Hello and welcome to another post on Boone Appétit! The last time I wrote about going to Ithaca I cut the post in half because there’s really so much to do. One blog post would have been way to long. In this post I wanted to talk a little bit about the beauty and accessibility of the surrounding nature and the town itself. Certain parts of Ithaca are very walkable and there are many walking and hiking trails. One of my favorite spots is called “The Commons”, much like the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder Colorado, The Commons is also a place where the streets have been closed off to cars creating an open space for people to walk amongst the many restaurants and shops. It’s a great place for outdoor dining, though the weather has turned cold as I’m writing this, and a fun spot to sit and watch the world go by. The variety of restaurants go from brew pubs to food trucks to relaxing sit down places. The food truck restaurant is also a thing in Ithaca. I believe that’s because of the colder weather for much of the year. This way people can have food truck style food inside and relax in the warmth. Two of my favorites are Luna Inspired Street Food and The Short Stop Deli.
Ithaca is also known for its gorges. There’s lots of merchandise that say, “Ithaca is gorges” so you get the idea. The campus at Cornell is actually divided by a gorge and has a very nice waterfall that flows all the way down to the lake. Within a couple blocks of my son’s apartment there are two beautiful falls, Ithaca Falls and Cascadilla Falls. A twenty minute ride outside of town you’ll find Taughannock Falls that were formed by a glacier thousands of years ago. If hiking and waterfalls are your thing, take a trip to Ithaca and you won’t be disappointed. To be fair though, there is a lot of uphill rocky terrain, so come prepared. Also, as you might imagine it tends to rain often. I’d suggest walking around the Cornell campus if you aren’t ready for rugged trail hikes but the campus also seems entirely uphill no matter which direction you’re walking! The saving grace is the dairy bar, where you can get ice cream from the college cows made right on the premises. For some reason fresh ice cream is always the best, and Cornell’s ice cream ranks up there in the top 10. That reminds me, one day I’ll have to do a post on the best college ice creams. If you have any suggestions please let me know.
After a day of walking and hiking around Ithaca and being a little wet from the misty waterfalls it’s nice to be able to chose from their many diverse restaurants. On this evening Maru Ramen was the choice for me. There are days when you just need a big bowl of soup and Maru Ramen gets 5 stars on trip advisor! I’m not one to go by the reviews usually, but a place with a perfect score seems like one you should check out at least once. I ordered the Bil-Go-Gi soup which is a broth that is simmered for 17-20 hours. It’s then topped with shaved beef, noodles and spices. It really was 5 stars and felt so good on a cold damp Autumn night. The vegetable dumplings were ok but I had one that didn’t have much inside of it, still the flavor and texture of the dough was excellent. Overall I’d say Maru Ramen is at least 4.5 stars for me and I would diffidently recommend it to anyone looking for a great ramen restaurant.
The next days adventures where equally tiring and wet but the weather had turned even colder with a threat of snow! To early for me but a good excuse to eat some comfort food. A couple doors down from Maru Ramen is a place called The Rook that is known for it’s fried chicken and mashed potatoes. The catch here is they only serve boneless dark meat chicken. The Rook also serves Poutine which is hard to find outside of Canada, I opted not to order the Poutine because it can be so filling you wont have room for the main course. I got an order of Pierogies instead and their signature duck fat fried chicken and mashed . At first I was a little worried about the chicken being boneless because the bones help it to retain flavor and moisture, plus its something to hold on to! I was happily surprised to find their boneless thighs to be both flavorful and moist. The gravy on the mashed potatoes was another matter. The overpowering flavor of Thyme and Sage made the mashed unappealing. If you ever go to the Rook remember to order the gravy on the side! I would go back again and try the Poutine and maybe a burger but I’ll pass on the mashed potatoes with gravy.
I know many of you may never venture to Ithaca, but if you do, you will have a very enjoyable experience. The summer is the time to go if you like boating and camping. The Fall is an amazing time in upstate Ny and perfect weather for hiking. If you’re one of the hardy souls and love the extremes of winter, you’ll be in luck too. If you have anything to add about Ithaca please send me an email or post it in the box below. As always if you have any questions or comments please post them in the box below as well and I’ll get to them as soon as I can. Until next time, Boone Appétit!
I have been there but not in many years. You took some great shots! The Autumn leaves looks just spectacular. And yes, uphill both ways for sure!
Thanks Bets, I’m glad I’m not the only one who’s experienced the hills of Cornell!