Courses At Muskegon

I often times forget that courses exists, but I'm truly glad it does. I've been here multiple times now and the experience has been consistently good. It's inside of the culinary institute and is more or less a classroom experience but I wouldn't let that discourage you as the students do an incredible job. I'm always impressed with the service, the generous portions, and the quality of the food. It's a really great way to have some finer dining at a reasonable price. Speaking of the food the menu changes fairly regularly based on the term, so you'll want to check the latest on the site before you go. It's all over the place, but always good. My favorite thing to order here is the coffee! They bring a full French Press, a few biscotti, and some truffles out as part of it all for $3! Give it a try!

Courses Restaurant is an integral part of The Culinary Institute of Michigan a student run public restaurant that not only provides practical experience by introducing our students to a restaurant environment, but also enables the community to enjoy a variety of foods freshly prepared and served by our students. I stole the above quote from the website but I thought it described the restaurant perfectly! We went as a party of four for lunch. We all tried different plates and enjoyed them immensely. I had the spring chicken salad with a strawberry vinagrette, my husband had the steak which was prepared exactly as requested (medium rare), we also ordered the eggplant canneloni and a wedge salad. We also tried the ahi tuna appetizer and a flight of wines. We didn 't order dessert but tried the French press coffee sampler. It all came to about $50 'ish and tipping is optional since the place is run by students. If in Muskegon, I highly recommend dining at Courses.

Reservation only. Good menu, excellent servers. Everyone working here are culinary students, so no tipping required. Really, it took forever to get our food! 1 hour and we were finally served our main course, and we were one of only four small parties in the restaurant. Ordered med-well, got med-rare. Great desserts. Very small no-name, bad tasting beer selection. Overall it was very expensive $145 for 3 w/dessert) and very slow for as many chefs they have in back. Been here 3 times, but not by my choice 2 of those times...

When you go with the understanding that this is a culinary school, you 'll forgive small stuff--these are students. The consistency in the meal prep varies by who is in the kitchen. Spousal unit and I went for an anniversary dinner--I had hoped to try the rabbit and he, the sea scallops...instead, we were presented with a prix fixe and decided to go with that. Bread: soft, warm--a queso dill roll and queso herb roll. Tasty. Course #1: Lamb chops, jimaca slaw. The chops were well prepared, tender. The slaw was ok. Didn 't really do much for flavor...more jimaca than apple. Course #2: pan-fried trout over quinoa salad--this, by far, was my favorite course. It was flavorful (fresh mint added a great layer) and the fish was prepared just right. Course #3: 5 oz. filet over yukon mash and a demi-glace. Filet was well prepared, yukon mash was ok. Demi-glace was WAY too salty. I scraped that off and everything was golden. Dessert: spousal unit got the Earl Grey creme brulee--they really brought the flavor of the Earl Grey out in the custard. the sugar crust was crispy. I got the mango Charlotte. It was flavorful, but there was some odd grainy bit around the edges of my serving...I rated merely 'ok ' Two non-alcoholic highballs--first made WAY too sweet, adjusted with club soda and they were ok. Meal for 2--around $50. 3 courses, plus dessert...decent food. We will be back.

I love the learning concept behind Courses, and their pricing makes it easy to make allowances for the occasional shortcomings. The dining room is upscale without being stuffy and offers gorgeous views of Hackley Park. It 's a quiet place for business conversation or a night out. Service tends to vary quite a bit and is sometimes awkward since they are in training. Still, everyone has been friendly and accommodating. As a plus, the fact that the servers aren 't as polished (read snooty as some high-end establishments actually makes the dining experience more relaxed and enjoyable. In my experience, the food has always been excellent. Appetizers, soups, salads, main courses, and desserts are all high quality. Be adventurous. You 'll be well rewarded. I have two suggestions for improvement. First, for some reason, the bread is usually tough and served cold. They create some interesting varieties, but they really need better quality control in the bakery. Second, the silverware has round handles and is uncomfortable to hold; it 's a small thing, but distracts from the experience. It may be worth noting that the menu changes quarterly, and things seem to improve as the quarter progresses. If you 're particular, don 't go during the first two weeks of their academic quarter. Also, check their website for hours; they close a few days during school breaks and between quarters. Overall, Courses gets an A- from me. Lunch or dinner, it 's a great spot.