“The newest addition to the University of Washington’s network of dining facilities

October 29, 2012 12:00 am
Cultivate, 1218 NE Campus Parkway, 685-3622, hfs.washington.edu/cultivate
Cultivate, 1218 NE Campus Parkway, 685-3622, hfs.washington.edu/cultivate

“The newest addition to the University of Washington’s network of dining facilities was designed for students who don’t want to fuss with takeout boxes and trays. Alone among the school’s sponsored eating alternativesaE”which include a gourmet burger joint, a food-truck pod, espresso bars, and Pagliacci PizzaaE”Cultivate offers table service. While the menu’s rougher edges slightly overlap with the offerings at humbler campus eateries, students have to come to Cultivate if they want a uniformed server to deliver their bacon cheeseburger and Mr. Pibb.”Read the rest of Hanna Raskin’s review here.Photos by Joshua Huston.Published on October 10, 2012

Pork porterhouse

Pork porterhouse

The mac-and-cheese is plated in a fashionable oval cast-iron dish, its floppy orecchiette noodles sunk in a mild well of cheddar, gruyere, jack and Velveeta cheeses. Selecting from a list of nine add-ins, students can transform the mac into an entree worthy of its sophisticated surroundings, gussying it up with feta or goat cheese. Or they might request bacon and blue cheese for a $9 approximation of the $15 truffle and duck ham mac-and-cheese served in The Coterie Room's cast-iron pots.

The mac-and-cheese is plated in a fashionable oval cast-iron dish, its floppy orecchiette noodles sunk in a mild well of cheddar, gruyere, jack and Velveeta cheeses. Selecting from a list of nine add-ins, students can transform the mac into an entree worthy of its sophisticated surroundings, gussying it up with feta or goat cheese. Or they might request bacon and blue cheese for a $9 approximation of the $15 truffle and duck ham mac-and-cheese served in The Coterie Room’s cast-iron pots.

The crowds at Cultivate have forced a few concessions. At an astounding daily rate of 450 covers, Belknap doesn't try to hand-cut fries or hand-bread chicken. But the burgers are hand-pressed, and the tots are formed in-house with lots of garlic.

The crowds at Cultivate have forced a few concessions. At an astounding daily rate of 450 covers, Belknap doesn’t try to hand-cut fries or hand-bread chicken. But the burgers are hand-pressed, and the tots are formed in-house with lots of garlic.

Burger with house fries

Burger with house fries

The mac-and-cheese is plated in a fashionable oval cast-iron dish, its floppy orecchiette noodles sunk in a mild well of cheddar, gruyere, jack and Velveeta cheeses.

The mac-and-cheese is plated in a fashionable oval cast-iron dish, its floppy orecchiette noodles sunk in a mild well of cheddar, gruyere, jack and Velveeta cheeses.

Belknap says her servers are fielding plenty of questions about ingredients from students, some of whom have just moved here from hometowns where the fanciest restaurants serve spaghetti and meatballs. Poutine, she says, is a puzzler. Still, she adds, aEœThey're willing to try stuff.aE

Belknap says her servers are fielding plenty of questions about ingredients from students, some of whom have just moved here from hometowns where the fanciest restaurants serve spaghetti and meatballs. Poutine, she says, is a puzzler. Still, she adds, aEœThey’re willing to try stuff.aE

aEœWe wanted students to have a unique option and not have to go downtown to get it,aE explains head chef Amy Belknap, who spent the last five years in the school's catering department. aEœWe're trying to feature things they don't even know are out there, and push their comfort level past chicken fingers and pizza.aE

aEœWe wanted students to have a unique option and not have to go downtown to get it,aE explains head chef Amy Belknap, who spent the last five years in the school’s catering department. aEœWe’re trying to feature things they don’t even know are out there, and push their comfort level past chicken fingers and pizza.aE

The concept of coursing and sharing is equally new to the servers, who have an unfortunate tendency to bring every dish at once. When I ate at Cultivate, the table was so crowded that a Caesar salad ended up perched on its edge, and landed on the floor when I put a fork to it. (Never hurts to take in a physics lesson while visiting a university.) But Belknap suspects her crew of first-time servers will soon master their roles, even though the ban on state employees accepting tips eliminates any financial incentive. aEœThey're really into providing service to their community,aE she says. aEœThey're not jaded pros.aE

The concept of coursing and sharing is equally new to the servers, who have an unfortunate tendency to bring every dish at once. When I ate at Cultivate, the table was so crowded that a Caesar salad ended up perched on its edge, and landed on the floor when I put a fork to it. (Never hurts to take in a physics lesson while visiting a university.) But Belknap suspects her crew of first-time servers will soon master their roles, even though the ban on state employees accepting tips eliminates any financial incentive. aEœThey’re really into providing service to their community,aE she says. aEœThey’re not jaded pros.aE

By contrast, the kitchen staff includes veterans of other campus dining facilities where the cocktail sauce and salad dressings aren't made from scratch. aEœIt's kind of been a journey for my staff,aE Belknap says. aEœMany of them were picked up from where they were serving the masses and taking advantage of shortcuts. Sometimes they still groan about it, because they know the products are out there.aE

By contrast, the kitchen staff includes veterans of other campus dining facilities where the cocktail sauce and salad dressings aren’t made from scratch. aEœIt’s kind of been a journey for my staff,aE Belknap says. aEœMany of them were picked up from where they were serving the masses and taking advantage of shortcuts. Sometimes they still groan about it, because they know the products are out there.aE

The local establishment which Cultivate most closely resembles in appearance is Skillet Diner. As at the Capitol Hill restaurant, the gray-walled and generously-windowed dining room is configured around an ell-shaped counter, with partially-bald light bulbs hung above each place setting. Cultivate has a similarly industrial aesthetic, with columns and an exposed floor.

The local establishment which Cultivate most closely resembles in appearance is Skillet Diner. As at the Capitol Hill restaurant, the gray-walled and generously-windowed dining room is configured around an ell-shaped counter, with partially-bald light bulbs hung above each place setting. Cultivate has a similarly industrial aesthetic, with columns and an exposed floor.