March 2010

How does a three-course meal for two at an upscale restaurant for under $20 sound? There's only one catch: You gotta go back to school.

Pueblo Community College GPA dining room is located on the ground level of the College Center (CC) building located at the corner of Orman and Harrison. It is the home of the PCC Culinary Arts Program, in which students learn every aspect of the restaurant and hospitality industry. Everyone-from the hostess to the wait staff to the chefs in the kitchen-is a student in the program. My date and I arrive just after noon on a Thursday. (What, am I not allowed to take my girl out to lunch?) We arrive to find a warm and friendly atmosphere-fancy tablecloths, fresh flowers on every table and clean silverware. You know, the kind of stuff chicks like.

Our waitress, a young woman named Paige, gets our drink order and tells us about the specials. This feels in every way like a fancy restaurant. It is hard to believe that in the next room some teenager is learning trigonometry. After a few moments of reflection on college life, the first course arrives. My date and I had a choice between Southwest bean soup and a house salad for our appetizer. My date gets the house salad with vinaigrette. It's a simple offering of mixed greens that is reminiscent of house salads that you would find most anywhere. And my Southwest bean soup is good with whole black, pinto and kidney beans.

Just after I take my last bite of soup, the main course arrives. I ordered the sirloin beef tips with sautéed onions, mushrooms, and a light demi-glace enhanced with Madeira. (Madeira is a fortified Portuguese wine made in the Madeira Islands.) The beef tips are remarkable. Also, I wish that the secret "demi-glace with Madeira" recipe was bottled and available for purchase because I think it would taste great on chicken nuggets.

My date has ordered the Green Chili Chicken Wrap. It is grilled chicken in a tortilla with green chiles, bell pepper, spinach, guacamole, cheddar and Monterey jack cheese served with coleslaw and fresh fruit.  I trade one of my beef tips for a bite or two of her wrap, and I am not surprised to find that it is very flavorful. Here is yet another selection to add to the long list of foods that are enhanced by the Pueblo Chile Pepper. Her slaw is cold and bitter (the way good slaw should be) and the cantaloupe is cold and juicy (once again, as it should be).

Just as we are finishing, a lovely young woman named Rachel brings a dessert tray around with several tempting sweets. As I reach for some cake, she pulls the tray away from me, saying, "These are only for display." She smiles and shakes her head as she heads to the back. A few moments later she returns with the last course. My dessert is Raspberry-lemon Cake. It is a big piece of cake made with fresh raspberries and lemon juice. My date gets a Sunrise Torte, a very tart lemon torte with a graham cracker crust. It reminds me of the late '80s and lemon fruit roll-ups.

After a delicious three-course meal, my date and I walk the halls of the PCC campus. We blend in perfectly with the largely non-traditional students. We come across a pool table and I challenge my date to a game. After that, we watch The Steve Wilkos Show on a big screen television in the rec center.

The GPA Dining Room at Pueblo Community College is open Tuesday-Friday: 11:30am-1:00pm, and Wednesday Evening: 6:00-8:00pm (must be seated by 6:30pm). Reservations strongly recommended: 719-549-3326.

Sirloin Beef Tips                         $6.49

Green Chili Chicken Wrap          5.69

Sunrise Torte                                 1.00

Raspberry-lemon Cake               1.00

Tax and Tip                                    3.82

Two games of pool                       2.00

School application forms             Free

TOTAL:                                        $20.00