tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64627463302175835872024-03-19T00:57:35.992-04:00Ithaca DigestSam Serling-Suttonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13014677779764735178noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462746330217583587.post-85902461121230433892010-08-17T17:04:00.001-04:002010-08-17T17:05:35.581-04:00Upcoming Post!Well, we're finally talking again so we decided we might go out to dinner....Sam Serling-Suttonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13014677779764735178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462746330217583587.post-5775311161059146312010-01-05T12:06:00.019-05:002010-01-14T16:27:04.271-05:00Joe's Restaurant<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SncQ5k_FsAI/AAAAAAAAALE/n5wDQkyNd7E/s1600-h/DSC_0017.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SncQ5k_FsAI/AAAAAAAAALE/n5wDQkyNd7E/s400/DSC_0017.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365776062402113538" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Disclaimer: We ate here over the summer of 2009. Due to the length of time between dining and the write up some details may be fuzzy.</span> </div><br />Sam: Those of you unfamiliar with the Ithaca area may be unaware of Joe's history. In fact, i'm not really sure what happened with the place, what i think I know goes as follows. Joe's has been around since the early fifties (possibly the fourties but we're unsure) and until sometime in the nineties it was doing pretty well, or so it seemed, because it closed down either in the early 00's or the late 90's. While the two owners went on to peruse other things one of the managers went on to open The Boat Yard Grill. For years Joe's sat empty until it was reopened a few years ago (i've gotta apologize for the spottiness of this history but it serves its purpose).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/S0zBzJsFrPI/AAAAAAAAAP0/zZXJY-Ko4KE/s1600-h/Picture+1.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/S0zBzJsFrPI/AAAAAAAAAP0/zZXJY-Ko4KE/s320/Picture+1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425924735592934642" border="0" /></a>(Entrance and bar area)<br /></div><br />Now before Joe's closed my family and I really enjoyed it. It was a fine place to get pretty good Italian food without the horribly depressing decor of a place like Lucatelli's and I remember loving the bread sticks. So when they reopened we (my family and I, not Tommy) were pretty excited. Eating there was, unfortunately, a much different experience than it had once been. The food wasn't as good, the service was slower and the bread sticks were unforgivably different. Joe's had become a bit of a joke to us. When trying to think of where to eat, Joe's no longer occurred to us.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/S0zCA8yoKMI/AAAAAAAAAP8/B0QG6M7JK8A/s1600-h/Picture+2.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/S0zCA8yoKMI/AAAAAAAAAP8/B0QG6M7JK8A/s320/Picture+2.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425924972648868034" border="0" /></a>(Room past the bar)<br /></div><br />So after jokingly threatening each other with the idea of eating here we finally did it. We dragged Annie along once more and drove down to what we were sure was going to be a less than stellar meal. When we got there we were ushered into the back of what is a pretty big restaurant. There is the bar, a sitting area straight through and then the back room. We were sat in the back where we were handed pretty hefty menus. Menus cluttered with old photos of the restaurant and long Italian names for what were pretty simple concoctions such as penne with red sauce and house salads.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/S007M13evDI/AAAAAAAAAQE/m06uXTwTvxU/s1600-h/Screen+shot+2010-01-12+at+10.16.38+PM.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/S007M13evDI/AAAAAAAAAQE/m06uXTwTvxU/s320/Screen+shot+2010-01-12+at+10.16.38+PM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426058217855564850" border="0" /></a>(What I feel comfortable calling the "main dining area")</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Tom: As we sat down and ordered drinks, Sam ordered his standard Shirley Temple. I don't know if he thought it was particularly good here as compared to other restaurants, but his eyes lit up when they brought it to the table like always. If memory serves me correctly, we could draw on the table as it was covered in paper, leading to many great hijinks.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/S0N28l73lGI/AAAAAAAAAO8/0yxNAsXjeVU/s1600-h/DSC_0020.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/S0N28l73lGI/AAAAAAAAAO8/0yxNAsXjeVU/s320/DSC_0020.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423309159631656034" border="0" /></a>(What i feel comfortable calling "Eisenbergs")<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We started off with some classic endless breadsticks and salad, like available at the Olive Garden (when you're there, you're family). I think we were all pretty satisfied with that arrangement, and happily got our munch on. I ordered some gnocchi dish, Sam got some kinda red penne, and Annie ordered another salad. I always find the best way to get a sense of a restaurant is to order multiple salads.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/S0TRjdo-UCI/AAAAAAAAAPE/VgpBmD9ON3c/s1600-h/DSC_0022.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/S0TRjdo-UCI/AAAAAAAAAPE/VgpBmD9ON3c/s320/DSC_0022.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423690258443030562" border="0" /></a>(One Shirley temple please)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">I would say the main courses were pleasing on the same level as the endless breadsticks and salad. It was all pretty much standard Italian fare, seemingly much improved from Joe's first re-opened (this is according to Sam, as this is the first time I had eaten at Joe's in years). The prices are a tad high but it's not like Ithaca is flush with great cheap Italian food, so it's not like they are high in comparison to other local places. Really, it's basically across the street from Zaza's which is much more expensive (and not my favorite place).</div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/S0TSFZme93I/AAAAAAAAAPM/z3hZ2SLgPRI/s1600-h/DSC_0023.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/S0TSFZme93I/AAAAAAAAAPM/z3hZ2SLgPRI/s320/DSC_0023.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423690841474398066" border="0" /></a>(Yup)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">My family and I were never huge fans of Joe's when it was first open, since it was constantly crowded and noisy with what we considered to not be the best food. I would say it's not as popular as it used to be, which actually works in its favor since there are less people and faster service now. That being said, if you didn't like the food at the old Joe's it's not like you'll have a great time here. Here are some tasty pix of our moderately tasty food:</div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/S0TSXmwurVI/AAAAAAAAAPU/nEuApnpjLFI/s1600-h/DSC_0024.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/S0TSXmwurVI/AAAAAAAAAPU/nEuApnpjLFI/s320/DSC_0024.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423691154244676946" border="0" /></a>(The classic complementary bread sticks and salad make a triumphant return)<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/S0TSozWvw2I/AAAAAAAAAPc/5aUzi8RKx1o/s1600-h/DSC_0025.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/S0TSozWvw2I/AAAAAAAAAPc/5aUzi8RKx1o/s320/DSC_0025.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423691449683133282" border="0" /></a>(Sam's Penne)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/S0TS6XYCEiI/AAAAAAAAAPk/Yn3EltPPOYg/s1600-h/DSC_0026.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/S0TS6XYCEiI/AAAAAAAAAPk/Yn3EltPPOYg/s320/DSC_0026.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423691751409979938" border="0" /></a>(Tom's )<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/S0TWdb3MzbI/AAAAAAAAAPs/SxypTDBf4VI/s1600-h/DSC_0028.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/S0TWdb3MzbI/AAAAAAAAAPs/SxypTDBf4VI/s320/DSC_0028.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423695652444753330" border="0" /></a>(Annie's post salad course salad course)<br /></div><br />A recurring theme of this blog is that basically every midscale local restaurant we go to has some pleasant surprises but is ultimately a somewhat middling experience. Joe's falls squarely into this category. If you really really need some pasta drenched in sauce, you will have no problem here. Stay tuned for the next post, it'll be a doozie.Sam Serling-Suttonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13014677779764735178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462746330217583587.post-19279003692138948022009-12-20T19:11:00.001-05:002009-12-20T19:11:23.290-05:00Hal's Deli<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SncQiHvpwjI/AAAAAAAAAK8/CU54id-YOEw/s1600-h/3152.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 304px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SncQiHvpwjI/AAAAAAAAAK8/CU54id-YOEw/s400/3152.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365775659415749170" border="0" /></a><br />Tom: My parents often talk about how my family would go to Hal's Deli a lot when we children were younger, but I had never been there since I could remember. Thus, I didn't really know what to think about going to Hal's Deli. It's always been there, I'd never really seen the inside, but I'd passed by it multiple days a week for many years. Frequent special guest Annie was there for this particular meal.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Sy66i9Mly_I/AAAAAAAAAOM/aL2LAKiQxUE/s1600-h/DSC_0015.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Sy66i9Mly_I/AAAAAAAAAOM/aL2LAKiQxUE/s320/DSC_0015.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417472511478975474" border="0" /></a>(The dining area which took Tommy's breath away)<br /></div><br />When we went in, what I thought would just be like a countertop and a few tables was actually a full-fledged restaurant, and we were immediately greeted by Hal's wife, the man himself having passed away some years ago. We were quickly shown to a small table, and the restaurant was decently full with people eating their modest meals. Hal's has a pretty nice menu for a deli, with extensive sandwich choices and salads and the like. I ended up ordering a hot turkey with gravy kinda deal, and some fries.<br /><br />It was pretty good! Getting turkey with gravy and fries cheaply can result in some pretty scary looking dishes, but Hal's pretty much solidly delivered. Service was pretty quick, and the prices were incredibly low for a sit-down restaurant.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Sy67pbak_mI/AAAAAAAAAOk/2bba6kdQkZQ/s1600-h/DSC_0010.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Sy67pbak_mI/AAAAAAAAAOk/2bba6kdQkZQ/s320/DSC_0010.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417473722181549666" border="0" /></a>(T's sandwich)<br /></div><br />Sam: My memory is a little fuzzy on this trip due to the fact that it took place at least three months ago but i'll try my best here people, i'll try my best. As Tommy mentioned above the prices were really low. Like, REALLY low you guys and that's usually not a bad feature. It could lead to some nervousness concerning the quality of the food but Hal's has been around for long enough that I wasn't too worried about being horribly poisoned.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Sy67N9fXSHI/AAAAAAAAAOc/UNcTzQLoAos/s1600-h/DSC_0009.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Sy67N9fXSHI/AAAAAAAAAOc/UNcTzQLoAos/s320/DSC_0009.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417473250292090994" border="0" /></a>(My club. Sam's club)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Sy67-LfCzJI/AAAAAAAAAOs/JqyNjeO5iQw/s1600-h/DSC_0012.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Sy67-LfCzJI/AAAAAAAAAOs/JqyNjeO5iQw/s320/DSC_0012.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417474078682565778" border="0" /></a>(Side o' fries)<br /><br /></div>Based on the photographs i've got from this trip it seems that I ordered some sort of turkey club. It also appears that my sandwich came with chips and I ordered an additional side of french fries (I am so cooky). Alright, the pictures also show that Annie ordered some soup maybe? And also a tuna melt. I apologize for the vagueness of this review but it was oh so long ago! I don't remember being upset at this meal, which happens a lot, so i think it's safe to say we enjoyed ourselves enough.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Sy67C2oEhkI/AAAAAAAAAOU/2cyFgsaXs8U/s1600-h/DSC_0008.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Sy67C2oEhkI/AAAAAAAAAOU/2cyFgsaXs8U/s320/DSC_0008.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417473059471001154" border="0" /></a>(Annie's soup)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Sy68MbbGIMI/AAAAAAAAAO0/btvILArceFg/s1600-h/DSC_0011.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Sy68MbbGIMI/AAAAAAAAAO0/btvILArceFg/s320/DSC_0011.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417474323479142594" border="0" /></a>(Annie's meal)<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />I think I can honestly say that i'd eat at Hal's again if the opportunity presented itself. It's pretty good food for cheap and I'm not one to turn that down. The real problem is the location: The commons. I ate goin' down there. It always seems like such a hassle to me and has been a point of contention between Tommy and myself in the past when we've tried picking out a place to eat. Luckily we don't have that problem anymore since the invention of the blog but I can still resent him for other things.<br /></div><br /></div>Sam Serling-Suttonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13014677779764735178noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462746330217583587.post-83683279212489745082009-12-19T21:51:00.004-05:002009-12-19T23:31:26.071-05:00WildfireJonah:<br />Due to a series of miscommunications, Sam is in Boston and Tommy and I are not. As such I will be replacing Sam on this review. When I asked Tommy where he wanted to go, he mentioned that there was "this new comfort food place where The Lost Dog used to be." The name of the place was Wildfire, and it had a sort of fancy-looking online menu that blended good old-fashioned home-style cooking with the fast-paced trendiness of a silicon valley cafe where everyone is wearing designer jeans and semi-formal collared shirts. We decided to check it out.<br /><br />When we arrived at the restaurant, we discovered that the setup was more or less identical to that of the Lost Dog Cafe, so much so that I briefly questioned if it had actually closed. The waiting staff and the ambiance were all pleasant enough, but unfortunately that is about the best thing that can be said about Wildfire. Before the meal we were provided with bread rolls and olive oil, a combination to which I am quite partial. I initially told Tommy that the bread was quite good, but quickly realized that by "good" I meant "tasteless yet warm." Which is still saying something, as many restaurants do not give you warm bread.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="file:///tmp/moz-screenshot.png" alt="" /><img src="file:///tmp/moz-screenshot-1.png" alt="" /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp3dVGbZyI0HIhlW-eQT_Jy0ZBd5ESCZTJTI1EFkx0s_CyVY53dfvi-8V0UK3siF4smNYEy0TAFcDI5jbeQiA11TAoW2CvXq5Uv9tv-2cs11D5JDybLNOF5bFGaATa97RE7zyoh67dPRPH/s1600-h/tommy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 321px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp3dVGbZyI0HIhlW-eQT_Jy0ZBd5ESCZTJTI1EFkx0s_CyVY53dfvi-8V0UK3siF4smNYEy0TAFcDI5jbeQiA11TAoW2CvXq5Uv9tv-2cs11D5JDybLNOF5bFGaATa97RE7zyoh67dPRPH/s320/tommy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417154631119012770" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Tommy sitting. Note the candle: that's called ambiance.</span><br /></div><br />For an appetizer we ordered fried mozzarella sticks coated in pine nuts. This sounds pretty good in theory, and they tasted slightly better than your average microwavable fried cheese. However, this has to be weighed against the fact that it cost $7. I know for a fact that you can get over twenty-five microwavable mozzarella sticks for less than that. As a main course I ordered the Grown Up Mac and Cheese with Lobster, a dish which really put the nail in the coffin in which my positive feelings towards Wildfire would be soon buried. First of all, they chose to have three cheeses as opposed to one in the Mac and Cheese sauce. This was a mistake. The trifecta of flavors clashed in my mouth in a way that was only rivaled by the new trailer for Clash of the Titans (March 26, 2010). Also it is possible that some of the cheese was burnt. In any case, the dish was barely tolerable, especially considering that all the lobster bits were also irrevocably coated in the three-cheese sauce. Partly due to the bad taste, and partly due to the fact that my schedule forces me to eat all three meals in the space of four or five hours, I was unable to finish the Grown Up Mac and Cheese with Lobster. Not wanting to waste food--even food I don't like--I asked for a box to take the dish home, and lo and behold there was a silver lining: the box was pretty nice.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMJY5j9cBF9uTCV5vlEI3dHus0cBczwA6EH0lvgi0jOZMSR2uBqc5TqQw5XW8s5ZsF_n61PawnAesuE-glCSDaz8tHBPWR_LGzJsZTHA0cI92uBgt4cYt1GHdz24-7kaYUpp3MJ3AOSFto/s1600-h/box.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMJY5j9cBF9uTCV5vlEI3dHus0cBczwA6EH0lvgi0jOZMSR2uBqc5TqQw5XW8s5ZsF_n61PawnAesuE-glCSDaz8tHBPWR_LGzJsZTHA0cI92uBgt4cYt1GHdz24-7kaYUpp3MJ3AOSFto/s320/box.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417160396496701362" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">That's a nice box!<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;">Tom:<br /><br />As you may have noticed, this Jonah character is somewhat different than your traditional Sam. What he lacks in photographic ability he seems to more than make up for with fiery passion and venomous wit (we mean no ill will toward Wildfire, he is just having a fun time on the internet being mean). I guess everyone needs to vent sometime.<br /><br />Whenever I hear "comfort food restaurant" I get really excited, but I don't seem to have the best time at any place that claims to be one of these. This includes several recent contenders in Ithaca and one or two places I have tried in Philly. I'm not gonna pretend to know what makes a great mac and cheese or meat loaf or whatever, but whatever take these places have on the genre seems to be pretty boring most of the time. The menus also tend to be pretty small. That being said, I didn't mind my meal at Wildfire. The service was very quick for a restaurant of this nature and the waitstaff was attentive. I basically agree with Jonah re: the mozzarella sticks. I wouldn't really have noticed that they were pine-nut encrusted if the menu hadn't told me. It might have been more enjoyable treated as a pseudo-salad than actual mozzarella sticks.<br /><br />One interesting thing about the menu was the large amount of vegan options. Neither of us ordered any of them, but they sounded like the best things on the menu apart from their vegan-ness. If any vegan readers are feeling adventurous you should at least check this place out (and tell us if it was good). For my main course I got a chicken pot pie, which is pretty much a staple of these mid-level comfort food places. It wasn't bad, though the plating (oh my god I can't believe I am complaining about plating) was kind of awkward. There was a puff pastry on top of a sort of souffle dish filled with the "pie," but when I tried to combine the two it all overflowed onto my plate, which had some kind of napkin on it. The pie itself was sort of your standard pot pie mush, with gnocchi in it and nice hearty chunks of chicken. It was a bit salty and I couldn't really tell what was in the mush (though I'm sure it's on the menu).<br /><br />Ultimately I can't say I heartily recommend Wildfire, though there were definitely other options (both appetizers and entrees) on the menu that looked enticing. Neither of us tried their french fries, which are always an excellent litmus test of a restaurant. I wouldn't count Wildfire out, as new restaurants can always be a bit shaky and there were definitely the makings of something good there, though I do seem to be a sucker for repeatedly going back to restaurants that disappoint me.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></div></div>Tom Eisenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02013070352590357019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462746330217583587.post-53438487621598769622009-09-09T16:56:00.003-04:002009-09-09T16:58:36.147-04:00Dining HiatusBoth Tommy and I are back at college now so we won't be dining together for some months. We may have a few sporadic posts over the academic year as we will see each other over breaks and we enjoy eating. I think it's safe to say that ID will be in full force again next summer!<br /><br />We appreciate your support!Sam Serling-Suttonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13014677779764735178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462746330217583587.post-57883690080463619002009-08-03T12:26:00.006-04:002009-08-04T14:02:43.803-04:00Pancho Villa Mexican Restaurant & Bar Club<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SncQKq86oJI/AAAAAAAAAK0/kul9rmjTEu0/s1600-h/DSC_0001.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 260px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SncQKq86oJI/AAAAAAAAAK0/kul9rmjTEu0/s400/DSC_0001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365775256549761170" border="0" /></a><br />Tom: Neither of us had ever eaten at Pancho Villa's before, though I am pretty partial to Mexican food and figured despite the mostly negative things I had heard about it, I could get a pretty solid meal here. I had actually been been here once before, though it was somewhat of a harrowing experience. My mother and I were seated in about 95 degree heat, and the air conditioner in the restaurant was broken. There was some kind of large party in the room next to us, and our waitress said she'd be a while since she had to take care of their order. We ended up sitting there for about 10 minutes, before we finally went insane from heat stroke and decided to escape the restaurant through the back. Right at that moment, the waitress came back and asked us where we were going, so we kind of mumbled and continued leaving while the chef watched us through the window. Needless to say, PV's wasn't exactly high on my list of choice eateries after this.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SndGJW9bZxI/AAAAAAAAALM/_Zbc4juNFvw/s1600-h/DSC_0005.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SndGJW9bZxI/AAAAAAAAALM/_Zbc4juNFvw/s320/DSC_0005.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365834607631230738" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">(Seems like a bad sign to put in a parking lot)</span><br /><br /></div>But, Sam and I pressed on for the sake of food-bloggery. Also, we told Li we would meet him there. When we first pulled up to the restaurant, we noticed an orange gate with cinder blocks (one of them was broken, which is significant!) blocking the parking lot. Figuring it was under construction or something, we circled around the block and parked on the street. We had seen Li's car behind us and it had since disappeared, so we assumed he had done something similar.<br /><br />After parking, we noticed that Li's car was in fact in the abandoned parking lot, and he had accidentally run over the gate without seeing it. The three of us cavorted nervously in the parking lot wondering what to do for a little bit until we went up to the restaurant and saw a great big real estate sign in the window.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Snh2wOUCwvI/AAAAAAAAALU/aZH25LDNkP0/s1600-h/DSC_0004.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Snh2wOUCwvI/AAAAAAAAALU/aZH25LDNkP0/s320/DSC_0004.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366169526859907826" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">(Not gonna lie, I was pretty happy that we didn't have to eat here)</span><br /><br /></div>Many restaurants are closing in Ithaca like the Lost Dog or the ABC Cafe, but I guess none of us were well acquainted enough with PV's to even know that it had closed. I don't really know when this happened, but it's too bad we never got to give it a fair shake.<br /><br />Sam: Oh well! I was actually pretty happy that we didn't have to eat here. Between Tommy's experience, Li's experience and the various reviews on the internet it was a relief when we settled into one of the familiar booths at Chili's.Sam Serling-Suttonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13014677779764735178noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462746330217583587.post-56602248836474721582009-07-27T18:41:00.010-04:002009-07-29T10:02:39.838-04:00Sangams<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Sm4tYX-Iw6I/AAAAAAAAAKM/_-RXvkPn818/s1600-h/DSC_0012.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Sm4tYX-Iw6I/AAAAAAAAAKM/_-RXvkPn818/s400/DSC_0012.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363274103019586466" border="0" /></a><br />Sam: With us this week were the always entertaining Li and Peter. We've dined with Li a fair share this summer seeing as how he has been in Ithaca working. Peter, on the other hand, has been busy traveling around the world so we were lucky to catch him for the few days that he was in town.<br /><br />I'd been to Sangams several times before, usually for takeout, and have never been that disappointed. It's one of the only two places to get Indian food in ithaca (the other being Diamons down on green st) and honestly they're pretty similar. One of the only differences that I know of is that Sangams has a bigger selection of appetizers including Onion Bhujias and more pakoras.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Sm9ZUM9aqFI/AAAAAAAAAKU/FlQZLTBKhtk/s1600-h/DSC_0014.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Sm9ZUM9aqFI/AAAAAAAAAKU/FlQZLTBKhtk/s320/DSC_0014.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363603884832630866" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">(A terrible photo of our order or onion bhujias)</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">This meal was definitely the biggest we've had. We started with an order of the above which were great as always and also an order of veggie samosas, also good. Then we all ordered separate entrees trying to hit on each basic type they had (beef, chicken, seafood). Tommy got some shrimp dish, I got chicken tikka masala and Peter and Li both ordered things that I don't remember and am not willing to ask them about. We also got three types of bread, poori (my favorite and obviously the best), nan and chapati.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Sm9bbru8TEI/AAAAAAAAAKc/jazu7wp_IGw/s1600-h/DSC_0015.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Sm9bbru8TEI/AAAAAAAAAKc/jazu7wp_IGw/s320/DSC_0015.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363606212375759938" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">(Chicken tikka masala and Li's thing)<br /><br /></span></div></div></div>Tom: An interesting thing about Sangam's is that it is usually somewhat deserted, even for its pretty good lunch buffet (my Mom thinks it is a front for some kind of illicit organization). That being said, it's been in Collegetown for many years and people seem to generally like it. They probably make a lot of money from takeout or something. Its counterpart, Diamond's, is actually similarly quiet but persistent, so it must be an Ithaca Indian thing.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SnBVork1U3I/AAAAAAAAAKk/7lM-x4DLJI0/s1600-h/DSC_0019.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SnBVork1U3I/AAAAAAAAAKk/7lM-x4DLJI0/s320/DSC_0019.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363881313578603378" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">(Tommy's thing)</span><br /><br /></div>Sangam's is in the vein of Indian restaurants where you get an absurd amount of sauce compared to the meat you are given. I don't know if this is some kind of standard thing, but I have certainly had Indian meals where it was not an issue. This often leaves you scrambling around for bits of rice or scraps of bread at the end of a meal, because while the sauce to meat ratio is high, the sauce is usually completely delicious. Another hard thing at Indian restaurants can be ordering different types of bread. Some give you a lot more and are much easier to share than others, and some already have things in them that make them too filling to really use as pure sauce vessels. Luckily, all of us are hearty Indian takeout eaters and managed to keep it pretty basic.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SnBWKU0wU0I/AAAAAAAAAKs/R1mddGI1WXA/s1600-h/DSC_0020.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SnBWKU0wU0I/AAAAAAAAAKs/R1mddGI1WXA/s320/DSC_0020.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363881891586921282" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">(Peter's)</span><br /></div><br />To help Sam out, I think Li got some kind of Lamb Curry and Peter got a vegetable based dish so as to not have everything be entirely meat. The standard Indian restaurant condiments were in the middle of the table, but I never use them even though I don't dislike them. To order as lavishly as we did at Sangam's isn't exactly cheap, though it obviously won't set you back that severely. A good bargain is possible, especially with the lunch buffet. But, you know what you are getting at Sangam's and the meal is always pretty solid all around, from the bread to the rice to the meats and veggies. It's really a great place to eat with friends as the food lends itself toward sharing and it is a nice calm environment. I'd heartily recommend Sangam's for anyone interested in Indian food, though most Ithacans have probably tried it out at some point. I will agree with Sam, however, that having any kind of serious preference between it and Diamond's is kind of silly.Sam Serling-Suttonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13014677779764735178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462746330217583587.post-50553428358850636092009-07-16T18:35:00.020-04:002009-07-21T14:12:46.236-04:00Wegmans<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SmI-rnPK35I/AAAAAAAAAIk/Y2ZHtOu-OIk/s1600-h/DSC_0039.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SmI-rnPK35I/AAAAAAAAAIk/Y2ZHtOu-OIk/s400/DSC_0039.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359915425512218514" border="0" /></a><br />Tom: Wegmans is probably the most important place to eat in Ithaca. If you're from here, you've definitely eaten here. Everyone I know comes down here pretty much religiously comes a few times a month to eat as well as use basically the best grocery store anyone's ever seen. I don't know exactly how far the Wegmans chain extends across the country (started in Rochester! Bleisenblog rules!), but I know when out-0f-towners have been to one it is as though we share a special bond.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SmXu1wEjp5I/AAAAAAAAAIs/WOLZRCtZx6U/s1600-h/DSC_0012.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SmXu1wEjp5I/AAAAAAAAAIs/WOLZRCtZx6U/s320/DSC_0012.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360953538658936722" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SmYD2FmU4pI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/oCh8ygWKB18/s1600-h/DSC_0017.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SmYD2FmU4pI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/oCh8ygWKB18/s320/DSC_0017.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360976634181902994" border="0" /></a><br />Sam and I did not buy groceries on this outing, so for a review of that section you'll have to find a blog that is going to all the grocery stores in Ithaca (what a great idea!). Wegmans' extensive dining area features an Indian Bar, a Wokery, a Make Your Own Pasta Station (doubles as an Omelette Station!), a Sub Station, somewhere with Pizza and Wings, the "Fresh Foods Bar," and a Wings of Life Salad Station. Also Sushi and a Soup Bar. Former hits used to include the Carving Station and the Fish Fry Station (I've heard the FFS might still be there, but hidden?). There is also an incredibly impressive selection of drinks, and delicious candy bars and cookies are available, not to mention an entire spectacular grocery store. I'd say the premade to-go food is good enough to merit eating in the dining area.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SmXvnJFrbgI/AAAAAAAAAI0/_Kl3zcCwre8/s1600-h/DSC_0013.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SmXvnJFrbgI/AAAAAAAAAI0/_Kl3zcCwre8/s320/DSC_0013.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360954387188116994" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SmYDiPxDUgI/AAAAAAAAAJs/1Yzok-ohbTk/s1600-h/DSC_0016.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SmYDiPxDUgI/AAAAAAAAAJs/1Yzok-ohbTk/s320/DSC_0016.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360976293313860098" border="0" /></a><br />Sam: It's true you guys, Wegmans is the greatest. I've had trouble in the past trying to describe wegmans to someone who has never eaten at one just how great it is to eat at this grocery store. I admit it does sound a bit strange (and depressing) if you imagine eating at a P+C or a Piggly Wiggly but Wegmans clearly is not just a grocery store.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SmX-e_ZgD-I/AAAAAAAAAI8/OcSaV9v6H5M/s1600-h/DSC_0015.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SmX-e_ZgD-I/AAAAAAAAAI8/OcSaV9v6H5M/s320/DSC_0015.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360970739822366690" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SmYDJF07CxI/AAAAAAAAAJk/zvYmz_-PDrk/s1600-h/DSC_0022.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SmYDJF07CxI/AAAAAAAAAJk/zvYmz_-PDrk/s320/DSC_0022.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360975861149010706" border="0" /></a><br />Tommy mentioned the Carving Station which I still mourn. It was probably my favorite part of our wegmans though I am almost equally happy to eat some pasta or a sub. This trip however both of us opted for the cafeteria-style delights. Tommy got some fresh fruit, roasted peppers, chicken, carrots and potatoes I think and I got some terriaki veggies, soup and some Indian fry-bread.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SmX_Es4oyVI/AAAAAAAAAJE/-ZKH93zcXik/s1600-h/DSC_0031.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SmX_Es4oyVI/AAAAAAAAAJE/-ZKH93zcXik/s320/DSC_0031.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360971387687717202" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">(Tom's Meal)<br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SmX_ZHaEU3I/AAAAAAAAAJM/PCxvgvGddSc/s1600-h/DSC_0032.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SmX_ZHaEU3I/AAAAAAAAAJM/PCxvgvGddSc/s320/DSC_0032.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360971738404639602" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">(Sam's Meal)<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;">Now if you decide to eat at wegmans you're not only faced with the decision of what you want to eat but also WHERE you want to eat. There is a small dining area directly to the right of the cafe entrance and there is also a much bigger dining area on the second floor. We always go upstairs, ALWAYS. From there you have access to the water/ice machine, a great view of the store and<br />also the wonderful automatic piano so it's a pretty easy decision.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SmYEpXlFDQI/AAAAAAAAAJ8/ZVzQywJY9w8/s1600-h/DSC_0033.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SmYEpXlFDQI/AAAAAAAAAJ8/ZVzQywJY9w8/s320/DSC_0033.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360977515181837570" border="0" /></a></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SmYE95Ww-BI/AAAAAAAAAKE/e8K70TQ1LJs/s1600-h/DSC_0034.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SmYE95Ww-BI/AAAAAAAAAKE/e8K70TQ1LJs/s320/DSC_0034.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360977867845990418" border="0" /></a><br />There's not much more to say! If you live in Ithaca and haven't eaten there you're lying and if you're looking for a reason to come to Ithaca wegmans should be it! It's a great place to grab a quick bite to eat before a movie (terrific bulk section will save you cash on candy) or if you can't decide what you want. But beware the cafe lines can get a bit ridiculous when the students start to come back or on holiday weekends.<br /><br />Wegmans was of course one of our regular dining spots before we started this project so we weren't too upset at having to eat here and we've actually dined here a few times between some of our featured adventures! It's too good not to.<br /></div></div>Sam Serling-Suttonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13014677779764735178noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462746330217583587.post-4157399560765605572009-07-14T13:05:00.023-04:002009-07-15T23:37:20.735-04:00Friendly's (Cayuga Mall)<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Sly8JocVzyI/AAAAAAAAAHc/SYCIU7CdF60/s1600-h/DSC_0045.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Sly8JocVzyI/AAAAAAAAAHc/SYCIU7CdF60/s400/DSC_0045.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358364530325180194" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">(The exterior of the Friendly's at the Cayuga Mall)</span><br /><br /></div>Sam: Ithaca isn't a big city. Heck up to a few years ago you would often have to go online or drive up to an hour away to either Elmira or Syracuse if you wanted a book. Yet for some reason, we have always (in my lifetime) had three separate Friendly's. It's baffling, to say the least, why our city is plagued by this less than stellar chain but when we had to go we had to go.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SlzX2r2WdWI/AAAAAAAAAHk/Tj6-yEW-q7Y/s1600-h/DSC_0043.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SlzX2r2WdWI/AAAAAAAAAHk/Tj6-yEW-q7Y/s320/DSC_0043.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358394991147644258" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">(The roof is pretty enough)</span><br /><br /></div>Now when we used to be stumped over which restaurant to go to for dinner (the activity that spawned this blog) I would often suggest we go to the Friendly's on Rt 13, definitely the most depressing of the three locations in my opion. However when push came to shove and we actually had to dine at one we were both too upset to force ourselves to go to that one and instead opted for the one at the Cayuga Mall (which is less than 1/2 a mile from ANOTHER friendly's in the Pyramid mall) bring Annie, Tommy's sister, along with us once again.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SlzYXBiwLiI/AAAAAAAAAHs/D1cumRfb-uY/s1600-h/DSC_0048.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 197px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SlzYXBiwLiI/AAAAAAAAAHs/D1cumRfb-uY/s320/DSC_0048.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358395546726837794" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">(Pretty depressing you guys...)</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">We were able to pass sometime waiting to be seated by looking at the clock above. At first glance it looks like the '7' is just the '2' upside down but upon further examination you can see that in fact they are differnet. Pretty interesting stuff we've got going here. Anyway, we didn't have to wait for long before we were lead to a booth, had our drink orders taken and were left to peruse the menu.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SlzZm3QqUnI/AAAAAAAAAH0/q8cUDAZUVRs/s1600-h/DSC_0049.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SlzZm3QqUnI/AAAAAAAAAH0/q8cUDAZUVRs/s320/DSC_0049.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358396918356136562" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">(Menu AND specials menu)<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;">Tom: This Friendly's was mostly full, like all of the ones in Ithaca are almost year round (again, baffling!). I ordered some kind of chicken smothered with cheese and mashed potatoes, while Sam opted for a 9.99 combo special with honey barbecue chicken wings and a sundae at the end. Annie only came for ice cream, so her role in this tale was yet to be played. I stayed away from any mango flavored drinks this time.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Sl6dTfji_fI/AAAAAAAAAH8/YHR8duccjoI/s1600-h/DSC_0050.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Sl6dTfji_fI/AAAAAAAAAH8/YHR8duccjoI/s320/DSC_0050.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358893564831137266" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">(I forgot to take photos before eating, hey I was hungry!) </span><br /><br /></div>I had said that ordering Jumbo Fronions was not necessary for me, as my chicken came on top of some Fronions. Apparently this is another chicken dish, and I was sorely disappointed when my chicken came out merely sitting on the plate (I do not blame the restaurant for this). Sam usually has this problem at Friendly's where they ask him if he wants honey mustard with his chicken, and he always says "no, just normal honey," and then they bring him honey mustard anyway. I imagine with the chicken this time having some kind of honey BBQ sauce already on it, there was less of a problem this time around.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Sl6d5zjG-tI/AAAAAAAAAIE/5smbUY1e9Vo/s1600-h/DSC_0053.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Sl6d5zjG-tI/AAAAAAAAAIE/5smbUY1e9Vo/s320/DSC_0053.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358894223033039570" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">(Tommy's meal, post eating as well)</span><br /><br /></div>For a chain family restaurant, we've always found Friendly's to have surprisingly slow service. Considering the relative speediness of contemporaries Applebees and Chili's, I've always found it shocking that Friendly's is so full, since the food isn't better, either. I guess it is somewhat cheaper? Sam got a pretty good deal, though you can probably get a bargain at the other places if you look.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Sl6eixIOWfI/AAAAAAAAAIM/SmKwuGyXLAQ/s1600-h/DSC_0057.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Sl6eixIOWfI/AAAAAAAAAIM/SmKwuGyXLAQ/s320/DSC_0057.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358894926758042098" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">(There was a bit of miscommunication because I definitely asked for peanut butter cups but got pieces instead... oh well) </span><br /><br /></div>We ate our respective chickens and then came time for ice cream, which has always been the most pleasant part of Friendly's. Sam I believe got some kind of 2-scoop sundae with mint and vanilla ice cream that came with his meal. Annie got the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup sundae with chocolate ice cream (an Eisenberg standard), and I got a RPBC Friend-z with chocolate ice cream, which is kind of like a McFlurry, but marketed only to children. Whenever I get Friendly's ice cream, and I think I speak for some other Eisenbergs when I say this, it is just a vessel to shovel as much of their peanut butter topping into my mouth as I can.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Sl6fKOPd3ZI/AAAAAAAAAIU/Rginy9ohjQM/s1600-h/DSC_0058.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Sl6fKOPd3ZI/AAAAAAAAAIU/Rginy9ohjQM/s320/DSC_0058.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358895604587945362" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">(Annie's sundae, what I was trying to emulate)</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Overall, I'm not sure I can say I "recommend" Friendly's. If you live in Ithaca you've probably eaten there a few times, I don't know anyone that really loves it. It's good for ice cream if you're already in the mall or something, and if you're tired of going to other places you don't have to avoid eating at Friendly's. you can get a solid meal at any of the three (!) locations in Ithaca. I guess it's cheap, but it's not exactly the best deal in town.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Sl6fz2UrDeI/AAAAAAAAAIc/vsQzWtW21OM/s1600-h/DSC_0061.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Sl6fz2UrDeI/AAAAAAAAAIc/vsQzWtW21OM/s320/DSC_0061.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358896319721836002" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">(Tommy's Friend-Z, I like how that's spelled)</span><br /><br /></div>Sam: So yeah, overall not a great restaurant. We weren't surprised but we weren't THAT upset after eating. It's a fine option if you're trying to catch a movie and for some reason don't want to eat in the food court. I think we're gonna give Friendly's 6 Fribbles out of a possible 20 Fribbles.<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div></div></div>Sam Serling-Suttonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13014677779764735178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462746330217583587.post-9634422915669710132009-07-11T09:47:00.018-04:002009-07-14T13:05:51.459-04:00Applebee's<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SlvbY4x7eBI/AAAAAAAAAGU/jg92WL1Nkw0/s1600-h/DSC_0006.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 256px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SlvbY4x7eBI/AAAAAAAAAGU/jg92WL1Nkw0/s400/DSC_0006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358117402292484114" border="0" /></a><br />Tom: Sam and I knew eventually we were gonna have to go to a restaurant that wasn't only local to Ithaca. When Applebee's came up on our potential list, we immediately seized the opportunity, since it is pretty close to our desired normal lunch anyway. Special guest Annie Eisenberg (my sister) accompanied us on this particular trip.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SlvbpSNenkI/AAAAAAAAAGc/Ul0AMEoCUyg/s1600-h/DSC_0007.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 133px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SlvbpSNenkI/AAAAAAAAAGc/Ul0AMEoCUyg/s320/DSC_0007.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358117683996827202" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">(Here goes nothin! We enter...)<br /><br /></span></div>Pre-blog, Applebee's didn't see a ton of action from us, since we regard it as distinctly inferior to Chili's, but not any cheaper and the fake "local" atmosphere is usually pretty annoying. They also always make us sit at this really high tables in the bar area, which is weird. This trip was no different in that regard, and we got to see such great signs as "If you're not the lead dog, the view never changes" up on the wall.<br /><br />Sam: Every table in the restaurant, the ones not in the bar area as well, is adorned with a stain-glass lamp. To someone going into Appleebees for a quick meal they probably just seem like normal lights, heck, that's how they appeared to us at first. But few minutes after we were seated and we had basically looked at all of the great signs on the walls I looked up to see the following.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Slvc8Gsg62I/AAAAAAAAAGk/oxW9ouDBS8U/s1600-h/DSC_0019.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Slvc8Gsg62I/AAAAAAAAAGk/oxW9ouDBS8U/s320/DSC_0019.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358119106834918242" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">(eek!)<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Yeah... So it was a little hard to relax with that above us. Especially when each one bore a freakishly accurate resemblance to each of us. A few deep breaths later we had all calmed down a little and were ready to try and salvage the meal and all was going pretty well till, Tom, our waiter showed up. Now there was absolutely nothing, probably, wrong with him but he did manage to creep us out more than, or about the same as the lamp.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SlveKvWc_sI/AAAAAAAAAGs/NBWlDu_xZRU/s1600-h/DSC_0017.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SlveKvWc_sI/AAAAAAAAAGs/NBWlDu_xZRU/s320/DSC_0017.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358120457778036418" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">(Waiter Tom suggested these right off the bat. Damn you and your professionalism.)<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SlvgGrYAoqI/AAAAAAAAAHM/JVJf-2w18b4/s1600-h/DSC_0013.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SlvgGrYAoqI/AAAAAAAAAHM/JVJf-2w18b4/s320/DSC_0013.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358122587014603426" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">(These aren't your itunes-using grandparent's apps!)</span><br /><br /></div>We decided to order our meals right awayl skipping the "killer apps" in order to get out from under all of the horrifying stares as quickly as we could. Strangely enough we all ended up ordering some form of chicken salad which will make the photos of our meals really fun and interesting.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SlvexWYREkI/AAAAAAAAAG0/7QKzKEpY41c/s1600-h/DSC_0027.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SlvexWYREkI/AAAAAAAAAG0/7QKzKEpY41c/s320/DSC_0027.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358121121089655362" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">(My chicken salad)<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SlvfQXoRu-I/AAAAAAAAAHE/ou3jZAQw6XQ/s1600-h/DSC_0032.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SlvfQXoRu-I/AAAAAAAAAHE/ou3jZAQw6XQ/s320/DSC_0032.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358121654001187810" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">(Annie's chicken salad)</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SlvfBoqnYxI/AAAAAAAAAG8/zDbg2Imvwkw/s1600-h/DSC_0030.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SlvfBoqnYxI/AAAAAAAAAG8/zDbg2Imvwkw/s320/DSC_0030.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358121400876360466" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">(Tommy's chicken salad)</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Like I said, fun and interesting. I'm not sure why we all ordered chicken salads but they were fine. Basically what you'd expect from a place like Applebees.<br /><br />Tom: It was pretty interesting that Applebees even bothered to offer 3 different yet so similar chicken salads. I dunno if I can say mine was any better than the other 2, they looked like pretty much the same thing. One word of caution I have about Applebees is their flavored drinks. Last time I was there I got a "Mango fizzie" and it tasted completely awful. This time, I decided to get some mango lemonade, and it was only marginally better, certainly not worth getting. Perhaps the non-mango flavors are fine, I dunno, I'm dubious though.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Sly60F0z5AI/AAAAAAAAAHU/zh1Pz1hHVvE/s1600-h/DSC_0024.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Sly60F0z5AI/AAAAAAAAAHU/zh1Pz1hHVvE/s320/DSC_0024.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358363060743693314" border="0" /></a><br />I don't really think there is anything about the Ithaca Applebees that is particularly interesting among Applebeeses, but it's still a decent family chain restaurant. Their menu has improved a bit in recent years so if you haven't gone in a while and are the type who would eat at Applebees, try giving it a shot.<br /></div></div></div></div>Tom Eisenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02013070352590357019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462746330217583587.post-39968581423147145312009-07-01T11:30:00.029-04:002009-07-09T19:00:54.947-04:00The Heights Cafe & Grill<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SkuBpEAuvQI/AAAAAAAAAFc/cxJzhTg-n6s/s1600-h/hc.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 336px; height: 92px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SkuBpEAuvQI/AAAAAAAAAFc/cxJzhTg-n6s/s400/hc.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353515124511390978" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SlFCBfqZmTI/AAAAAAAAAFk/li_UW_0IO8Y/s1600-h/IMG_0103.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 278px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SlFCBfqZmTI/AAAAAAAAAFk/li_UW_0IO8Y/s400/IMG_0103.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355134025366870322" border="0" /></a><br />Sam: From Wok Village to The Heights Cafe all in the same week! That's the kind of rollercoaster ride we like. I think it's important that we start this post with a big thank you to the Eisenbergs for making this restaurant trip possible. Thank you. Also, we agreed that it would be a little inappropriate for me to lug my gigantic DSLR into such a fancy establishment so we used a mixture of images from The Height's website our cellphones and stock photographs for the post. And with that, the review will begin!<br /><br />Tom: The Heights Cafe is a regular favesie of ours, since it is literally 1-2 blocks from my house and consistently delicious. Since it is a bit upscale, it usually requires some kind of parent figure to be present, so my parents happily came along. We got a waiter who we had had previously, who had been quite enamored of Sam for going to IC and being involved in radio. He was similarly strange this time, often making loud jokes in response to anything we said.<br /><br />A running joke in my family is that the list of ingredients for each dish at the Heights Cafe is endless. Everything is plated with some kind of potato, some kind of eggplant, and some kind of cheese (not literally). There was plenty of that to go around this time, but I found some of our dishes to be pleasantly simple compared to our past experiences.<br /><br />Sam: We were also pleased to hear a pretty great muzak cover of Smash Mouth as we were going over the menu.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SlJ_VqJ-m-I/AAAAAAAAAFs/2tzeDj9n7MM/s1600-h/78491182.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SlJ_VqJ-m-I/AAAAAAAAAFs/2tzeDj9n7MM/s320/78491182.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355482916967062498" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">(sometimes people like their waiters)</span><br /><br /></div>For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of dining at The Heights you should know that deciding to dine there is deciding what you're going to be doing for the majority of the evening. I wouldn't suggest planning a "dinner and a movie" date night with the heights in mind as eating there takes between 2-3 hours.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SlYWqw1PKBI/AAAAAAAAAF0/d654KGqMjy8/s1600-h/IMG_0105.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SlYWqw1PKBI/AAAAAAAAAF0/d654KGqMjy8/s320/IMG_0105.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356493730722293778" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">(a selection of breads with hummus and oil)</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Dinner time meals always begin with the above. And all entrees are preceded by your choice of either a ceaser salad or a house salad. I'm pretty sure that we all opted, with the exception of Mr. E who ordered two appitizers as his entree, for the ceaser this time around.<br /><br />We all ordered the following;<br /><br />I got the Pan Roasted Chicken & Potato Gnocchi.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/chicken.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 144px; height: 216px;" src="http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/chicken.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Tommy got the Brazilian Grilled Skirt Steak.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://most-expensive.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/expensive-cow.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 197px; height: 138px;" src="http://most-expensive.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/expensive-cow.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Mrs. E got some sort of fish, we think maybe trout?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/siamese-fighting-fish.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 175px; height: 153px;" src="http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/siamese-fighting-fish.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />And Mr . E ordered the Old School Meatball.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u178/Love2ridemyhd/food%20drinks%20and%20dancing/Italianmanwithapiazza.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 176px; height: 218px;" src="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u178/Love2ridemyhd/food%20drinks%20and%20dancing/Italianmanwithapiazza.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Overall we were all pleased with what we got, at least I don't remember hearing anyone complain. The two senior E's also ordered a bottle of wine which can be seen below.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SlYXIc-J3mI/AAAAAAAAAGE/wg3o_IlO-nM/s1600-h/IMG_0107.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SlYXIc-J3mI/AAAAAAAAAGE/wg3o_IlO-nM/s320/IMG_0107.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356494240787062370" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">(Wineing it up yall)</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">And what better way to end this glorious meal than two chocolate lava cakes split 4 ways? I think that every time I've gone to the heights i've gotten a lava cake and I've got to say that this time it was the richest and most filling. Usually it's served with some fruit or cream (sometimes more chocolate sauce) but this time it had a scoop of the creamiest ice cream i've ever tasted. Not complaining, it was delicious.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SlYXNwx0ydI/AAAAAAAAAGM/Life4jt7uIA/s1600-h/IMG_0108.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SlYXNwx0ydI/AAAAAAAAAGM/Life4jt7uIA/s320/IMG_0108.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356494332003404242" border="0" /></a><br />I think this is probably the best meal that the two of us have had since starting this project and it's going to make going to places like Friendly's and The State Diner that much harder. Oh well... At least we have each other.<br /></div></div></div></div>Sam Serling-Suttonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13014677779764735178noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462746330217583587.post-22666752198185894832009-06-28T20:25:00.020-04:002009-06-30T21:39:32.389-04:00Jack's Collegetown Grill<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SkgO_CdxtoI/AAAAAAAAAEc/2U2-27hPfsE/s1600-h/DSC_0030.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SkgO_CdxtoI/AAAAAAAAAEc/2U2-27hPfsE/s400/DSC_0030.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352544633286145666" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">(Jack's Grill or Jack's Collegetown Grill, it's all the same)</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Sam:<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">For our latest restaurant outing Tommy and I ventured into Collegetown to check out Jack's Grill. We'd passed it a few times while dining at other restaurants in the area but neither of us had ever eaten there (despite Tommy once promising we'd meet there for breakfast) so we were both pretty excited to try it.<br /><br />As those familiar with Collegetown will know, parking can be a bit of a challenge. So much so that it has deterred us from eating there (or anywhere where we're forced to park on the street) in the past. So imagine our suprise as we get to the top of Williams Street and see a spot right there! Pretty exciting, no? Well wait, it gets better. The spot was at the end of the metered spots so we were able to pull right in AND we were awarded with the following:<br /><br /></div></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SkgRNuwdoEI/AAAAAAAAAEk/RcZkTrt6ek4/s1600-h/DSC_0014.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SkgRNuwdoEI/AAAAAAAAAEk/RcZkTrt6ek4/s320/DSC_0014.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352547084717105218" border="0" /></a><br />It might be hard to tell from the photo but that meter has time on it! It seems that the restaurant gods were smiling upon us today. Getting out and peeking around to the other side revealed that we only had 3 minutes but still, I'm not overreacting. This is exactly as exciting as I'm making it seem.<br /><br />Throwin' it over to Tom for the actual restaurant review!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SkljsfRR0HI/AAAAAAAAAEs/yJBj5dZGMl4/s1600-h/DSC_0036.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SkljsfRR0HI/AAAAAAAAAEs/yJBj5dZGMl4/s320/DSC_0036.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352919248065908850" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Tom:<br /><br />I am writing this portion abroad from Cape Cod!!!! When we went into Jack's we immediately started stressing about the seating situation. Tables were sparse, and while we could have easily ordered to go we were lookin' for a good sit (nothin' beats it). Luckily other patrons and the staff started noticing us, and tables were cleaned allowing us to sit down.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Skq6v57pgeI/AAAAAAAAAE0/yLn-nPrm9pQ/s1600-h/DSC_0023.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Skq6v57pgeI/AAAAAAAAAE0/yLn-nPrm9pQ/s320/DSC_0023.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353296439250878946" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">(Order up! My complaint was that the menu was too small and hard to read)</span><br /><br /></div>One orders from a counter in Jack's. Sam got a 1/2 lb burger, while I got a southwestern breakfast burrito with home fries, thus providing a look into the range of the restaurant. My burrito was pretty good, it was nice and hot and grilled or something. The eggs weren't of the highest quality, and I thought the home fries were a little bland and dry, but it was overall a very satisfying, quick cheap breakfast burrito. Sam seemed pretty satisfied with his burger, though he thought it was a bit big. The fries were pretty solid.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Skq70xRFuNI/AAAAAAAAAE8/zoXI5bq8Yl4/s1600-h/DSC_0026.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Skq70xRFuNI/AAAAAAAAAE8/zoXI5bq8Yl4/s320/DSC_0026.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353297622335862994" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">(My burger)</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Skq8WpkxXWI/AAAAAAAAAFE/uuGhavSZ-5I/s1600-h/DSC_0027.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Skq8WpkxXWI/AAAAAAAAAFE/uuGhavSZ-5I/s320/DSC_0027.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353298204386483554" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">(T-burg's B-Burrito)<br /><br /></span></div>Overall, we both agreed that Jack's basically provided a good quick cheap option in Collegetown. It's largely just a counter and not a full restaurant with full service, but it provides a nice greasy niche that we don't really have in Ithaca. It has some diner fare, but it also has a surprising deep menu of different burgers, wings, and chicken sandwiches. They had some kind of stuffed hamburger that we were too intimidated to try, and "zombie hot" chicken wings, which we agreed was not that good of a name for hot wings.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Skq9hXwE_WI/AAAAAAAAAFU/1B7cXsmjXwg/s1600-h/DSC_0028.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Skq9hXwE_WI/AAAAAAAAAFU/1B7cXsmjXwg/s320/DSC_0028.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353299488092257634" border="0" /></a>Jack's was a nice little discovery and we're gonna give it one happy guy with his burger out of one happy guy with his burger.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Skq9IVUYYaI/AAAAAAAAAFM/mzXUEyBC3dk/s1600-h/DSC_0032.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 306px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Skq9IVUYYaI/AAAAAAAAAFM/mzXUEyBC3dk/s320/DSC_0032.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353299057942487458" border="0" /></a></div><span style="font-size:85%;">(One happy guy with his burger)</span><br /></div>Sam Serling-Suttonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13014677779764735178noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462746330217583587.post-64552610545264032632009-06-23T22:13:00.018-04:002009-06-25T11:20:23.249-04:00Lehigh Valley Restaurant<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SkGVCzrHBcI/AAAAAAAAADk/sR7R7sCnjvc/s1600-h/DSC_0004.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SkGVCzrHBcI/AAAAAAAAADk/sR7R7sCnjvc/s400/DSC_0004.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350721707756160450" border="0"></a><br />Tom:<br /><br />By now, you can tell there's no real rhyme or reason to our selection scheme to eat at restaurants. So far we've been generating 5 random numbers that correspond to numbers on our list of restaurants, and picking the restaurant that makes the most sense out of those. Hence, the Lehigh Valley Restaurant, which I always thought was just a bar that served hamburgers or something, I don't know.<br /><br />When Sam, special guest Danny Abowd and I came through the front doors to see a bar with 4 tables and Family Guy playing in the background, I thought my suspicions were confirmed. The waiter (who Sam and Danny figured out had some kind of High School connection to them) then asked us if we were there to drink or for food. We said food, and he promptly took us back into a much larger room filled with tables, which was an actual restaurant. Like, with menus.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SkLFK2eNZoI/AAAAAAAAADs/MOYFpKg7nNg/s1600-h/DSC_0003.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SkLFK2eNZoI/AAAAAAAAADs/MOYFpKg7nNg/s400/DSC_0003.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351056097481156226" border="0"></a><font size="2">(We were pleasantly surprised with the pretty-ok looking dining room)</font><br /><br /></div>The restaurant wasn't very crowded (as seen above), so we were served pretty quickly by the same waiter, who was the only person working in the restaurant best we could tell. I ordered a main course of toasted ravioli, which intrigued me since I'd only ever seen it as an appetizer. Sam got a cheeseburger, and Danny got a steak. "I'll be right back with some bread and your onion rings," the waiter said as he left the table. We spent the next 5 minutes sitting in a confused daze wondering if we had ordered onion rings or not, wondering if it could really be possible that a restaurant was just gonna give us some free onion rings. Sure enough, there they were sitting on a small plate with our bread, and they didn't show up on the check.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SkLF132dsrI/AAAAAAAAAD0/CIINAlRPcf0/s1600-h/DSC_0012.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SkLF132dsrI/AAAAAAAAAD0/CIINAlRPcf0/s400/DSC_0012.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351056836585697970" border="0"></a><font size="2">(Lehigh's signature; free onion rings)</font><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Sam:<br /><br />So it turns out that Lehigh, if famous for nothing else, is known for giving out free onion rings before their meals which none of us knew beforehand. The onion rings, while free, were not the best onion rings i've ever had but were definitely not bad (and free). Pretty quickly after the OR's and the bread came out all of our entrees arrived. We were each presented with the following:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SkLHDYo-MEI/AAAAAAAAAD8/k7vOQOMHwa0/s1600-h/DSC_0021.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SkLHDYo-MEI/AAAAAAAAAD8/k7vOQOMHwa0/s400/DSC_0021.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351058168237404226" border="0"></a><font size="2">(Tommy's ravioli) </font><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SkLHjZy4CMI/AAAAAAAAAEE/W0ckdgBnVPQ/s1600-h/DSC_0022.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SkLHjZy4CMI/AAAAAAAAAEE/W0ckdgBnVPQ/s400/DSC_0022.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351058718303193282" border="0"></a><font size="2">(Danny's steak)</font><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SkLH8ZH9bpI/AAAAAAAAAEM/e-gIm8mSU9c/s1600-h/DSC_0023.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SkLH8ZH9bpI/AAAAAAAAAEM/e-gIm8mSU9c/s400/DSC_0023.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351059147619921554" border="0"></a><font size="2">(My burger)</font><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The food all looked pretty good and tasted about the same. I wouldn't say that it was the best burger i've eaten in ithaca but it was alright. Tommy said his ravioli was ok and Danny, despite just having had his wisdom teeth removed, seemed to muscle through his steak.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SkLJlcIGSSI/AAAAAAAAAEU/7ZfJGCdm7Mg/s1600-h/DSC_0020.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SkLJlcIGSSI/AAAAAAAAAEU/7ZfJGCdm7Mg/s400/DSC_0020.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351060952312072482" border="0"></a><font size="2">(Danny icing his pain like he's some sort of athlete from ESPN)<br /><br /></font></div>Overall I would describe our experience at the LVR as fine. This is not a restaurant that we were looking forward to eating at, and definitely not one that we would have picked outside of the context of this blog but we ended up being ok with it! Prices and portions were fine despite the reviews that we read online and the service was great. Hopefully we can have more surprises like this with some of the other restaurants that we're dreading going to.<br /></div></div></div></div>Sam Serling-Suttonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13014677779764735178noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462746330217583587.post-43814314646633324342009-06-23T13:24:00.020-04:002009-06-23T22:50:27.124-04:00Wok Villiage<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SkEy8DDO_vI/AAAAAAAAAC8/AZpHriJdviQ/s1600-h/DSC_0058.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SkEy8DDO_vI/AAAAAAAAAC8/AZpHriJdviQ/s400/DSC_0058.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350613839485271794" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">(The less-than-appealing exterior of Wok)</span><br /><br /></div>Tryin' a hybrid this time you guys. A little T+S action simultaneously. We're sitting on the couch here at Tommy's with some Real Housewives of New Jersey on in the background and we just got done watching a few clips of NYC Prep (starting tonight! At 10! 9 Central!) so we're pretty much prepped to start our write up on Wok Village.<br /><br />First off Wok Village does not have the best location. It took us a few minutes to figure out how to actually get there. It's tucked behind the Triphammer mall in the Bishop's small mall and surpsingly sandwiched between two other restaurants (both of which I, Sam, didn't know existed).<br /><br />The nicest thing we can say about having to go to Wok Village is that we were less than "Chili's Excited" to have to eat there, but that's sort of the point of this whole thing. Inside Wok is pretty much what you'd expect. A few tables adorned with those Zodiac placemats that you see in most Chinese restaurants and some other interesting decorations on the walls (including two giant crayfish).<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SkEzxG14KpI/AAAAAAAAADU/lCg16L0SJHY/s1600-h/DSC_0053.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SkEzxG14KpI/AAAAAAAAADU/lCg16L0SJHY/s320/DSC_0053.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350614751036058258" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">(I'm an interesting mix of gregariousness paired with introversion according to my zodiac sign and locals.)</span><br /></div><br />Wok Village has been around for a long time, and there were a sizable number of people eating their dirt-cheap lunch buffet. Sam and I (Tom) also got the buffet, thus bypassing the need to even look at menus. They had a pretty varied assortment of standard Chinese fare, like General Tso's Chicken, Fried Rice, Egg Foo Young, and Egg Drop Soup (all of which we got in the buffet). The soup was good, and we pretty much ate all of everything else.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SkEzN95gKRI/AAAAAAAAADE/_CsVtFMGEv8/s1600-h/DSC_0057.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 212px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SkEzN95gKRI/AAAAAAAAADE/_CsVtFMGEv8/s320/DSC_0057.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350614147339921682" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">(The dregs of our meal)</span><br /><br /></div>The main draw of Wok Village is the service and price. For about 15 dollars for the both of us, we got a large meal and were in and out of the restaurant in about a 20 minute span. There are a lot of places where you could order takeout and do much worse than this. The waitress also attentively kept our water and Sprite full, so much so that when she realized that Sam hadn't touched his water, she gave me his. If you have a budget, Wok Village will certainly get you a lot of bang for your buck (or bang for your "bok" as Sam says, though I'm not sure we ate any Bok Choy). Having had takeout from here a few times before, I can also say that that option is pretty good.<br /><br />We also got two excellent fortune cookies:<br />Tommy's: "You are about to become $8.95 poorer. ($6.95 if you had the buffet)" - which was true<br />Sam's: "Don't be over self-confident with your first impression of others."- which will never be true<br /><br />Overall, we'd give it 2.5 "Sams" out of 4, largely because of the great service and price.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SkGUV8i-GVI/AAAAAAAAADc/N84StBgCPn0/s1600-h/3sams.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 291px; height: 291px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/SkGUV8i-GVI/AAAAAAAAADc/N84StBgCPn0/s320/3sams.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350720937043827026" border="0" /></a><br /><br />P.S. Thanks to our visit we're both a lot closer to perfecting Chinese and possible winning the lotto.Sam Serling-Suttonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13014677779764735178noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462746330217583587.post-2257130262364466672009-06-20T15:33:00.001-04:002009-06-21T19:31:51.958-04:00Ithaca Bakery (Route 13)Tom:<br /><br />Our first pseudo-randomly chosen restaurant was the Ithaca Bakery down on Route 13. This seemed like an ideal first choice for a few reasons: it was an Ithaca Landmark, it had recently been expanded and redone to be unlike the other Ithaca Bakerys/Collegetown Bagels, and Sam and I both knew we liked the food.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Sj1PLNA7UmI/AAAAAAAAABw/K9qC2wbc6Zw/s1600-h/DSC_0028.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Sj1PLNA7UmI/AAAAAAAAABw/K9qC2wbc6Zw/s320/DSC_0028.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349518986276721250" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">(Our own private counter)</span><br /></div><br />On the way there, we encountered an absurd amount of traffic, even for lunchtime on a Saturday. Sam also absent-mindedly strolled through a red light as though it were a stop sign, indicating a good start for the blog. When we finally got to the restaurant, there was no parking, forcing us to go down the block and turn around when we saw someone leave the parking lot, whose spot we then took.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Sj1OO_hwbDI/AAAAAAAAABo/qOR_SiBxEew/s1600-h/DSC_0031.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Sj1OO_hwbDI/AAAAAAAAABo/qOR_SiBxEew/s320/DSC_0031.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349517951864171570" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">(Tom's Roasted Red Pepper Soup)</span><br /><br /></div>Fans of the old Ithaca Bakery's stifling, loud atmosphere will not be disappointed with the renovation. There was no table space, forcing us to sit at some bar-like fixture in front of a giant mirror. There are now 3 separate places to order and pick up different kinds of food, which may be convenient to some, but only bewildered yokels like us. We agreed that one of us should eat food from the newly installed buffet, but upon seeing it was only breakfast food for some reason we both elected not to.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Sj1NO95eegI/AAAAAAAAABY/SjhjyQbrkAA/s1600-h/DSC_0035.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Sj1NO95eegI/AAAAAAAAABY/SjhjyQbrkAA/s320/DSC_0035.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349516851915160066" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">(Tom's Parisian Panini)</span><br /><br /></div>I ended up getting a Parisian panini (turkey, chutney, brie, spinach) and a cup of roasted red pepper soup, both of which turned out to be pretty delicious, though the panini dripped piping hot grease on my fingers. Sam got an Eggs Melissa (scrambled eggs and cheese on a bagel) which he "remixed the shit out of", since he got it on a croissant and with Munster cheese.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Sj1M59FOxjI/AAAAAAAAABQ/hxnHc3rNP74/s1600-h/DSC_0034.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Sj1M59FOxjI/AAAAAAAAABQ/hxnHc3rNP74/s320/DSC_0034.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349516490918774322" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">(My Egg's Melissa)</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Sam:<br /><br />I think Tommy basically covered it all. I didn't do too well getting us there, traffic was bad, it's still loud/confusing there and the food was pretty good. The only thing i'd like to add is the one new feature of the improved Ithaca Bakery that I really like. Those familiar with any of the other Ithaca Bakerys/ CTBs will know that once you place your order you have to sit and strain your ears in order to hear them mumble your name over their terrible PA system. At the new Ithaca Bakery, if you tell them that you're eating there, they'll give you a number and you can just sit down and relax and wait for them to bring you your order which is a surprsingly simple and wonderful new feature. It takes the 'stress' out of 'Esatting atr Itheaca Basksery'<br /></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Sj1N0cEjsSI/AAAAAAAAABg/LLUYYnC3e6E/s1600-h/DSC_0030.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p1QFC5UV8zI/Sj1N0cEjsSI/AAAAAAAAABg/LLUYYnC3e6E/s400/DSC_0030.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349517495669862690" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">(We're just two best friends eatin' food and havin' fun)</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Tom:<br /><br />PS When we left I heard a guy ask for an "orange-gina" and I wanted to hurt him.<br /></div></div>Tom Eisenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02013070352590357019noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462746330217583587.post-46708526582524168682009-06-19T15:13:00.000-04:002009-06-20T11:39:28.686-04:00Howdy, folks!Sure is crowded in here!<br /><br />The Ithaca Digest (my sister gets credit for the wonderful name) is a project in which two friends will attempt to eat at 102 restaurants (give or take) around Ithaca, NY. It is not meant strictly as a food review column, but as a wacky adventure through the depths of Ithaca's restaurants where we learn about the food, the city, and our inner demons. Sam and I do not claim to be foodies, or to have any sort of authority or training regarding food.<br /><br />The idea for this blog came out of the weekly struggle that Sam and I usually go through in deciding on a place to eat in Ithaca. This is not to say that there are no good places to eat in Ithaca. I've had the "Ithaca has more restaurants per capita than Manhattan!" sound byte thrown at me my whole life. But somehow, Sam and I fell into the rut where we ate only at what we call the Chili's-Wegmans-Mall Food Court triangle. I admit that this sounds depressing, but don't get the impression that we don't thoroughly enjoy ourselves eating at only these restaurants. It's just that spending one's time and money at a chain family restaurant, a grocery store, and an admittedly fading food court (we lost Wendy's!) with all of the possibilities out there doesn't seem right. This week, the "where should we eat?" conversation turned into an exercise in naming all of the restaurants in Ithaca that we could think of, which then turned into us talking about how great it would be to eat at all of them and have a blog about it. All it took was a few "that's actually a good idea, guys"es from those around us to get it kickstarted.<br /><br />Since we are two college students with constrained time and budgets, we are taking on this endeavour in a practical way. We have no rigid timetables, and no deadline for completion of the project (especially since the brunt of it will have to be done in the summers). The order we eat at the restaurants in will be basically random, but subject to our whims. There are no strict rules about what we have to order at the restaurants, but we'll try our best to keep it interesting and fair. Guests of any sort are welcome to come, and we're not above having other people pay for our meals.<br /><br />We plan to eat at restaurants that are Ithaca landmarks, restaurants that basically no one has heard of, and restaurants that we've eaten religiously at for many years. Chains are included, since they are a viable food option even though they exist elsewhere. We will restrict some restaurants based on not having a dining area or something like that. For example, we don't want to order pizza from every place in town. However, we'll probably end up at Louie's Lunch and/or the Hot Truck, so any restrictions can be relaxed. <br /><br /><br />Tom Eisenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02013070352590357019noreply@blogger.com2