Our kids split a kids meal for $9.95 which included a drink appetizer, entree and desert. The fixed tip is 14%, which goes to a fund to support the students, you are not allowed to tip the staff directly. Our bill came out to just over $60. That included a wonderful tomato and mozzarella salad, a risotto appetizer, a huge panini, and a fantastic seared sea scallop and mushroom risotto. Deserts included goat cheese cake and a delectable lime tart.

Service was wonderful, as everyone is a student, they were very outgoing and we enjoyed a nice chat with our waiter about his experiences and future plans. Afterwards we spent several minutes walking around the beautiful campus on the banks of the Hudson River.

Food here is presented like an edible painting. Although a less known Culinary Institute restaurant, it is the best of the CIA. With a low price tag, great food, chefs eager to work at the upper three CIA restaurants, and presentable decor, this restaurant is the value of the CIA.

I've now eaten at two of the three CIA restaurants at CIA. American Bounty and Escoffier. The other two are excellent (I would give them at least 4 stars). But this one really is not worth the trip. The menu is full of foods with too many conflicting tastes and aromas. And they are not very well cooked. Seems like the cooks are first semester! Also the waiters do not seem to have been trained about wine service.

I've eaten here twice & been very impressed both times. Service is excellent, it has to be, the servers are all students who are being graded. Food's good too, I had a dish with roasted kimchi which was great.

I went here for lunch and had the worst experience I have ever had. I was a waitress/bartender for 10 years and I tend to be forgiving. I was by myself and seated at the worst table in the place, next to the cabinet where the staff got napkins, silverware, etc.

My table wobbled and I had to climb under the table and fix it myself. I ordered two course, they were brought to me at the same time. My bread was brought after the waiter dropped the food. The mushroom and green bean salad was very good. I tried to cut my lamb chop but it was so raw that I couldn't do it. I was asked if everything was ok when my mouth was full so I couldn't respond. When the waiter picked up my plates, he asked me if everything was ok. I guess he couldn't figure it out when 3/4 of my lamb chops were not eaten. I wasn't even offered dessert which I would have refused anyway.

2 employees from the CIA were seated at the next table and didn't even seem to notice what was going on. As a teacher, I would have thought that they would have noticed the poor service.

It was truly an awful experience and I should have spoken up but I might have made a scene. I wrote the CIA an email the next day and I was offered a full refund for my lunch. The woman assured me that they would use it as a "teaching" moment for those involved.

If I had to do it again, I would have eaten at the Apple Pie (?) bakery. They were really nice to me.

Delicious "build your own" wrap and the fries were so good!! Glad this is on campus so I know where to go for my meals.