At Contra Costa College, students do not have many choices when they get hungry, but the culinary arts department’s Three Seasons Restaurant is their go-to on campus spot.

The Three Seasons is a formal dining room that is run by the culinary arts students where they serve customers solid gourmet cuisine.

The restaurant is open to everyone Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 11:15 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. in AA-239.

When walking into the eatery, the student servers greet customers. Some of the food can be seen on display to give patrons an idea of what is on the menu for the day. Customers who want to eat in the dining room will have to wait to be seated by one of the student hosts.

As soon as the guests are seated at their table, they are welcomed with a glass of water in what can only be described as a banquet goblet poured by one of the servers.

Like any restaurant, a waiter takes their order, and minutes later a server comes with the food. During the meal, servers refill water goblets and perform other requests.

When it comes to the food consumed in the dining room, it is consistently good. The price range is from $6-$8, and the majority of the food is creative. Last week the menu had okra shrimp and grits that melted in the mouth, and the sweet and sour chicken breast with jasmine rice was just as delicious.

The food at the Express Café, a section in the corner of the restaurant that acts as a cafe, is hit or miss — meaning the food can be good or decent depending on which student chef is at the grill.

Even though the food can be inconsistent, no one can be upset over a solid cheeseburger and fries priced at $3. Sometimes the fries are the perfect crispy golden brown, but occasionally they are soggy. The prince range at the Express Café is $1.75-$3.

The Express Café also serves espresso drinks such as lattes, cappuccinos or hot and iced coffee. Ordering at the café is quick and simple.

The cashier greets the customers, and they take the order. The cashier requires a name through the transaction, but the fun part is giving them a fake name.

The menu changes every two weeks at the Express Café and the Three Seasons.

This restaurant gets the culinary students at CCC ready for the real world. The kitchen gets busy and sometimes it gets intense for the culinary students.

The area in the restaurant gives a view of what the students are doing in the kitchen, and a top mirror allows patrons to see how the students are preparing the food.

There are even three flat screen plasma TV in the dining area, and one of them shows what is happening inside the kitchen area.

So if you are feeling hungry and sick of Subway, come get some real food at the Three Seasons Restaurant.