Decades of Dining, celebrating Ithaca's veteran eateries

Our friends at WVBR are celebrating 40 Years of Rock, and we at 14850 Dining are getting in on the action by celebrating Decades of Dining, with a look at some Ithaca eateries that have been around most or all of that time.

Rogue's Harbor in Lansing dates back to 1830, back when it was the Central Exchange Hotel and catered to stagecoach traffic passing through the area. You could stay overnight for fifty cents, supper and horses extra. It's been Rogue's Harbor since the early 1900s, and though it's opened and closed a couple of times, the current incarnation prides itself on good food with lots of fresh New York ingredients, Finger Lakes wines and Central New York beers, and a friendly steakhouse and pub atmosphere. Try the baked brie appetizer, or stop in on Tuesday night for the wings special in the bar.

Joe's Restaurant in Ithaca's west end has also come and gone over the years, and we're pleased with the new family-style approach at this landmark Italian restaurant. Seafood, steaks, and the best eggplant parmigiana in town. Order your dinner small, large, or family-sized to fit your appetite or your group, and everything still comes with Joe's famous bottomless salad and breadsticks.

The legendary Glenwood Pines dates back to a farm stand overlooking Cayuga Lake shortly after World War II, and the restaurant as we know it now has its origins in the early 1960s. Try the famous Pinesburger, or the fabulous fried haddock sandwich or platter.

And the longevity award goes to the Lehigh Valley House, continuously operated for over a century near the railroad station and the Cayuga Lake Inlet. During Ithaca's decades of passenger rail service, the Valley House served overnight guests and travelers passing through. It's classic American food, steaks and chops and pasta and fish, and while the prices have gone up a little, you still get more than your money's worth -- a complete dinner for a reasonable price, and on the right night, live music.

Another eatery that predates Ithaca's Home of Rock is Manos Diner on the Elmira Road. Bill Manos tells us the original diner building from 1962 would have blown away in some of the recent stormy weather. Since then, the Diner of Fate has grown, and the fireplace in the attached Ichabod Lounge is perfect for enjoying breakfast on a cold weekend morning. Of course, Manos is still the best place in town for 3am blueberry pancakes, or tullyburger, fries with gravy, and a vanilla malt. Dating back even longer, to the mid '30s, is the smaller State Diner, west of downtown Ithaca on West State Street.

Bob Petrillose is no longer cooking until the wee hours every night, but his Hot Truck lives on, with weekend hours at the truck on Stewart Avenue offering French bread pizza subs for the late-evening munchies. Without Bob and his wife, who started making nighttime food in 1960, the handmade meatballs and Italian link sausage are a thing of the past, but the subs are still hot and gooey and delicious. The Hot Truck menu went 24-hours a couple of years ago at the Shortstop Deli, adding to their all-the-time lineup of subs, sandwiches, and soups that dates back to 1978. Stop in for a Grand Slam sub or a hot, already-ready bowl of macaroni and cheese or chili.

Ithaca has many more eateries that date back to the '70s, including the world-famous Moosewood Cafe, bringing vegetarian cookbooks to the masses and offering an ever-changing menu of mostly vegetarian cuisine. Enjoy a hot bowl of sweet potato soup, or the hearty vegetarian lasagna.

Get your vegetarian fix up the hill at the ABC Cafe on Stewart Avenue, with a handmade veggieburger, a burrito, or an omelet, with different featured ethnic menus each night. Stop in on the weekend for an expanded and excellent brunch menu, featuring ABC's avocado and cheddar omelet, or huevos rancheros.

The Nines on College Avenue took over an old fire station in the '70s, and serves up unique deep-dish pizza, along with roast chicken, ribs, and wonderful veggie or chicken chili and soups. Their deep-dish pizza is a thick and crusty square, with a sweet crust and lots of sauce. It sounds odd, but my topping combination is meatball, eggplant, and broccoli. They use sliced chunks of spicy meatballs, and breaded and fried slices of eggplant.

Still on College Avenue, Rulloff's dates back to the '70s as well, with a full-service bar, passable burgers and sandwiches, great salads, and a recent foray into Mexican-style dishes. Stop in on Sunday for an excellent brunch. And, in the same neighbourhood, Collegetown Bagels moved a few doors to the north in the mid '90s, but the basic idea hasn't changed. The CTB empire now includes the even-older Ithaca Bakery.

Enjoy your Decades of Dining with a side dish of 40 Years of Rock, and tell them you heard about them here.