It's about that time in the semester when your bank account balance seems a bit low, Thanksgiving and monetary replenishment are still weeks away, but your anniversary/birthday/celebration dinner is just around the corner. Where are you going to find a meal worthy of the occasion but appropriate for your dwindling finances?
With multi-course meals at minimal prices, the Philadelphia culinary schools provide the solution to your fiscal woes. Help out some fellow Philly students by frequenting the restaurant management programs in the area. You can eat their midterms while taking a break from yours.
The Restaurant School
4207 Walnut Street
(215) 222-4200
For starters, there's the perennial favorite: The Restaurant School, open for dinner on Tuesdays through Saturdays. With four cafes serving everything from American classics, like turkey pot pie, to European specialties, like escargot and poached red snapper, The Restaurant School suits the whole spectrum of palates. Dinners average around $20 for three courses, with reasonably priced alcoholic options. For those not just content to be served, the Restaurant School also offers classes that range from six-week gastronomic introductions to one-session tutorials on sushi and tapas.
Drexel's Academic Bistro
6th floor Academic Building
33rd and Arch Streets
(215) 895-5872
Drexel's Academic Bistro is serving lunches and dinners on Tuesdays this semester. The menu changes weekly and typically highlights different global cuisines and cooking styles. A French flair menu featured an endive, walnuts, and Roquefort salad, and a roast lamb loin with potatoes au gratin. There is no opportunity for individual dish selection, though a vegetarian option is available on request. Lunch is $9 for three courses, and dinner, at $22, also includes an amuse bouche. Cash only.
Petite Passion
2300 Market Street
(215) 405-6766
The Art Institute of Philadelphia has its own student-run restaurant, the Petite Passion. I enjoyed an impressive meal there, which featured a smoked duck salad, herb fettuccine with chicken confit, and an incredible crŠme br–lée. Serving on Wednesdays and Thursdays, Petite Passion offers a $15 four-course lunch and a $30 six-course dinner, with soda, coffee, iced and hot tea included. Dinner is BYO and the restaurant only accepts cash. Said Alan Gross, the dining room instructor when I visited, "Our graduates have 100% job placement. In today's world, it's necessary to have an education." Don't we know it.
