December 26, 2011
It's the end of the year, and 14850 Dining is looking back at our favorite eateries of 2011 throughout the Ithaca area. This is never an easy list to narrow down, and we wish we could get away with a top twenty!
We'll start off the list at #10 with Taste of Thai Express, which moved just a few blocks to roomier digs and still offers terrific Thai food, like our favorites, the Thai green bean with seafood or masaman curry chicken. Thai iced tea or iced coffee are rich, creamy, and sweet, and go well with a spicy meal. There's plenty that's vegetarian or vegan, and don't miss the fried bananas for dessert.
Another favorite in a new home is Mexeo, which moved a block down Dryden Road and serves up quick and tasty Tex-Mex with a remarkable focus on local produce and meats. Stop in, and the whiteboard will reveal which farms provided the current ingredients. Get a burrito or skip the tortilla with a bro bowl, or try the Frito Pie topped with spicy chili. Mexeo recently added kombucha and glass bottles of Mexican Coke, made with sugar instead of corn syrup, to the drink line-up.
We mostly think of wine when we think of Corks & More, on the Cayuga Lake waterfront, but our number 8 pick is also a great spot for some happy-hour munchies, like a cheese plate or a flatbread, or get something a little heartier like the butternut squash risotto. The pulled pork on top is optional, but it sounds like a good idea to us. And, yes, while you're at it, sample dozens of wines by the glass, half glass, or taste.
Number seven is the Piggery Deli, not far from their farmers market roots, serving coffee, breakfast sandwiches, and a variety of lunches in an expanded location at Route 13 and Third Street. Their delicious food is made with the Piggery's own bacon or ham or pulled pork, plus local cheese, bread, eggs, and lots more. Check the hours for their deli and butcher counter.
At number six is the Northstar Public House, where the soup of the day is joined by a macaroni and cheese of the day, and both are always worth trying. The wings are oversized, and available not just Buffalo style but Baltimore style as well. We're pleased to see they've been dabbling with raw vegan dishes and desserts. The bar has a fabulous beer selection, plus creative cocktails and recently a weekly cocktail lab to try new things. We need to get back for brunch.
The Ithaca Ale House is a perennial favorite, rarely anything fancy, just reliably good food, good service, and a good atmosphere on Restaurant Row downtown. We love the eggplant fries as an appetizer, the onion soup will warm up any chilly day, and the Perfect Burger is still the best in town. There are plenty of pasta dishes, crabcakes, dinner-sized salads, and flatbreads if you're not the burger type. The seasonal beer list keeps changing, and we won't tell anyone if you have the deep-fried Oreos for dessert.
Rogues Harbor is number four, one of the strongest proponents of eating local on the Central New York dining scene. Local cheese and sausage on the appetizer list plus local apples and beef and Cornish game hens among the entrees are now joined by Rogues Harbor's very own beer. We especially love the Cayuga Cream Ale. The fisherman's platter is a great selection of seafood that we can't always finish, and Tuesday night wing night brings wing-lovers from all over.
At number three this year is Maxie's Supper Club, a west-end favorite that keeps us coming back for the raw oyster bar, the "Cajun popcorn" fried crawfish appetizer, the blackened bleu cheese burger po'boy or the catfish po'boy, and of course Chicken Fried Tuesdays, with the best fried chicken in town. Whet your appetite with free live music on Tuesdays and Sundays, enjoy discounted wine bottles on Mondays, and have a cocktail any time, like the Seneca Sazerac, made with Finger Lakes Distilling's excellent McKenzie Rye.
Our number two eatery of 2011 opened just over a year ago. Mercato Bar and Kitchen on North Aurora Street started with a beautifully renovated space, and serves up creative food and cocktails with an Italian theme. The menu changes frequently, featuring fresh seasonal ingredients prepared as simply as possible.
The Lion's Tail cocktail is an Italian twist on the Manhattan, with a cocktail list that leans toward the gin- or whisky-based classics of days gone by, and there are a dozen wines at $6 a glass or $25 a bottle. The appetizer list includes an unexpected favorite, pickled red onion and chopped liver crostini, the pickled onion offering a bright contrast to the chopped liver. Or share the cured meats and cheese platter, an import antipasto.
Follow these up with fresh fish in parchment paper, handmade pasta like the butternut squash gnocchi or duck ragu over pappardelle, or the perfectly grilled hangar steak. Save a little room for dessert, such as the excellent pine nut tart or a special on one visit, light and creamy chocolate eclairs.
And number one on our list just celebrated their second birthday in their underground, downtown spot. The Bandwagon Brewpub impresses on every visit with quick and friendly service, a menu that keeps changing, and their own beers that range from good to great. The soup changes almost every day, and is usually a star. Try the beets, candied walnuts, and goat cheese salad as a starter or top it with chicken or shrimp for a main course.
The chicken tenders or coconut shrimp are a good appetizer or a late-night snack, or split one of those and the sauteed brussels sprouts for dinner. There's a half-pound local-beef burger served with roasted garlic mayo, but believe it or not, the handmade veggieburger, with barley and beans and pecans, is even better.
For a treat, try the shrimp, andouille sausage, spinach, and cherry tomatoes served with a red pepper cream sauce over cornmeal waffles. As a bonus, with beef and pork and cheese and eggs and many vegetables coming from local farms, Bandwagon says over a third of their food is now locally sourced. They also donate a dollar from every Bandwagon beer sold on Mondays to the Healthy Food for All program.
That's our restaurant countdown for the year. Have a safe and healthy 2012, visit one of these great restaurants, and tell them you heard about them here.
