Bites Nearby: Technique Restaurant at Le Cordon Bleu

If the fusion of food and learning whets your appetite than Technique Restaurant at in Tucker should rank high on your must-visit list.

In this kitchen education is the key as culinary students of Le Cordon Bleu learn the inner workings of the restaurant business. They spend six weeks in Technique; their time there is split between working in the kitchen and learning how to be a server. Following their time at Technique students begin a 12-week externship after which they become a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu.

In the kitchen students are guided by Chef Hayes who creates the dining menu while Katherine Taylor, who has worked at Le Cordon Bleu for five years and originally hails from France, works in the dining room to guide students on being attentive servers.

Every diner at Technique receives a 30-second spiel on the idea behind the restaurant. Diners are encouraged to be patient and to understand that learning is the primary objective of this eating experience. Many of the restaurant-goers are parents of the culinary students or regulars who have been endeared to the restaurant through great service.

Technique is open Tuesday - Friday with one hour and a half for lunch and dinner service. These limited days and times reflect the classroom nature of the restaurant. Interested diners are strongly encouraged to make reservations in advance through Open Table available on the Le Cordon Bleu website. Reservations and overall dining capacity are kept relatively small (during our dinner there were 25-28 people eating) so that students are not overwhelmed by high customer volume.

Lunch includes three courses for $10 while dinner includes five course for $12. Menus are pre-determined and diners are given several selections to choose from for each course.

The evening begins with a first course - amuse bouche de jour. Second course options range from small bites of shrimp on a crunchy bread bite to several soup options. The highlight of the evening was the soup, a Thai curry/coconut concoction with shrimp, carrots and spinach.

Entrees are served for the third course and included roasted chicken with a vegetable medley as well as Iron Steak served with greens and mashed potatoes. (I originally had my heart set on Sauteed Salmon, but was informed by our served that the chef had removed it from the night's menu because the fish was not up to standard.)

The fourth course hosted an assortment of dessert options. Note-worthy among them were a beautiful chocolate fondant drizzled with a creamy chocolate sauce, and a crispy yet sweet apple tart topped with ice cream. The meal was concluded with a small fifth course titled a mignardise, a floating island marshmallow surrounded by a sweet creamy sauce.

The food was well prepared, tasty and the service provided on behalf of the culinary students was excellent. John McMillan, our server, was personable, attentive and excited to share information about his studies at Le Cordon Bleu.

"This is our last week in the kitchen and I'm very excited about going on to my externiship and then graduation," said McMillan. He has received both an externship and a job offer with 103 West, a private venue owned by the well-known Buckhead Life Restaurant Group.

Opportunities such as these are common for those attending Le Cordon Bleu. Students have completed externships at a host of dining locales including parts of Europe and at Disney World. Along with their experiences it is their sense of accomplishment that Katherine Taylor finds the most rewarding.

"I love what I do because these students really get to experience the restaurant world," said Taylor. "For most people becoming a server is all about the money. Here the students can learn and after two weeks they have so much confidence as if they have been working in a nice restaurant their whole lives."

Technique at Le Cordon Bleu is located at 1927 Lakeside Parkway in Tucker and is open Tues. - Fri for lunch and dinner. Lunch is served from 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Dinner is served from 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. A three course lunch is $10 and a five course dinner is $12; wine and beer are available. Reservations are strongly encouraged.