Student-run lunch spot delights with culinary expertise and friendly atmosphere

by Alice Robinson

Restaurants are all about food. Curating ingredients, preparing dishes with skill, delighting the senses.

Restaurants are usually not about people.

Then why do I feel, as I leave the Laney Bistro, that the people stand out as much as the food? That the third and fourth-semester culinary students make my 90 minutes in the small space more comfortable and extra delicious?

People like Robin Love, our student server, and fellow student Rebecca Hoover, as well as Chantal Martin, a culinary instructor.

Love is fast and attentive. As she hands me my rosemary water she also makes me aware of the invisible flavor.

“You don’t have any rosemary leaves in yours,” she says, “but there’s rosemary [in it].”

Hoover also helps deliver part of our meal in an attentive manner. Within seconds of handing me “The Meatball” sandwich, she reappears with a heavy-duty knife for cutting it.

My sandwich, with a scaffolding of ultra-fresh ciabatta bread, is huge! The portion can easily be made into a second meal later. Generously doled out meatballs are properly moist and bathed in basil marinara. Perfectly cooked fries are placed next to the sandwich in a dainty wax paper bag.

Martin, the instructor, greets Tower Editor-in-Chief Michelle Snider and me as we dine on bread pudding, and gushes enthusiasm for the Bistro and other specialized career programs at Laney.

“This is going to be the future,” she says in a low voice, a reference to students behind the scenes cooking the meals. This leaves me feeling jazzed about Laney College and the many opportunities it presents the community.

The menu is a new world. Many ingredients are lost on me. Merguez sausage (lamb and beef from North Africa), roasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds), housemade Harissa (a chili pepper paste with added spices) are all available, but maybe that’s why I chose a sandwich for my main course. I was not ready for an exotic entrée.

Snider orders the Shrimp-Lobster Sausage & Grits. I cordon off a piece of the “sausage” made of shrimp and lobster. The staff has cooked and seasoned the seafood well. It’s tender and juicy, while the grits are creamy and smooth, causing me to ponder the strange but delightful juxtaposition of these foods that originated in the American South.

At the Bistro, the customers contribute to the ambience. Today, about 20 others share the restaurant with us. They are forging bonds, disconnecting from their phones and actually sitting down to have a meal. It’s groundbreaking.

The décor rates only medium marks. However, it’s important to note that the culinary program must conform to Laney’s slim budget. Big windows are appealing, but the scrunched area used for seating, and the utilitarian tables and chairs, remind me that I’m still in an educational setting.

The Bistro doesn’t overcharge; main dish pricing is less than Bay Area restaurants with comparable menus. My meatball sandwich is $10, and the shrimp-lobster sausage with grits is $12. We also sample three desserts, including a light and addictive mocha cheesecake.

April Bankhead, the front-of-house instructor at the Bistro, sweetly thanks a group of men who are leaving, one of whom grins broadly.

Maybe he’s just experienced the Bistro brand, as I did: a warm staff and attention to detail.

For box: The Laney Bistro is located on the lower level of the E Building, across from the Laney Garden area. The kitchen is closed during finals week. Tentative hours next semester are: Mon-Fri 11:45–1 p.m.