Dragon Fire at HCC

Did you know that there is a restaurant on the campus of Howard County Community College?  The culinary school and hospitality program runs a fine dining lunch time. The food is splendid, and a lunch there is a real treat. Reservations are required, and the dining room is only open for lunch on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Reservations are made at the following link, along with menus and feedback. 

https://www.howardcc.edu/programs-courses/academics/academic-divisions/business-computer-systems/ctr-hospitality-culinary-studies/dragons-fire/

There are three courses to the lunch: an app, main, and dessert. Choose any of the three, but choose wisely! Kidding, everything was fabulous. 

I started with the calabaza squash ravioli, served with fresh sage and pancetta. The portion size was enormous for one person, and after being in California diet culture, I felt that this could easily have been a main. 

My companion had the grilled grapes with ricotta, focaccia, prosciutto, and ricotta. Again, this was huge for one person, and everything was prepared to perfection. 

We both got the bronzini grilled fish finished with butter, garlic, olives, and sun-dried tomatoes. Served on a bed of polenta, this was incredibly filling for such a light dish. The use of olives was wonderful, but I do think it should be mentioned on the menu, since olives are often polarizing. 

Dessert was a pistachio panna cotta with pistachio biscotti and fig compote. I love panna cotta, but I found this one far too sweet. It was amazing, but would have been better shared, since I enjoy usually a couple of bites of super sweet desserts only.