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Favorite Restaurants  

07 July 2005 | filed under Ithaca Information

In this town it’s possible to eat too much Thai food since there’s approximately five Thai restaurants per square mile. We like Taste of Thai on the Commons once in awhile, and also Taste of Thai Express on State St, though their food can be inconsistent. Order the same dish on three occasions and it will taste different all three times. Thai Cuisine is really good too, but we’ve only been there once.

We liked Bistro Q, but it went out of business without fanfare (or a sign on the door) a few months ago. Over the weekend we saw the building has been repainted and will be reborn very soon as another BBQ restaurant. We’ll definitely check that out.

Maxies is great for oysters, jambalaya and po-boys - tasty stuff. Everytime we’ve been the service has been less than stellar, though, as some part of our order is inevitably forgotten.

Our new favorite is Asia Cuisine (Japanese & Korean) on the corner of Aurora and Seneca. Wow! We had a yummy (cooked) spicy tuna and lobster roll, a perfect bi bim bop served in a hot stone bowl, and a spicy tofu stew. We thought it wouldn’t be possible to find any better sushi in Ithaca than what Wegman’s sells, but this restaurant may have the answer. Next time we go we’re going to try some raw sushi.

Other notes: Jamaica Pat’s, new on Cayuga St, offers Caribbean comfort food - they do an awesome jerk chicken. Ruloff’s in Collegetown has a good burger. Best pizza is Pizza Aroma on the corner of Cayuga & Green.

So yeah, there’s no shortage of great restaurants in Ithaca.

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Comments

  1. Looks like Jamaica Pat’s is closed again. I heard that there was going to be a third (!) owner going in there to try to keep it going. Third owner in last six months.


    comment by Dave on 07 July 2005 at 11:50 pm


  2. Wow, so it was open for a total of two months! That sucks. I came across an Ithaca Journal headline (the story is somehow lost online though) that the chef was awaiting deportation. I suppose that came to fruition… :O(


    comment by Tiffany on 08 July 2005 at 8:21 am


  3. Hi! Just wanted to say that I love your blog–I lived in Ithaca for nine years (including college) and in Fall Creek for the last five of those, and I love reading about everything that’s going on. I’m so sad to hear that Bistro Q closed–it was one of my favorite brunch spots. If you haven’t been to Just a Taste, the tapas place on Aurora Street, definitely go–it’s one of my absolute favorite Ithaca restaurants. Make sure you try the deep fried russet potato wedges with chipotle aioli!


    comment by Lauren on 11 July 2005 at 1:11 pm


  4. Hi, and thanks Lauren! I know it’s unbelievable that we haven’t actually tried Just a Taste yet, but thanks for your recommendation. The menu looks great, and we have been meaning to go really ever since we got here. Many times we’ve popped by for dinner but it was lined up. Speaking of brunch - over the weekend we had a lovely brunch at the DeWitt Cafe in the mall.

    There’s another restaurant that we know nothing about, but might sometime get around to trying - Sticky Rice in the Gateway building where the History Center is. Anyone been there?


    comment by Tiffany on 11 July 2005 at 2:37 pm


  5. I got takeout from there once or twice and it was really good–I don’t think you can go wrong with any of the Thai places in Ithaca, frankly. Hey, is ZaZa’s Cucina (I think that’s what it’s called) at the end of Cascadilla Street still open? The food there wasn’t the best Italian food I’ve ever had but it was good, and they have the best restaurant bathroom in Ithaca, in my opinion (black sinks and toilets and small TVs playing old, black-and-white, Italian movies). The decor of the whole place is jaw-dropping, especially considering it used to be a video store. Be sure to post what you think of Just a Taste when you make it there!


    comment by Lauren on 11 July 2005 at 5:38 pm


  6. Bistro Q went out of business? THAT explains why they were closed when I tried to take my parents there… I knew it wasn’t a seasonal thing, damnit..

    But instead, we went to Just A Taste. And yes, I second it. Great appetizers, good wine, nice outdoor area in back. Yup, classy place all around.

    (Hey, did you ever realize that to get full posts in RSS, there is an option in WP? K, I admit, I didn’t ever try and figure out how to do it. But the other day I was editing a few options, and noticed it. options> reading> select “full text” for the “for each article, show” option. Try it out, see if that does what I think it does.)


    comment by Zeke on 11 July 2005 at 8:45 pm


  7. Aww Man! I just did a search for Ithaca on Caribbean restaurants. I’m West indian and I’ll be @ Cornell for the next 4 years. I got all excited to see there was a jamaican restaurant just to hear that it closed down! :(
    Not cool…at all :(


    comment by Shivon on 24 July 2005 at 5:01 pm


  8. THEY JUST REOPENED!! Under a different name - Yah! Mon. We ate there the other night and I think the food is even better than before…. hope you get there to try it :O)


    comment by Tiffany on 29 September 2005 at 9:16 pm


  9. does anyone know of any restaurant spaces available because I am moving to Ithaca in July and want to have a restaurant. Any info would be a great help


    comment by mark on 26 June 2006 at 7:01 pm


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