Ithaca A Foodie Town

Ithaca is a small city in the Finger Lakes region of central New York, at the southern tip of Cayuga Lake. just a four-hour drive away from New York City. It's home to Ivy League Cornell University and Ithaca College, and surrounded by gorges, waterfalls, lakefronts, and 28,000 acres of public forestland. The eclectic mix of cuisines found in the town is a result of its diverse student population, while proximity to abundant farmlands has given rise to a thriving farmers’ market and plenty of farm-to-table places. In fact, Ithaca has more restaurants per capita than New York City.

Sitting on the edge of Cayuga Lake is the Ithaca Farmer's Market, an effort by 150 growers, craftspeople, and food artisans selling everything from local organic produce to Cambodian delicacies. Did you know that Ithaca’s best-known eatery,

Moosewood Restaurant does not serve meat? It was named one of the thirteen most influential restaurants of the 20th century by Bon Appétit magazine, and menu changes on a daily basis.

A 3 hour culinary walking adventure in Ithaca gave us a taste for the town's history, culture and architecture. We visited 6 different one-of-a-kind restaurants,each one diverse from the other. It was interesting to note that 5 0f the 6 places we visited had female owners or female co-owners. Each owner showed a commitment to local sourcing whenever possible, plant based foods, many offering gluten and dairy free options and all embraced fair trade products.  

Along the walking tour we learned that there is a movement to revitalize downtown Ithaca.   Ithaca Murals is a volunteer network of mural artists and organizers, who have facilitated the creation of numerous works of public art in downtown area. Some murals were still works in progress. Information about each mural can be found at https://www.ithacamurals.com

This whimsical mural depicts firefighters who represent the building which once housed a fire station. 
Did You Know? Ithaca lays claim to being the first city to create the ice cream cherry sundae. If you look closely along one sidewalk there is this marker with this claim to fame in 1892.

Stop One; Mama Said Hand Pies with Globally Inspired Flavors (a variety of fillings potato based)

Stop Two: Moosewood Restaurant (all vegetarian restaurant that has published several cookbooks and won many awards) 
Two soups and a Tofu Stir Fried Dish

Disclaimer:Unfortunately I polished off these wonderful soup samplings before I remembered a photo.

Stop Three: Ten Forward Cafe Star Trek- themed Plant-Based Cafe  (owner is a Star Trek fan) 
 

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie (dairy free) and Seitan Panni Sandwich (vegan cheese and  vegan mayo) 
Stop Four: F. Oliver's Oils and Vinegars and Speciality Spices

Olive oil tasting with infused balsamic vinegar and popcorn lime infused oil peppered with a taco seasoning.

Stop Five: Hawi Ethiopian Cuisine
Dovo Tibs (chicken, beets and carrots )

Served with Injera, a sourdough-risen flatbread with a slightly spongy texture, originating from the Horn of Africa.

Stop Six: Sweet Melissa's Ice Cream 

An unusual but winning combination Oreo Cookies and Earl Grey tea. 

Thanks Cathy for such a great tour!

A step back into a town reminiscent of settings found in To Kill a Mockingbird, Tom Sawyer and F.Scott Fitzgerald Aurora

  

Exploring the Finger Lakes Wine Region

Whether you call it a charcuterie plate or a charcuterie board, it’s easy to make when you start with quality smoked, cured, and cooked meats. The perfect charcuterie plate will contain at least 3 to 5 types of charcuterie representing different styles and textures, plus something acidic, like pickles, and something sweet like fruit chutney to complement the flavors. Nuts, fresh and dried fruits, bread, and crackers also make great accompaniments. Wine is the perfect pairing for the popular charcuterie cheese board here in Finger Lake wine country. 

A constant mist with rain on and off seems to be just the right recipe for the healthiest looking flowers and plants that rival Hawaii here in this region. Adding to the climate, fertile soil surrounded by lakes that have some of the richest sediments around them full of limestone and shale wine production is particularly abundant, especially Riesling wines. 

Each winery is unique in terms of their wines produced, facilities, types of barrels used and length of time wine is stored.  

We have found the food to be quite amazing on this trip. Many of the restaurants embrace the Food to Table Movement with emphasis on using food made from locally-sourced ingredients, often natural or organic. 

My daughter thought she had literally died and gone to heaven with Mushroom Confit. It was a dish made with Silverfox Farms micro greens and locally sourced mushrooms in a red pepper coulis (pureed sauce).   

I went with Chicken Caesar Salad but elevated way above a normal one with Romaine,  potato Parmesan tuile (crisp baked wafer) , crumbled eggs and grape tomatoes. 

Of course, remember its all about the presentation that make each of these dishes shine.  

Ithaca and Mark Twain Country   

Corning,New York

Corning is a small town located in Fingerlake Region.The Corning Museum of Glass is one of those places that offers some unexpected wonders into a glimpse of more than 3,500 years of art and historic glass. Daily live glassblowing shows, demonstrations by special guest artists from around the world and an opportunity to make your own glass art are available.  

The museum houses the largest collection of art glass in the world dating back to the time of pyramids to the contemporary glass art of today.

This punch bowl set withe dozens of matching glasses was a showstopping piece as well as this contemporary coiled piece of glass. Uncoiled this piece would stretch a mile.  

This whimsical piece showcasing shelves of glassware caught my attention. I spied on shelf three, some green Corning ware water glasses we once owned.  

These colorful bowl were constructed out of glass threads. 

Large, small and in between, the astounding array of glass pieces captured our attention. 

Down the street we found the Rockwell Museum named for native Corning collectors, Bob and Hertha Rockwell. They were local business owners who amassed an incredible collection of American art and artifacts.The diverse collection of original American masterpieces also includes a mix of contemporary Native American art alongside traditional bronze sculptures, landscape paintings and other works that embody America and the migration west. This was a thought provoking display of tagged quilts/blankets.

Blanket Stories Sculpture is a 14-foot totem of the personal stories and histories of the Steuben County and greater New York community. Rockwell Museum offers a creative interactive approach to keeping kids busy. Magnet boards were available with photos of selected art pieces in the museum. Once each square is covered with a magnet and the board filled, kids turned the board in for a prize at the front desk.

 

Andy Warhol was an American artist, director and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. He painted everything from soup cans, to Brillo pads to Marilyn Monroe. Patrons can channel their artistic spirit at the art lab designing a soup can cover.

Only a teacher and one from Minnesota would get excited hearing Corning had an art lab for children around the corner in another building called Step into Art. Here we found an interactive traveling display created by the Minnesota Children's Museum. What a coincidence finding this exhibit. 

After 6 hours exploring three different museums, it was time for a relaxing dinner at Glenora, the oldest winery in the Fingerlake Region. 

 UP NEXT  A farm to table meal

Out and About in Watkins Glen

Watkins Glen State Park is the most famous of the Finger Lakes State Parks, with a reputation for leaving visitors spellbound. Within two miles, the glen's stream descends 400 feet past 200-foot cliffs, generating 19 waterfalls along its course. The gorge path winds over and under waterfalls and through the spray of Cavern Cascade. Rim trails overlook the gorge.

Note: there are 650 stone steps to Rainbow Falls. If really ambitious, one can climb 150 more steps straight up to reach the Jacobs Ladder marker. 

I started out with a positive I can do attitude, 650 steps hey no problem!

The 19 waterfalls with breathtaking views of the gorge and stunning rock formations along the way were enough to keep me going. 

But somewhere around 500 I really began to slow down. Perhaps it was the slippery, slimy surfaces of the steps that kept gong up and up, lack of handrails, trying to navigate puddles along the stone path so my new tennis shoes wouldn't get too wet or maybe because I skipped breakfast I simply lacked the stamina. But I was determined. After what I call an arduous climb I made it to Rainbow Falls marker though at this point it suddenly occurred to me now I had to retrace my steps back down which when all said and done totaled 1,300 steps. My daughter went on ahead for 150 more steps to the Jacobs Ladder marker. At the top she discovered a small cemetery and a place to buy water.  
Oh the things we saw along the way. We passed a lady who told us it was her  second trip of the day to the top, another young woman (obviously a runner how she was dressed) went flying past us running the stairs at full speed, several women chose to climb in flip flops and many, many wanted just the right photo so were leaning or standing on the wet ledges. 

Next Stop Watkins Glen Raceway

With a nod to my husband's 30 some years of car racing we needed to check this racetrack out. It was closed at the time we were there but we enjoyed seeing the area. Watkins Glen International welcomes guests on a nearly daily basis April through October.

Patrons may take their personal vehicle for three-paced laps around the storied road course for $25.00 at selected times which would have been fun to do. Mostly sports car races are held here and 1 NASCAR event. Since the town is small it's a mystery to us where all these visitors eat and sleep on racing days. 

Did You Know
Finger Lakes Wine Country is the largest wine producing region in the U.S. east of California, with over 130 wineries, plus wine tours, wine festivals and wine bars. There are five wine trails; Cayuga, Seneca, Keuka,  Canandaigua, and Lake Ontario. The 11 finger lakes create a microclimate that provides ideal growing conditions for vineyards. We checked out several wineries along the Seneca Lake which sit high up on the bluffs overlooking the lake. The views were breathtaking.   

 Each winery we visited had their own distinctive charm 

and creative approach. One winery had wine pairings with cookies another with chocolate. 

The town of Corning with a visit to Rockwell and Corning Museums.

Watkins Glen, NY

With an uber ride at 3:30 AM, two plane connections, and a rental car we arrived at our destination Watkins Glen, NY mid afternoon. What a scenic place with winding roads past stately homes 

leading to a charming town located on Seneca Lake

 with a beautiful harbor. 

Nearby is Watkins Glen International, nicknamed "The Glen", an automobile race track. One can 't help but admire some of the expensive cars we saw in town.

Watkins Glen has a great history of car-racing under its belt. The first American road race after WWII was held here and was known as “the Day the Trains Stopped” because rail service was suspended so racers could drive over the train tracks on the course before Watkins Glen International was built.

There's no shortage of things to do in this area with tours to vineyards showcasing award winning wines, Watkins State Park with 19 waterfalls, trails, a gorge, boating and outdoor dining just to name a few.  
The piece de resistance at the end of the day was a complimentary dessert after dinner. Who could resist  a chocolate covered cherry with a dollop of whip cream.