John Thomas Steakhouse
1152 Danby Road, past Ithaca College
607-273-3464
Ithaca South Hill
Hours: Dinner starts at 5:30, 7 days a week
If you’ve just eaten at John Thomas Steakhouse, you know you’ve eaten. It’s a carnivore’s paradise (though there’s some effort to provide for the vegetarians who occasionally arrive with meat-eating friends) with substantial, top-quality steaks, chops, lobsters, and more. The entree doesn’t come with any side dishes, and we recommend the creamed spinach and roast garlic mashed potatoes, served family style, as sides. John Thomas also has a good wine list and an excellent whisky selection. Ask about their occasional cigar-and-scotch theme nights. Expensive, but worth every penny.

Just a Taste
116 North Aurora Street
607-277-9463
Downtown Ithaca
Hours: Dinner Sun-Thu 5:30-10 and Fri-Sat 5:30-11.
Catering to an interesting mix of business owners, college students, and everyone in between, this wine and tapas bar offers an ever-changing menu of creative food, and a broad array of wines to sample. Since the menu changes every night we can’t suggest a specific dish, but we’ll tell you that if it sounds like an odd combination, it’s probably exquisite. Try the sangria. (Full Review) (Web Site)

Madeline's
215 East State Street
607-277-2253
Downtown Ithaca
Hours: Lunch and dinner 7 days
A trendy bar and eatery with fancy food and fancy prices, on the east end of the Ithaca Commons. Exceptional bar featuring a great single malt Scotch selection. Listed only.

Olivia
381 Pine Tree Road, Ithaca
607-272-1020
Ithaca
Hours: Lunch to late night
The latest eatery in town is Olivia, on Pine Tree Road near East Hill Plaza. Olivia aims for a sophisticated but comfortable dining experience, and we think they've hit the nail on the head. Their building, formerly Coyote Loco, has been completely renovated and rearranged. It looks great, and everything seems to flow well. (Full Review) (Web Site)

Pangea Restaurant
120 Third Street
607-273-8515
Ithaca
Hours: Tuesday-Sunday nights
Pangea offers a surprising and delicious variety of dishes, varying in size and price, with a creative menu they call “precontinental cuisine.” (The menu changes frequently.) Many of the dishes seem ideal for sharing; they’re all flavorful and colorful. We were especially pleased with the summer risotto, featuring roasted red peppers, wild mushrooms, and white truffle oil; and the tagarashi-dusted seared scallops. (Full Review) (Web Site)

Stella’s Cafe
403 College Avenue
607-277-1490
Collegetown
Stella’s makes a darn good martini or Manhattan, but if you’re planning to eat as well as drink, we’d recommend another destination. The drinks themselves are a touch on the pricey side, but we can’t imagine why you’d want to spend $9 on a cheeseburger. Some of the menu items are creative or tasty, and the food is in fact fairly good, but the prices are just too high. Have your martini, then go next door for a slice of pizza. (Full Review) (Web Site)

Thai Cuisine
501 South Meadow Street
607-273-2031
Ithaca Southwest
Known for having "the best Thai food in New York State," Thai Cuisine could rest on its laurels, but there always seems to be just that extra attention to detail. This is certainly one of Ithaca’s best restaurants, with good service, exceptional food, and an attractive presentation. Thai Cuisine specializes in spicy food (there are options for those who prefer their food blander) and it’s important to note that "medium" is more than spicy enough even for the hardiest spice lovers. The deluxe pad thai makes a wonderful shared appetizer, and we recommend the "Ped Long Song" duck dish as an entree. Don't forget dessert! On the weekend, try the dim-sum style brunch. It's an affordable and fun way to sample many of the restaurant’s specialties in smaller portions.

Willow
202 East Falls Street
607-272-0656
Ithaca
Hours: 5-10pm Tue-Sat, Martini bar till 1am Fri & Sat
A contemporary American restaurant in Ithaca’s Fall Creek area, next to Fall Creek Pictures. Chef Sean O’Brien has whipped up an enticing menu that features a number of creative appetizers, salads, pastas, and entrees. The menu includes several fresh seafood dishes, and they've added more vegetarian variety. We were very impressed with the food quality and presentation, and the service and decor are top-notch. (Full Review) (Web Site)

ZaZa's Cucina
622 Cascadilla Street at Route 13, Ithaca
607-273-9292
Ithaca
A new restaurant from the owners of Madeline's, ZaZa's Cucina transmogrifies the dumpy old Video Ithaca building into a sumptuously designed space. The food fits in perfectly, with a good variety of ambitious yet well-prepared appetizers ($5 to $8) and main dishes ($14 to $23). An appetizer pizza adorned with thinly sliced apple, melted brie, and fresh tarragon, all drizzled with truffle oil, was star of our dinner. Following closely were the main dishes, a handmade ravioli stuffed with wild mushrooms and finished with a walnut cream sauce, and a herb-encrusted rack of lamb with soft polenta and braised escarole. The desserts were good but not great, with the chocolate cherry dome cake lacking an assertive cherry flavor, and the blood orange sorbet being a bit too icy. Service was good, though another couple was seated right next to our table despite plenty of empty tables further away. [ACE] (Full Review) (Web Site)