The Central Texas College (CTC) Culinary and Hospitality Arts program will serve up a Central American cuisine for its final Patio Café Cuisine Nights Dinner Experience of the semester this Friday, December 7. Dinner will be served from 6 – 7:30 p.m. in the Patio Café located inside the Student Center (Bldg. 106).
Start the meal beings with a chicken tortilla soup ($7.50 or $1.50 for a cup with an entrée); or an appetizer of chicken flautas ($3) or honey oat roll ($1.50 or one free with an entrée). The featured salad is a margarita shrimp salad ($15) or choose the house salad ($3.75 or free with an entrée).
The evening’s entrees are braised short ribs in pasilla chile pozole ($12) – tantalizing beef short ribs, braised with caramelized onions, carrots, celery and garlic simmered in a savory passila chile puree and hominy; stuffed chicken breast with chorizo ($14) – chicken breast stuffed with delicious Spanish chorizo, Black Forest ham, Monterey Jack cheese and zesty piquillo peppers then breaded with panko bread crumbs and served with a side of mole sauce; or the Veracruz-style tilapia ($10) – flaky tilapia baked in individual dishes with a festive mixture of sautéed onions, tomatoes, jalapenos, green olives and capers.
Each entrée is served with a choice of two side dishes. Choose from cilantro rice, black beans, Brussels sprouts supreme or sautéed zucchini and yellow squash. Additional side dishes are $1.50 each.
For dessert, diners can choose either the tres leches (three-milk) cake ($4) or the choco flan ($4).
Reservations are required by calling 254-526-1515 by 10 a.m. Friday morning.
The Patio Café is run by students in the culinary/hospitality program. The students select the menu items, prepare the menu and serve the meals. Through the program, students can earn an associate in applied science degree – hospitality management with four areas of specialization. These are restaurant and culinary management, food service management, food and beverage management and hotel management. The dual credit program offers high school students the opportunity to earn college credit while still in high school. To learn more about the program, visit www.ctcd.edu online.
