JNA Institute of Culinary Arts

At this South Philadelphia culinary school, students serve up $25 fixed-price dinners, mixing energetic wins with a some still-learning fumbles.

The most important thing to remember about the JNA Institute of Culinary Arts Restaurant — and culinary school restaurants in general — is that the waitstaff and chefs are students, serving you as part of a class. This affects several aspects of the experience at JNA. First of all, the hours: The restaurant is only open Tuesday through Friday, with the last seating each night at 8 p.m., and is also closed during school breaks. In general, it's best to make a reservation through Open Table or call ahead at 215-468-8800.

The educational aspect also means a lot of change — both throughout the year and from night-to-night. JNA changes its restaurant menu quarterly, tackling a different cuisine each time with an entirely new crop of students. And what students are performing what jobs can also change more frequently throughout the quarter. I'm not telling you to take my review of JNA's food with a grain of salt (you probably don't need it; I found the food to be well seasoned. Hey-o!), but know that when you dine there, you're accepting that there's going to be a wider amount of variation from night-to-night than at a regular restaurant.

The JNA Institute of Culinary Arts' interior is quirky — it made me feel a little like I was standing in the kitchen-decoration aisle at TJ Maxx, where figurines of pot-bellied chefs, plastic grapes and fake vines are all crowded together. I also found it charming, however, especially since the tables were comfortably spaced out and the noise level was low — not too quiet to feel like everyone was listening to my friend and I talk, but not so loud that we had to raise our volume above normal levels.

Over the course of the evening, we were served by three people — one endearingly nervous student, one reserved student who poured our wine and an outgoing and welcoming teacher who presided over the evening. While very different in demeanor, all three were friendly and prompt.

I visited the restaurant in the winter when they were serving a four-course French menu. I started with the soup du jour, a winter vegetable puree with pumpkin and red pepper. The soup was good but not memorable, with the pleasure of a bright red-pepper taste offset by a couple of errant spice pods that weren't filtered out of the puree. My dining companion began with the onion soup, a fairly standard version of the dish topped with Gruyère.

For my entree I ordered the scallops, served with a cauliflower puree, bacon lardons and crisp garlic. This was one of my favorite dishes of the evening — the scallops were tender with just a hint of lemon, and the lardons, cauliflower and garlic provided a nice contrast in both taste and texture. My friend, meanwhile, had the steak frites. The steak elicited shrugs from both of us; it was cooked adequately, with a strong pepper taste that I liked, but my friend found distracting. The fries, however, were excellent: medium-thick and crisp. We didn't sample it, but the menu did include one vegetarian entree, seitan served with wild rice.

Our entrees were followed by a mediocrely plated cheese-and-fruit course. Out of the three cheeses, the brie was creamy and flavorful, but the other two cheeses were unremarkable. And while our waitress did explain what cheeses we received, she neglected to mention which ones paired best with which accompaniments. I'm not sure if this was oversight on her part or pairing cheeses with specific items is not standard practice at JNA.

Where the cheese plate failed to wow, however, dessert succeed. My companion's rich and tiny pot au creme was served with a wafer-thin cookie spoon, a great end to a meal for someone who wants just a taste of sweet. I, meanwhile, ordered the poached pear dipped in chocolate and almonds. Served with a small scoop of spice ice cream in a little wafer bowl, the pear was tender and bright — one of the best combinations of preparation and presentation of the evening.

The JNA Institute of Culinary Arts also serves a limited wine selection that changes with each quarter. When we visited, the list consisted of three reds and three whites, and one of each was available by the glass. Diners are also allowed to BYOB with no corkage fee.

The Bottom Line

This is not the place to take your new in-laws to impress them with your Philadelphia restaurant savvy. But it is a great place to get a full, inexpensive and occasionally adventurous meal with a good friend and help shape an upcoming crop of chefs in the process.