Downtown by Chef Jay Pisculli is hands down one of the Pipe Dream staff’s favorite restaurants. That’s why, as I near the end of my time in the Arts & Culture section, I knew I had to take advantage of having first dibs and finish off the semester at this beloved 20 Hawley St. establishment.

While Katelyn, my photographer, and I both had the opportunity to try out its fall Restaurant Week offerings in the past, we hadn’t yet visited Downtown in the spring. The menu consisted of dishes with seasonal produce like asparagus, spinach and leeks — offering a high-end, refreshing three-course dinner for the price of $35.

After a day of work and classes, Katelyn and I were overjoyed to finally walk into the establishment and enjoy what we knew would be a quality meal. After introducing ourselves, our friendly server, Shannon, brought us to a table by the window and let us peruse the menu.

Because we both knew the menu by heart by this point, however, we took the opportunity to appreciate the restaurant’s atmosphere, which blends industrial architecture with bright green foliage all throughout. Warm light bulbs hang from the ceiling, giving the space a cozier feel.

For appetizers, Katelyn chose the Sicilian tuna crudo, while I opted for cauliflower, potato and leek soup. Katelyn’s yellowfin tuna was topped with pickled orange, toasted pistachio, calabrian chillies, basil olive oil and sea salt. She noted that the pistachio and salt on top gave a nice crunch that contrasted the smooth fish. My soup was delicious and creamy, with roasted garlic and thyme providing extra hints of flavor.

Chef Jay Pisculli was nice enough to bring us a third appetizer — asparagus and burrata. It’s safe to say that this dish felt the most like spring. Each bite was refreshing, with the cool mozzarella stuffed with fresh cream coating the asparagus.

Choosing the entree proved to be a difficult task, as Downtown offers seven main courses with their own unique flavors, including Thai red curry, NY strip steak and chicken scarpariello. In the end, Katelyn ordered the pork katsu, and I chose the garlic herb gnocchi. The katsu included a fried pork cutlet, smashed cucumber salad, radish, katsu sauce, miso aioli and furikake. Katelyn said that the cutlet had a deliciously crispy exterior without the batter being overly thick, and the cucumbers were well-marinated.

Personally, the garlic herb gnocchi was the highlight of my visit. The gnocchi, which had an asiago cheese filling, was coated with boursin cheese and topped with baby spinach and crispy leeks. I had been thinking about this gnocchi for the entire day, and it’s safe to say that the dish lived up to my high expectations. The greens on top provided a crunch to the potato dumplings, with the cheese sauce cementing it as a comfort meal. Because of the ample serving and overall richness, I even had leftovers to bring home.

As the evening progressed, the atmosphere grew livelier as more customers arrived to try the restaurant’s special menu. Coming to the end of our own dining experience, we knew what dessert had in store for us. Now, if anyone has read any other Restaurant Week article featuring Downtown, there’s a high chance that my name is mentioned somewhere around the dessert section. My love for cronuts is well-documented by my Arts & Culture peers, so it’s no surprise that I opted for chocolate pastries this time around. Katelyn decided to try the blueberry lemon drop cronuts, which Shannon said were unique to the spring menu.

The fluffy and warmed cronuts had a similar flaky exterior with sugar on top. Mine had a rich and gooey chocolate filling, while Katelyn’s had sweet blueberry compote and lemon sugar. Both of us agreed that the cronuts made for a sweet end to our meal.

Downtown by Chef Jay Pisculli is a local favorite for a reason. That being said, its higher prices may make it difficult for college students to visit on a normal occasion, which is why I highly recommend taking advantage of Restaurant Week’s lower prices. With its high-end dining experience, attentive staff and consistently delicious food, taking a trip to Downtown is a must if you want to truly experience what Binghamton’s dining scene has to offer.