Dijon's artisans dish up comfort food at downtown Ithaca's Mustard

Join us for a meal this week in downtown Ithaca at Mustard. It's the brainchild of the owners of Dijon Bistro, in the South Cayuga Street space you may remember as Daño's or Les Ducs or Lokelani's. While Dijon aims a bit fancier with its French fare and fine service, at Mustard, owners Courtnay and Mark Papera are focusing on that most American of cuisines, the comfort food.

Comfort food means different things to different people, but there's enough variety here that you should be covered, from substantial to meatloaf sandwiches to fish and chips or macaroni and cheese.

The thick and hearty bacon and cheddar chowder was the first to impress me. This hot and cheesy soup was great with thick, salty chunks of bacon.

Also in the cheese food group, Mustard's macaroni and cheese is made with elbows and New York cheddar, baked with bread crumbs to perfection. We suggest a side of that with the fish and chips, ample filets of golden brown batter-dipped haddock.

And the Mustard burger is a little bigger than most in town, with ten ounces of angus beef, thick and juicy and in my case, cooked to an optimal medium rare. The burger's topped with bacon, crispy onions, and cheddar, as well as garlic mayo, and it'll be a serious contender next time we look at Ithaca's top burgers.

One familiar favourite from Dijon is the amazing fries that come with most of the sandwiches and entrees, hot and crisp with a dish of wonderful mustardy aioli for dipping.

Also on the menu are a variety of ham, roast beef, and turkey sandwiches, plus vegetarian options like egg salad, grilled cheese, some of the soups, and several serious salads.

Homey touches include the silverware awaiting diners in a mason jar, a stack of paper napkins nearby, instead of fancy place settings; and the sheet of white butcher paper on each table. Some of the food is a touch bland for my taste, but it fits the comfort food theme. Add salt, pepper, and ketchup as you see fit.

Plan on spending 8 to 20 bucks on your meal. Mustard is at 113 South Cayuga Street and MustardNY.com. Stop in or call 697-0157 and tell them you heard about them here. Visit dining.14850.com for more details and photos. With the 14850 Dining Report on WVBR, I'm Mark Anbinder.