The most elegant meal you’ll have at Cornell

Now, when you think of an elegant meal in Ithaca, big occasion staples such as John Thomas Steakhouse or The Boatyard Grill automatically come to mind.

Today, I am not talking about a fancy steakhouse by the water, but instead the semi-annual pop-up restaurant held by some of our very own student peers, the Hotelie Entrepreneurs.

This fall edition of their acclaimed pop-up series was hosted at The Carriage House on Stewart Avenue, decorated with twinkly lights, ivy and a bold yet classic table setting.

When you walked into the bulk of the restaurant, you saw two long tables draped in an ivory/black theme accented by tea lights, vases filled with red roses and sterling silver candlesticks. Utter perfection.

For the bread course, there was the traditional pan con tomate — fresh garlic bread drizzled with olive oil and then topped with a garlic crushed tomato paste. Scrumptious!

Next, they served a round of apulpo con apatatas — garlicky octopus perched upon over roasted tomatoes topped with lemony arugula. A delightful and refreshing dish, rich with an acceptable mix of textures.

Then, came the tricky course because given that I am allergic to capsaicin I could not have their intended dish (Albondigas Romesco – Spanish meatballs served in a nutty, peppery Romesco sauce), so I was instead served their vegetarian option; brie rolled in panko breadcrumbs and fried atop a creamy tomato sauce.

And honestly, I enjoyed the brie because the saltiness of the cheese balanced well with the light, acid creamy taste of the tomato sauce. Delicioso!

For the main course, they whipped up an excellent batch of the traditional Seafood Paella— classic saffron infused rice with an array of octopus, mussels and shrimp.

My favorite course so far. It is so easy to mess up paella, but this group of Hotelies did it so right! The addition of roasted peppers into the mix was a delicious touch.

Last, we came to dessert, my all time favorite course of any meal, which consisted of cinnamon shortbread crumble topped with a lightly spiced chocolate mousse and surrounded with a moat of crema catalana sauce.

The creaminess of the mousse and catalana sauce mixed with the shortbread crumble was a welcome mix of light and refreshing textures at the end of this culinary journey.

I was so delighted with the quality of this meal, led by student chefs Chris Anthony, Stephanie Hsu, Haley Tan, Franklin Yang  and hosted by Insha Malholtra (President of HE).

But even more impressing than the meal itself (shocking, right?) was the quality of service provided by the staff. They worked around my allergies, made sure everyone was enjoying the meal at every moment of the service and provided guidance into what we were eating at every turn.

In my opinion, this group of students far surpassed my expectations, and gave me an Ithaca foodie memory that I will always cherish.

For more information on the Hotel Entrepreneurs organization and future events, feel free to check out their Facebook page here.