Olivia

So while the city of Ithaca is snowed in, and classes are cancelled for what seems like the first time in school history, I will use my time productively to update this site, instead of, say, doing homework. So one day, I am minding my own business, when I get an email from the famed Bollywood star, N. He proposes a lunch with a couple mystery guests (recipient list suppressed through the nifty Bcc: feature). Now, one does not turn down an opportunity to dine with N. The degree of his fame is unfathomable; in fact, I cannot even wrap my simple mind around it. So last Saturday, I decide to wake up before noon and embark on this adventure.

I walk down College Ave. and climb into a dark SUV, consisting of L, C, D, and N himself. I feel as if I have just walked on a proverbial icy red carpet, all the while shunning the papparazzi who are compelled to snap photos with flash, even in the blinding Ithaca sun. We drive down one long road, and finally arrive at Olivia, where the only other patrons are around 40 years older. I feel right at home with this crowd, who are half drunk on their mimosas. My only life aspiration is to be invited to dine with this vibrant, rebellious crowd.


Although we are only a party of five, we decide we are ballers and order nearly everything on the menu.


Braised beef empanadas - local ancho-braised beef with braised kale, & house bbq sauce 8

I was quite excited to see these Puruvian pockets of beef on the menu. However, I was disappointed to find the filling crumbly and dry. The beef could also have been marinated more; I would have liked to rely on the filling for flavor rather than the barbeque sauce, which was too salty.


Fried sticky rice - avocado cakes, edmame salad, soy-wasabi vinaigrette 8

This interesting sounding menu item was less tasty than I anticipated. Unseasoned sticky rice comes wrapped in a thin layer of fried batter, drizzled with a soy wasabi vinaigrette. The dressing, though less spicy than desired, was fine, but did not adequately season the puck of limp, white rice. Even sushi rice or something could have worked better here.


Warmed brie with pear-pecan pesto & crostini 7

This was the best appetizer of the three. What is not to love about some warmed, gooey cheese? Apparently nothing, because Naveen started to eat his brie straight up, with only sprinkles of crostini.


Grilled chicken club with avocado, bacon, tomato, red onion, & creamy gorgonzola on sourdough 10

Entrees fared better than appetizers. The chicken club was standard but solid, with some moist, lightly flavored chicken with crispy bacon and a cheesy condiment on not one, but two slices of bread.


3 Cheese Panini melted manchego, brie, local goat cheese, with onion, & tobasco aioli, in a crispy wrap 9

Naveen, lover of cheeses, decided to go for none other than the three cheese panini. It surely was cheesy, which made the panini too salty, with little bread to balance. I would have preferred this using the rolls that Whole Foods uses in their paninis. I assume with your attention to detail, that you have also noticed the fine arm of N. Now as I pull up my mental photo album of bank logos, his shirt color matches up exactly with GS's soothing yet classy soft blue. Well played, N, well played.


Salmon BLT pan seared, organic salmon with bacon, lettuce, tomato, & aioli on sourdough 13

This was perhaps my favorite sandwich of the day. Barely cooked, creamy salmon comes with crispy bacon sandwiched between soft, grilled sourdough for some nice texture contrast. What I liked most was that I got to taste every ingredient, especially the salmon, which was wonderfully undercooked.


Roasted portabella with local feta, kalamata salsa, onion, tomato, & balsamic, on sourdough 9

The portabella was pretty standard, though I would have liked more mushroom to balance out the salsa and feta. The thin slices did not suffice against the overload of parsley and onion.


French Toast orange-creme batter, sour cherries, goat cheese 9

We opted for one brunch item, and the french toast turned out to be quite decent, but it was lacking that delicately crispy exterior that Canteen does so well. I did enjoy the sour cherries, though.


Banana Split 7

As if we hadn't eaten enough, we asked for desserts, as per the baller style. The banana split comes with scoops of sour cherry and toasted marshmallow ice cream, candied walnuts, and a chocolate and banana spring roll. I was not too big a fan of the spring roll, which seemed superfluous and random being paired with sour cherry. Pleasantly, this "ice cream" turned out more to resemble sorbet, but I found myself avoiding huge pieces of hard, frozen cherries that were difficult to eat.


Pot of chocolate

It looks small, but packs in a bit of flavor, reminiscent of my pot de creme I had at 1550 Hyde. The chocolate, though rich and smooth, could surely have been more bitter. I also would have liked some creme fraiche instead of out-of-the-can whipped cream.


Apple-thyme tart 8

Along with the chocolate pot, the apple tart was one of the dessert specials of the day. I was disappointed to find the tart itself limp and undercooked, and the apple slices too soft. The caramel and honey were also a bit too much for this already sweet tart, which was noticeably absent of any thyme accent. Unlike the pot of chocolate, this was a miss.

Olivia
381 Pine Tree Road
Ithaca, NY 14850

Sticky Rice

Before I move onto my backlog of Bay Area restaurants, I am going to review a few restaurants around here (Ithaca). Not too much has changed, except for a burrito place and Starbucks. Having tried a chicken burrito from "That Burrito Place," I can't say I was too impressed. The rice was clumpy, the chicken too dry, and salsa lacked soul. It did, however, knock me out for a good 3 hours or so, and I woke up lethargic and slothful. In any case, I am glad that there exists another reason for me not to consume my abysmal creations. It is also about time that a Starbucks opened in Collegetown. As much as I am a champion for small businesses, I also support enterprises that improve my quality of life. Now all we need is some sort of gourmet grocery and/or a fish monger, and I will have one less thing to complain about.

Now moving on. Sticky Rice is one of those establishments that you would never expect to have a website. Situated in a back alley adjacent to a Domino's, one would more likely expect to find shady dealings, because Ithaca is a haven for tomfoolery. The restaurant has an amazingly limited front-of-house, and mostly does take-out business.


Summer Rolls - Shredded green leaf lettuce, julienne tofu kan, sautéed bean sprouts, pickled carrots and daikon, fresh mint, scallions, cilantro and rice vermicelli noodles

These rolls were good, mostly for the reason that they tasted exactly like what you would expect. The only problem was that sauce was a bit too saccharine.


Shrimp Green Curry 10.75

The shrimp green curry was one of the better things we ordered. The shrimp was crisp and fresh, and came with an abundance of lime leaves, basil, red peppers, and onions. The curry was well-balanced and flavorful, but I felt that this dish was slightly sweeter than I preferred. I suspect it was the sweet potato, which made the curry a tad too sweet.


Khoawniew Somtum, Gai yarng / Moo yarng - A combination platter of papaya salad, and BBQ chicken, served with sticky rice.$13.75

I wasn't too fond of this entree. We were given little bits and parts of an anorexic chicken, and ended up with a combined 2.5 cubic inches of meat or less. I gave up on the literal skin and bones, and moved onto the papaya salad. The salad consisted of shredded green papaya and plum tomato halves, doused in an overwhelmingly unbalanced fish sauce that was both too sour and salty. I would have also liked some peanuts as an accent.


Red Curry sauce with Lime Leaf over Pollock (Pla Choo Chee) $12.95

This was an entree that was recommended by our server, so we were surprised when this turned out to be the worst thing we ordered that night. The marinated pollock came steamed with coconut milk in a lime leaf, served with red curry sauteed with garlic, ginger, cilantro, and onions. There were just too many flavors competing, and every flavor clashed with each other. The pollock was already flavorful and (too) savory, having been marinated in a pungent spice. The coconut milk was not a tactful pairing, and the curry just served to compound the saltiness of the entree. This dish just tasted plain confused.


Sticky Rice with Mango

This is perhaps still my favorite dish at Sticky Rice, and I have made up my mind that the place is only worth visiting for the curries and dessert. I always order the purple rice, which arrives chewier and drier than your average Thai restaurant because they steam it in the Laotian tradition. Mixed into the rice are crunchy toasted rice pieces, contributing to some interesting flavor contrast. Topped with mango, toasted sesame seeds, and sweet coconut milk, this is a comfort food that qualifies as one of my favorite desserts.

Sticky Rice
401 E State St
Ithaca, NY 14850

Ithaca Farmer's Market

Since arriving at university two years ago, I've been meaning to go to the Farmer's Market. It only takes around 10 minutes by car, but even that is somewhat inaccessible for car-less college students (it would probably take 2 hours with the Ithaca bus system). Since last weekend was the first breather I've had in awhile, A and I headed down to the Steamboat Landing for some good ol' saturday morning browsing. It's also been getting progressively colder, so we didn't want to miss the last bounty of produce before the season is over.


Upstate New York is known for the apples, and that became a recurring theme for many vendors.


Squash and other winter vegetables were making their debut, with the early arrival of the cold this year.


We started getting pretty hungry, so we hit up Solaz, the breakfast burrito stand that A highly lauded. We ordered the special, which came with creamy scrambled eggs, cheese, home fries, and sausage. The hearty and meltingly-soft burrito wasn't too photogenic--but it was tasty.


Cambodian food vendor, who offered some curry, noodles, and banana fritters.


..and his wife, who skillfully handled the two fryers.


I had in mind to find something healthy that would help me stay awake besides my usual cup of joe, when I came upon this honey stand. They had some interesting flavors - amaretto, lavender, buckwheat - but even more interesting was my conversation with a fellow shopper. She mentioned that honey was indeed a good replacement for caffeine, but that truck drivers had even more effective tricks for staying awake. Of course, she also had quite a different notion of "legal."


We then came across Macro-Mama, which sold a variety of organic salads and other macrobiotic things, but we focused more (solely) on the desserts. I couldn't take my eyes off the pie, which had quite a good height and apple to crust ratio.


A good 3 inches tall, I'd say.


We then came across Jung Ching Foods, where we met, presumably, Ms. Jung Ching herself. She sells a variety of egg rolls, dumplings, potstickers, and dim sum.


A and I decided to go for the shrimp dumplings, which were hearty and thankfully non-MSGified.


Apples, which are apparently measured in pecks


Some more apples


Pastries


Samosas, in some interesting flavors


Pulled pork sandwich, apparently slow smoked over hickory for 14 hours.


This produce vendor had some of the cleanest vegetables I've seen. The bok choy was practically snow white, and the swiss chard was so fresh I bought up a bundle.


We then came across a vendor with Japanese food - gyoza, curry, yakitori, among other things.


And we got the curry chicken, which was just we needed on that cold fall day.


Brioches and other goods


Since we were still cold and hungry, we visited a soup vendor where I ordered the vegetable medley - quite the health-conscious blend of swiss chard, green beans, celery, and carrots.



The Ithaca Farmer's Market offers a good variety of fresh produce as well as some interesting prepared foods. It is considerably different from the Ferry Building Farmer's Market with a style very distinct to Ithaca, complete with vendors selling unique wood etchings and even silk scrolls. Not only is it a great way to spend an afternoon, it's a way to support some of the nicest, hardest working individuals running those stands.

Hours:
Dewitt Park
May - Oct: Tue 9 - 2pm

Steamboat Landing
April - Oct: Sat 9 - 3pm
Nov - Dec: 10 - 3pm
May - Oct: Sun 10 - 3pm
June 2 - Sept 1: Thu 3 - 7pm

Masochizing

I apologize for my lack of updates--school has been insanely busy. I've been sleeping in fewer than 3 hour increments, and going through the day fueled by coffee, my liquid crack. Here is what my desk typically looked like the past week:


MacBook, Finance notes, Gimme Coffee!, Starbucks, frumpy Chinese takeout, comforting carbs (previously on blue plate)

As you can see, quality of life is not at the top of my priority list. However, I do realize I need those nifty omega-3s for brain enhancing.


Salmon Bento

Plum Tree, one of the three Japanese restaurants in Ithaca (literally), offers a good lunch deal on their bentos. You get two good-sized chunks of grilled salmon, some california roll, edamame, salad, and rice for about $11. Pretty good deal for college students.

Is it good? Well, the teriyaki sauce is a bit too sweet, the salmon is tough and overdone, but hey, it hits the spot. And its better than living off takeout tofu and vegetables or cold sandwiches all day.



For you lucky ones in SF, there is a Sunday dinner at the Ferry Building at 7. Not only will you enjoy a five course meal from chefs of some of the city's best restaurants (Dining Room at Rit, Fifth Floor, Campton Place, Picco, Quince, etc), you'll also be supporting the Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Organization (CUESA). And that's pretty awesome.

Moosewood Restaurant

Sooooooooooo I haven't been diligent about posting. It's currently finals week, which means I need to get my act together and make up for all the missed classes and things. Among other things I've learned this week (but should have learned long ago since this happens every time): don't start on a semester long research paper 3 days before it is due; don't start learning accounting the day of the final; and go to ALL my classes. I will rectify that by procrasting yet again.

Moosewood Restaurant, founded in 1973, is an Ithaca institution famous for driving the vegetarian cooking movement. It emphasizes natural and locally grown ingredients and has a daily rotating menu. It's similar to Chez Panisse, but with lower prices (and a crappier location). This would be my first visit; I had been deterred by all my college peers' bad reviews, but they mostly complained how it was very vegetarian. I guess they just prefer their burgers.

Even the menu looks natural. Or maybe it's just the Greek-y type?

Tossed green salad with Japanese carrot dressing

I really enjoyed the dressing. Even without oil, it was very smooth and creamy; it was also quite gingery, garlicky, and vinegary.

Texas two-bean soup

Pretty much your basic chili-tasing soup. I liked how it wasn't too salty or starchy. There were these really juicy tomatoes that just burst in your mouth.

Tunisian Vegetable Stew - sweet potatoes, peppers, cabbage, tomatoes & chick peas seasoned with cinnamon, coriander & lemon, served on cous cous, topped with grated feta cheese

This dish was kind of blah. The stew was a bit too sweet in general; a bowl of sweet vegetables isn't too exciting.

Eggplant Scallopine - roasted eggplant, portabello & white mushrooms, & multicolored peppers simmered with tomatoes, marsala & basil; served on spiral pasta & topped with parmesan

I really liked the veggies of the entree. Everything was super juicy, and the mushrooms were especially aromatic. I also liked how the sauce wasn't too salty nor viscous. I would have preferred the pasta more al dente, though. Overall, this was a delicious yet healthful dish.

Seafood Cake - a baked patty with salmon, shrimp, vegetables, and bread crumbs, served with herbed aioli, roasted potatoes, & cabbage slaw

This was probably the best of all three. The cake had a crunchy exterior and a creamy, soft interior. The salmon wasn't fishy tasting from the salmon, since the merepoix helped balance. The aioli, however, overpowered the cake so we just brushed it to the side.

The potatoes were roasted simply with brushed olive oil and some garlic. The cabbage slaw was really good too; the red cabbage was crunchy and fresh.

Vegan bluberry apple crumble

Since I am very fond of certain vegan baked goods (Babycakes!), I decided to try this vegan crumble. The innards were a bit sweeter and syrupy than I expected, but not bad. The crumble had great flavor even with the absence of butter. I was impressed.

Citrus Greek yogurt walnut cake

This yogurt cake was better than the crumble. It was very moist and surprisingly light. It had an interesting texture without being cakey. The citrus accent was very refreshing, and the bits of walnut gave it a strong nutty flavor. The chocolate drizzle was a bit competitive and superfluous, though.

Overall, I really enjoyed my lunch at Moosewood. Everything tasted very healthful and I left sated and not overwhelmingly full. So, we then proceed to fulfill my muffin craving since I didn't go to Babycakes afterall.
GreenStar Coop is a natural food store which carries a lot of locally grown produce. I like it because of its wide selection of organic baked goods and the fact that they carry Wallaby yogurt. I bought an applesauce cranberry muffin with lots of texture. I love textured muffins.

Along the way back to the Commons, we passed by several Ithaca-esque buildings.

Mama Goose is a second-hand children's clothing store. It's all very cute, but I don't really see a market for it here. It's one of those anachronistic little gems that would work in a big city.

This was a scene that screamed Middle America. I wonder if it's a furniture store..or a toy store? And who's Bogie? It also reminds me of one of those scary toy stores from Are You Afraid of the Dark (best show ever).

State Street Theater--in sepia, no less!

Moosewood Restaurant
215 N. Cayuga Street, Dewitt Building
Ithaca, NY 14850

Home on Thursday the 18th!