Chicago - March 08, 2005

Cook's Thesaurus

Kendall College Dining Room

Chefs are notoriously good at making lemonade out of lemons.

Take, for example, the motley contents of your fridge: bacon, leftover pot roast, pickles.

You see trash. They see pate de campagne.

So it should come as no surprise that the culinary types at Kendall College saw the old Sara Lee plant as the ideal spot for their new campus. And lucky you, the downtown address means that its much-lauded student dining room, which used to be housed up in Evanston, is now just a cab ride away.

Before graduation, Kendall’s chefs-to-be — the school’s list of alums include Mindy Segal and Shawn McClain — perfect their skills in the third-floor dining room. The menu changes quarterly, but the prices are always less than what you’d pay in a big-name restaurant. Try the almond-crusted pork tenderloin with spiced pear stuffing, couscous, and port, or the pan-seared lamb loin with maple syrup-glazed sweet potatoes and a shiraz reduction. And don’t forget dessert — choose from creme brulee, flourless chocolate cake, or silky French lemon tart.

Just the thing you’d expect a chef to make of lemons.

Kendall College Dining Room, 900 North Branch Street between Chicago Avenue and Division Street (312-752-2EAT).