OCI Restaurant Review

As i mentioned in an earlier Portland review, i was unfortunate to have gotten food poisoning. It was actually the day before my very important tour or Oregon Culinary Institute: the culinary school i have been dreaming of going to for the past two years. We were scheduled to eat in the student-ran restaurant after the tour. I could hardly stand up due to stomach pains and hadn't gotten any sleep the night before. However, i was determined to make the best of it.

I mainly want to talk about the restaurant, which is open to the public upon reservation. They are open during the week twice a day. They have everyone sit down at the same time so the students get a feel of the lunch & dinner rushes of a real restaurant. We of course had our two year old with us, and the server could tell right away he was a little antsy (what toddler isn't) upon sitting down. She immediately offered to grab some fresh fruit form the kitchen while we waited on our food. So someone literally cut up some fresh fruit for him without my request. I thought this was exactly how customers at restaurants should be treated, especially at "high-end" ones.

We had a few different choices to choose from on the menu. We were able to have a three course meal for free as something they offer to possible students. However, it only costs 9 dollars regular price for one person and the money goes towards benefiting the school. My husband and I both chose the BLT salad and BBQ pork sandwich.

Of course i did not feel like eating, i really wish i did! The few bites that i took were soooo delicious, not only because of the pork but all the other components. The bread was fresh and flavorful. The herb butter they brushed on it before toasting it on the grill was an amazing touch. The potatoes chips they kept in a basket by their open fire on the line was also delicious.

I was so pleased with the service and the food. If these students keep up the amazing work i have no doubt they will go far.