Places to eat in Ithaca

[TimV]

Za-Za's has been a favorite of mine for years.  Last time there was for the Ivy Lacrosse Tournament about a month ago.  Great menu, fabulous home made pastas, the Anti-Olive Garden.  I never had a bad meal there.  Ever.

[David Harding]

With all due respect to the people who enjoyed Joe's when they were in Ithaca, the first time I was unfortunate enough to end up at an Olive Garden, I thought "this reminds me of Joe's."

I enjoyed Joe's back then. I didn't this winter. I can't see it surviving on nostalgia. It has more atmosphere than Olive Garden but the food isn't that good.

I suppose it would be great to have eating / drinking places that survive for decades and even generations such as Mory's in New Haven, except it closed in 2008 or 2009, IIRC. Better to have good places to eat regardless of history. My father in law took us to a restaurant he recalled from way back when (in NJ where he grew up) except the parcel was a brand new Land Rover dealership, so he took us to another place he thought was still around. It was. We asked when he was there last. "Just before I shipped out." That would be 1944. Run by Cornell Hotelies so of course it was pretty good.

Joe's is for sale, according to Brian Crandall in The Ithaca Voice