Downtown Ithaca's Asia Cuisine blends Korean and Japanese styles for a delicious meal

This week the 14850 Dining Report is in downtown Ithaca visiting Asia Cuisine. We've heard good things about this combination Korean and Japanese restaurant on the corner of Seneca and Aurora Streets not far from the Commons, and we finally got to check it out for ourselves.

I'm a big fan of the warming powers of a hearty bowl of bibimbap, a traditional Korean dish with rice, vegetables, sliced meat, and often an egg, so I was intrigued by the idea of one of Asia Cuisine's specials, sashimi bibimbap. This $15 variant (the regular bibimbap is $9) was cold, perfect for a recent warm night, with cellophane noodles topped with pickled vegetables and a mound of fresh, raw fish and seafood as well as fish eggs. It was beautiful and remarkably colourful, and really, really tasty and refreshing. Mix with a little chili paste and enjoy.

For a hot meal, the beef bulgogi is a traditional sliced Korean spicy BBQ dish with vegetables, served here on a cute hot cast iron tray shaped like a cow. (We all wondered where we could get our own cast iron cows.) Or the traditional bibimbap is available in a hot stone bowl that will keep your food warm, and warm you up as well. We'll save that option for mid-February.

We ordered some sushi as an appetizer, though it came after our entrees... which even on a busy night appeared very quickly. The eel roll was the expected sweet and tangy, but the spicy tuna roll had a surprising kick to it. Too spicy? Nah. But watch out if you prefer a mild spice. Most dishes can be ordered on a scale of spiciness... we love that it's not 1 to 5, but 1 to 5.5. The extra .5 rating must be for those who never found 5 quite spicy enough.

Asia Cuisine also serves the original happy meal... Japanese or Korean Bento Box meals, a complete dinner in a single attractive box, such as teriyaki chicken, BBQ eel, or bulgogi. Naturally, there are lots of hot and cold vegetarian dishes, based on tofu or kimchi or both.

There's a short list of hot or cold sake, rice wine, or beer available, and we'd love to see some other wines on the list. Whites like Riesling or Gewurtztraminer go especially well with spicy Asian food. We enjoyed a cold Sayaka sake, dry and crisp and a little fruity, that was a perfect accompaniment, but not everyone loves sake.

Plan on spending $8-20 on a meal. Find Asia Cuisine at 126 North Aurora Street, call 607-256-8818 or order takeout from campusfood.com, and tell them you heard about them here.