Praising Public School 310 – Culver City

Just because they call themselves public school and have a host of communal tables where you get to sit next to the cool kids…or the kids who got there first doesn’t mean they should be believed. I’ve been to public school and private, and I dare say even the preppiest of the prep schools can’t make food this good.

On your first day of school, (way back when), you never knew what to expect. Every cafeteria promises to be equally terrible, but there’s usually some sort of variation in what kinds of terrible things they buy in bulk. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could have ordered a Cutting Board back then? Then you could have tried a sampling of your school’s meats and cheeses so you’d know what to expect for the rest of the year. The thing is, if you try any of the heavenly ham n’ cheese on this crazy cutting board, you’ll never touch your bologna again.

While we’re on the subject of samplers, why not taste the grown-up version of chips and dip? The Mezze Plate’s pita points are more filling than greasy Lays, and when dipped in hummus, baba ganoush, tapenade, or marinated feta, they’re almost better than my favorite apples and caramel. The hummus is smooth, the bab ganoush is smoky, the tapenade is salty and savory, and the feta is crumbly but firm. Pop some crispy chickpeas between bites to give your palate a break. Like your favorite can of Pringles, once you pop a couple, you really can’t stop.

What public school cafeteria doesn’t serve fish sticks at least once a week? I made that fishy, soggy breaded mistake way more than once. But I made no mistake about the Salmon “Pastrami” Carpaccio. There’s nothing fishy about the soft slices of cured salmon that slides straight down.

The Cauliflower Gratin is the one thing that almost looks like something you’d get on the side of your lunch tray, usually in the vegetable section. But this little casserole of grainy-gratin-y cheesiness is so sweet and smooth you can almost forget you’re eating your vegetables.

Nothing that came on a public school plate was going to make me eat my vegetables growing up, but if I had gone to Public School 310, maybe things would have been different. Seriously, I never thought I’d find positive things to say about a public school cafeteria, but for food this good, I might have almost enjoyed sitting through an entire morning of classes.