Casola Dining Room

This is a review from a visit in March of 2020, days before the Covid lockdowns went into place. This place deserves more than five stars and all it takes is one visit to see why it's nearly impossible to score a reservation. This entire experience, from start to finish is deserving of praise. Some of the nicest servers we've ever encountered and the food could be served at higher end restaurants in the Capital District and you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Come here for a change of pace from your typical restaurant, with the menu changing each week, you won't want to dine anywhere else.

My husband and I had a classical French dinner last night and it was terrific. It's a lovely formal dining room with coat check. Tables were set accordingly. The staff are all students and our server, Brenda S., did a wonderful job. The menu is abbreviated but we had nice choices. The appetizer we chose was a shrimp bisque. It was perfection, with an abundance of shrimp in it. The entree we chose was a salmon Florentine. It was poached, topped with Mornay sauce, over sauteed spinach with some small potatoes. It was excellent as well. Dessert was an apple tart which was very good. This meal was a bargain for the price. I can't wait to do it again. PS, in reference to the Open Table reservation app, this was a little frustrating but keep trying. Its probably jammed up right at 8am..it took me a few tries to get the reservation.

If you can get a reservation go here. It is awesome. Very hard to get in though. Go to website to get instructions on how to make reservations. Seasonal. Fall and spring only. Lunch at 12 and 1230 only and dinner at 7 730 only. Not every day. Go to website. Cheap top notch food. No booze but you can bring your own wine. Corking fee. Dinners are under $25 each which includes tax and tip!!!

This is a student thing, but that being said, it is a wonderful experience in any context. It will take some effort getting reservations and finding the place, but it is a gem. The students all take this very seriously and as wait staff and as cooks, you could not ask for a better experience. Top notch.

The price is a bargain. Keep in mind that the servers are students who are learning and the kitchen is also staffed by students. That said, the food tends to be great. Dessert is hit or miss.