<p>Moosewood does include fish on the menu, and IMHO, the food there is still good.</p>
<p>I never liked Laurel’s Kitchen as much, but I still have the rest. </p>
<p>I’ve been told that there are better vegetarian restaurants in Ithaca, but I’d still have to do the pilgrimage on principal. :)</p>
<p>My favorite place for breakfast/brunch is at the DeWitt Cafe – same building as the Moosewood and also on the first floor.</p>
<p>
Laurel’s Kitchen was the first cookbook I ever owned–a present from a girlfriend at the time (or did I just “borrow” it from her?). The only thing I remember from it is this butter/oil blend she called Better-Butter. And I remember feeling an irrational hatred for the corny hippie goofiness of that name, right down to the hyphen. I still blame this for my failure to embrace vegetarianism. :)</p>
<p>Boatyard is a very good, a favorite of my teens. ZsaZsa is great Italian but you need a reservation. There is also a good Mexican place downtown on the main street, don’t remember the name. Also Ithaca Brewing Company on the main drag for good burgers and such. But the all time favorite for my teens is always Benchwarmers downtown, a sports bar with good food. Oh my there is so much good food in Ithaca. We tried Moosewoods once but were not to fond of the veg. selection.
****Breakfast/Lunch the Farmer’s Market is a must!</p>
<p>Lunch at the Farmer’s Market on the weekend was great! Fantastic variety, fantastic ethnic foods, great ambiance. Simeon’s is excellent. I insisted on going there twice. Moosewood was kind of disappointing – we ordered what sounded like interesting pasta dishes but tasted like plain old macaroni and cheese. Aladdin in Collegetown was nice food at a really good price. I’m so glad someone started this thread, since we are always looking for new places to try.</p>
<p>“There was also a cute, funky place with good food called, I think, The Stray Dog.”</p>
<p>Maybe it’s the Lost Dog Cafe? I seem to recall my roommate going on a date there last year, though I too might be off on the name. Whatever it is we’re thinking of, she said the food was absolutely fantastic. </p>
<p>Purity is definitely the place to stop for dessert. Their ice cream really is great, and they have tons of flavors too. As for meals, I didn’t eat out much, but my brother took me to the Ithaca Ale House and I had one of the best burgers I’ve ever had in my life (only topped by a burger made from fillet mignon trimmings, which resulted from my dad being a meat cutter). Essentially, they do really, really good American food with exotic/high quality beer, if you’re into that. In addition, they’re not very expensive if you’re on a budget, and they have Ithaca root beer, which I recommend if you’re a fan of root beer. If I remember correctly my brother and his wife are also big fans of Simeon’s. </p>
<p>After living in Ithaca for a year I feel I should have more to contribute than this, but it’s hard to explore the town when you’re broke as a joke. :D</p>
<p>Thank you, everyone! I think we will need to cancel the college tours and just eat all weekend!</p>
<p>It was called the Lost Dog Cafe and it was great but it is now closed. I believe someone is opening a new restaurant in that space soon.</p>
<p>I like Carriage House for breakfast/brunch … another sort of funky cute place in Collegetown … I think the guys call it lower Collegetown … to distinguish it from the main part of Collegetown where JohnnyO’s and Ruloff’s are.</p>
<p>The Chariot closed a few years ago, but you can still order their legendary corn nuggets at The Nines.</p>
<p>And the tapas place’s name is Just a Taste.</p>
<p>So sad to learn that the Lost Dog has closed… my friends and I had a tradition of dining there right after seeing the ice sculptures on the Commons :(.</p>
<p>Another vote for Boatyard (locals recommended it)
Za Za’s Cucina- upscale
North Dining Hall on campus - comparable to South Dining Hall at Univ of Notre Dame …memorable</p>