Unique mac and cheese and good gnocchi!…read more I am debating giving the rook 3 or 4 stars... I was not a fan of the salmon mousse... far too salty and I wish it was paired with crisped bread or at least something other than Ritz crackers. I did, however, enjoy the presentation and taste of the macaroni au gratin. The square shape is very unique and I liked the cheese sauce. The lamb w gnocchi was also quite good. Pillowy and soft. The lamb was cooked well. Overall, I would maybe return. I enjoyed the macaroni au gratin as well as the lamb w gnocchi!

Loved the Rook's design choices, filled with anthropomorphic art and light yet refined ambiance…read more It wasn't too crowded when we arrived and we were seated immediately. Staff was pleasant and quick. The menu is dominated by drink options (cocktails and wines), and happy hour is 4-5pm, which is perfect for an aperitif. The fried chicken is by far their speciality, with the macaroni coming in as a distant second. But while both were delicious, I'd say the best value and taste goes surprisingly to the simple summer salad, which was crisp, sweet, tangy, and refreshing. It's only $10 for a hefty portion of food and I'd order that again anytime (and that's coming from a guy who'd never normally order a salad). My only criticisms are that the Rook doesn't have many entree choices (which may be a good thing for indecisive diners), and that it's very slightly pricey. Otherwise, it's an easy recommend for me.

We enjoyed our meals and drinks!…read more We made it just before the rush on Friday night. When we left around 7:30 there was a huge wait in the lobby. We all enjoyed our burgers and nachos. Service was a bit slow but the server was friendly and helpful.

Our first bar in the area for some brew, and it didnt disappoint. Drank a few porters from Great…read moreLakes Brewing(yum) started chatting up the bartender (Danielle) who gave us info on some other places to hit, she was super nice. She also recommended the wings with the "garbage" sauce, and im so glad she did!!! Fricking delish!!!! We did boneless, & it was worth it.

The ambiance became, while intimate at first, a bit noisy toward the end of dinner--probably due…read moreto the close proximity of tables and the overall restaurant set up. However, did love the elevated feel of a typical American bistro. We thought the service could've been more attentive, but improved as the evening progressed. Our waitress was super nice and was helpful in explaining the menu specials and answering any questions we had. Most notably on the menu, the NY strip was a perfect medium rare. We opted to get the 4 jumbo shrimp on the side, which we thought retained a nice snap when we bit into it. It was also well seasoned, while still displaying its freshness. The fries complemented the steak, but was too well done for our liking. Our other entree, the lobster mac and cheese, had a nice cheese pull. We liked the added roasted tomatoes in the baked mac and cheese, which gave it a necessary acidity that countered the creamy, cheesy roux. For our appetizer, we chose the meat and cheese board, which was really solid. Appreciated the waitress explaining the selection, as well as the addition of a sour cherry jam and pickles on the side. This gave us a lot of mix and match options (64 to be exact), and we also liked how it came with charred/toasted bread. Finally, we wrapped up with a chocolate peanut butter parfait and key lime pie. Both were really good (get both if possible, but we liked the latter more).

Food, service and ambiance ON POINT!!! With every visit to Ithaca I try my best to not leave…read morewithout having my favorite at Simeon's which is their magical Mussels with the tasty grilled bread to perfection. The thing that was different this time was I had to leave early so we visited for brunch and I quickly, was saddened that they do not serve mussels during brunch time but to my delightful surprise the chef made an exception an I was smiling so hard that the waiters were please and extremely happy for me. For that I am grateful and needed to recommend my favorite restaurant on the Ithaca commons.

The food was good, but the service was very slow because there was one server working the whole…read morerestaurant. It was a late Saturday dinner for the 6 of us. We got our sodas 30 minutes later. Thankfully the food was good. The tater tots were crispy and the French onion soup was flavorful.

Cozy tavern. Fun server. Two of us at table for 5, they accommodated 5 last minute friends for a…read moretotal of 7. French Onion burger delicious. Tots crispy and warm, partner requested fryer fresh replacement - accommodated. Gratuity added, for less than 8? I wouldn't mind but I didn't look before I added regular tip to my share of bill, my bad.

Good and creative dishes. I had the shrimp roll with fingerling potatoes that came with a delicious…read moregarlic aioli.

Kylee was terrific!! And you should definitely order the Hot Lips drink. It was AWESOME.read more

I've had brunch, lunch, and dinner at MIX, and all with varying levels of enjoyment. My recent…read morebrunch experience included ordering a Where the West Begins omelette, which includes "Braised short rib, butternut squash, red onion jam, spinach, smoked gouda". I wasn't sure how to feel about butternut squash with everything else (I'm not necessarily a huge squash fan - but I'm trying to learn to enjoy it), but the omelette was decent... it's the other side on my plate that looked less than appetizing. The biscuit was still covered in flour (and who wants to bite down on a clump of flour?), the cheddar hashbrown casserole lacked in flavor, and the brown sugar cinnamon oatmeal just... wasn't doin' it for me. Other recent experiences have been similar... there's usually one item on the plate that's flavorful or imventive (sometimes a main dish, sometimes a side), and the other parts of the plate are lacking. In reality, I think MIX is suffering a bit from rising food costs and inconsistency in their service and offerings. They've also changed the style of their menu from the original tapas-style to now being more typical entree options. Again... they've lost some of their innovative, experimental approach. In terms of ambiance, it really depends. I've been here for a work event and, because of the number of people, it was SO LOUD... they had also done a buffet offering for the event. As you can imagine, the food from the buffet was lacking, but that's often what happens when you're more mass producing your food (and it's left in a chafing dish, trying to be kept warm). On the other hand, I've been here for a dinner on a random night and was able to enjoy one of their Thai noodle bowls (and split some other apps with friends). The reality is that experiences at MIX are... well... a mix. Whether service, menu offerings, etc., I've found MIX's recent inconsistencies to be a disappointment. Will probably only visit in the future if it's suggested by others.

we made a resy for 5 for a wednesday night dinner, not crowded at all and our server was the most…read moredarling lady. she checked on us many times and would call us "love" after she would take our orders or give us more water. it was very nice and homey. we came here initially because in the past it's been a tapas place and we were looking forward to sharing small plates. unfortunately they changed their menu so they mostly do individual entrees now with a plethora of options from spaghetti to steak to burgers to thai noodles (lots of options) thai mussel bowl - 3/5 mussels a little ocean-y fishy tasting and the thai sauce a little liquidy brazilian cheesy bread gluten free 4/5 - yum appetizers delicious crunchy with cheese inside. the red dipping sauce was just tomato sauce a little strange but not bad osco bucco 3/5 - a little salty but a solid pork shoulder. the gnocci was also fried which was interesting italian sub with house salad 4/5 - good solid sub, i could only finish half and ate my entire side salad which had nice breaded croutons (not the dense thick ones) red clam linguine 4/5 - not bad, only about 4 clams but some more inside the pasta penne alla vodka 3.5/5 - a solid pasta nothing special

My family enjoyed a fun and great meal here. The waiter treated us like family and was…read morerespectfully, knowable, and humorous in all the right ways with the measure of taste that suited our family perfectly. Delicious food.

I stopped by Sunset Grill while venturing down to the southern tip of Ithaca for some clay…read morewheelthrowing. The location is a bit of a trek if you're without a car (especially in the winter), which probably explains why it wasn't too crowded when I got there. But the people who were there were super friendly and helpful, which made the experience that much better! I went for the Saturday Special Steak, which was around $20, and it did not disappoint. I chose the "petite" steak (because the King and Queen sizes sounded like a bit much for me), but even the petite was massive. I couldn't finish most of it, but I was definitely full. The portions are no joke. Overall, the food was great, the portions were generous, and the staff made it a really pleasant stop. If you're in the area or just looking for a hearty meal, definitely worth the visit!

We shared a bottle of wine recommended by the server. We also shared a small charcuterie board. It…read morewas fine. The bar itself is stunning. Very impressive. It's busy for a Sunday night. I think it's all faithful regulars. Not surprising. We had a great time.

Inviting homey cocktail bar including many sober options. The owner Ashley made us 3 great…read morecocktails included a nice Sazerac. Quiet conversation upstairs or jazz downstairs. And we learned why Utica Club is the most popular local beer.

Located on the Cornell university campus. Great ambiance with wonderful prepared cuisine. Attentive…read morestaff that pay close attention to detail. Love this place for brunch with friends and family.

This was an entirely student-run operation, which already made it feel special and shoutout to my…read morefriend who managed to snag us seats. I was genuinely excited to check it out. The theme for the night was Pojangmacha, inspired by Korean street food stalls, and the vibes were on point. Our table of six shared the Korean BBQ short ribs (LA Galbi) for $24. The ribs were tasty but leaned a bit salty -- not a dealbreaker, but definitely something we noticed. As for the rice, it was a bit divisive. A few people at our table found the texture odd, but I didn't mind it. Honestly, I was too focused on the meat to overthink the rice. The truffle fries were $12 and were pretty good too although I wish the truffle flavor was stronger. The true star for me was the Strawberries and Cream dessert. I think it was around $6, but I was too busy having an experience to confirm. It was so simple, but so good -- like, how did I not know strawberries and cream could slay this hard? Pure joy in a cup lol.

From the friendly greeting when we came in, the great atmosphere/vibe and really delicious upscale…read morepub food... this place is a 10+!! 10/10 recommend!

It has been about 10 years since I last visited Ithaca Beer Company. The last time we came here we…read morecelebrated friendships and it was my first time of coming to Ithaca. We had a wonderful time. This time, I ordered the vegetarian chorizo burger. The burger It came with large cut potato fries. My only issue stemmed from our waiting for our orders for well over 30 minutes. We placed our orders the same time as our friends. Yes they received their orders within 10 minutes. Our server asked if we placed our burger orders. We said yes. The burger tasted decent but a little cold. The fries tasted cold. I felt we got overlooked and ignored. I do like the ambience. It felt relaxed and chill.