BLOOM AT CONESTOGA COLLEGE 108 UNIVERSITY AVE. E., WATERLOO 519-885-0501 WWW.BLOOMATCONESTOGA.CA

Hours

Fall menu to December 16: Tuesday and Wednesday dinner service only beginning 5:45 p.m.; Thursday and Friday lunch service only beginning 11:45 a.m.; closed Saturday to Monday; check website for updates.

Wheelchair accessibility

Yes: institutional washrooms are down the main corridor of the college.

Atmosphere

The linen-covered tables are well-spaced allowing for easy conversation. The windowless room is a fairly plain box with a bar at one end, and the restaurant has virtually no street presence and is accessed from the College parking lot off Marsland Avenue.

Cuisine

Classic, with certain styles of each dish changing during the course of the term

Drinks

A small, thoughtful selection of wines by the glass or bottle with very low markup; local and other beer and cocktails also available

Service

The service is good but can also be tentative. Some of the student servers may have little experience and might be coached tableside by a college professor demonstrating, for example, how to present and pour wine.

The bill

$78.05 (including tax but not tip) for a three-course dinner for two, with two 9 ounces glasses of wine and a cappuccino (the three-course dinner runs $20 a head while a two- and three-course luncheon are $12 and $15 respectively)

In a nutshell

This hidden gem deserves to be far better known. It features well-presented, upscale, yet inexpensive food and service.