It’s one of the best-kept secrets in town. Starting in January, the Art Institute of California at San Diego will open its “dining lab” in Mission Valley to the public on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for three-course dinners that are served and prepared by the students.

Known as The Palette, the “lab” features all the trappings of a fine commercial eatery, although “it can’t be called a restaurant,” says Mark J. Sullivan, the institute’s academic director of culinary arts. “It’s because of tax purposes and we don’t want to appear in competition with the professional restaurant community.”

Yet visitors will likely remain oblivious to such technicalities as they order from a la carte menus, enjoy full wait service and receive their bills at the end of the meals. “It doesn’t look like a classroom, but rather a very stylish restaurant,” Sullivan adds while pointing out The Palette’s double-entendre name.

With a 50-seat capacity, the dining room opened its doors in conjunction with the first quarterly class earlier this year. “There was no public access prior to that point,” he notes. “When people come in to dine, they are in essence involving themselves with the students and class as an integral part of the academic goal, which is restaurant operations.”

And for anyone assuming they’ll be eating Swiss Steak and shrimp cocktails at the facility, Sullivan says visitors are in for a big surprise. “Our menus represent the most current culinary offerings within the industry, whether it be classical presentations or world fusion.”

In past months, before the current school break, the lab was open for lunch. The menu featured a vegan selection along with courses such as pan-seared sea bass, petite filet mignon, jerk-spiced King salmon and Dungeness crab cakes. “Whatever is out there, we’re doing it.” Dinners, however, can run between $15 and $30, depending on the course items visitors choose. And no alcohol is served.

Sullivan stresses that the institute is a fully accredited college, and not a “cooking school.” Students enroll in either a seven-quarter program to obtain an associate of science and culinary arts degree, or a 12-quarter program to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in culinary management. Each quarter runs for 11 weeks.

Diners coming to The Palette, he adds, experience the final practical application of students completing their associate’s program. “The overall point of the course is for students to learn about restaurant operations in real world time. It’s kind of like an in-house externship program – a curriculum with a very large dose of reality attached to it.” As for the customers’ experience, “It’s beyond fabulous,” he concludes.

The Palette and Art Institute are located at 7650 Mission Valley Rd. Seatings will be held from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, starting Jan. 12, and continuing through March 16. Reservations are recommended by calling (858) 598-1450.