Ep. 25 - Live at Felicia's Atomic Lounge!

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This episode was so much fun that we couldn't wait to share it with you! We had a blast recording this last Tuesday night at Felicia's Atomic Lounge in front of a crowd of 40 or so people who came in to get out of the cold and enjoy some great drinks and podcasting, which might be a first for Ithaca. We also managed to raise nearly $150 in small bills from everyone who attended plus contributions from the drinks sold by Felicia's, all donated to the Friendship Donations Network to help support their efforts to distribute healthy, fresh foods to those in need through pantries around our area. Thank you to all of you who contributed!

If you weren't able to make it to the event, you can check out some photos taken that night by our friend Mark Anbinder in our Eating Ithaca Flickr Group, and add photos of your own if you like.

Also, by popular request, we've included links below to recipes for all the cookies that Dave made for the audience at our event. They're all very easy recipes to make and all delicious, so try 'em and enjoy!

We'll be taking a break until mid-January 2009, but you can always get in touch with us. Call our voicemail line anytime at 607-215-4392, or send an email to: feedback at eatingithaca dot com. You can also follow us on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/EatingIthaca) for continuing updates in between podcast episodes.

Happy Holidays, be safe, eat great food, and we'll talk to you again in 2009!


Click Play to Listen to Episode 25

Stuff we talked about in this episode:

• Felicia's Atomic Lounge
• Friendship Donations Network
• Art Bars at Ithaca Fine Chocolates
• Fine Line Bistro

Recipes for some of Felcia's Cockatils tasted in this Episode:

• Spiced Beet Bubbly
• Loco Hot Cocoa
• Hot Spiked Cider

Recipes for Dave's Holiday Cookies:

• Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
• Swedish Ginger [Bacon] Cookies
• Margarita Cookies
• Brown Butter Brown Sugar Shorties

Saying Goodbye to Food We Lost in 2008

As we wrap up 2008, we thought it would be fitting to say farewell to those we lost in the local food scene this year. The following slideshow was presented as part of our live event at Felicia's earlier this week. We share it here for everyone who may have lost an important part of their own Ithaca dining experience this year...

Thanks for making Eating Ithaca Live a success!

We're so grateful for everyone who came out to Felicia's last night to be part of our first ever live podcast recording, and we hope you all had as much fun as we did! You can click on the image below from our friend Mark Anbinder to see a collection of his photos from the night, and we encourage you to add your own photos to our Flickr group if you like!

Not only did we record a fun show, but thanks to audience contributions and the $1 from every drink sold by Felicia's during the event, we managed to raise $130 in cash for Friendship Donations Network, who is in desperate need of every dollar they can get. In this time of tight budgets for everyone, we're grateful to everyone who gave even just a dollar to this cause, and if you'd like to contribute more we encourage you to visit the FDN website to make an online donation today: http://friendshipdonations.org/donate

A BIG THANK YOU! to Dave Yantorno and his band for the great tunes, to Amelia & Leah of Felicia's for hosting us and being a guest, to Chef Seth Gregory of Fine Line Bistro for talking with us, and to Erika Fowler-Decatur and Art Bars for donating one of our special audience giveaway prizes. We'll be posting a special video and other images from the night as soon as they are available, and we're thinking we might even post the full 25th Episode Special sooner than planned, so keep an eye on this website and keep updating your podcast queue. Good stuff is on the way!

Ep. 24 - Art Bar Chocolates, Fall Creek House, and Friendly's

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It's our last regular episode of 2008 and we're celebrating with chocolate! Download the podcast or click below to hear our interview with Erika Fowler-Decatur, founder of Ithaca Fine Chocolates and creator of the Art Bar collection, which packages unique art reproductions with artisanal, organic, Fair Trade chocolate bars. Her gallery of brand new art works from their 2009 collection are now on display on the Commons in Downtown Ithaca.

We're also wrapping up another letter of the alphabet as we eat our way through every restaurant in Ithaca from A-Z, after finally scoring an impressive meal at Fall Creek House, plus meals at all three Friendly's in town. A tough gig, but somebody had to do it...

Don't forget to come downtown on Tues. 16th to be part of our live audience as we tape a special 25th Episode at Felicia's Atomic Lounge! We're going to have interviews with two very special guest, live music, and plenty of giveaways and surprises, plus amazing cocktails from Felicia's. We hope to see you there!

If you want to get in touch or be part of a future episode, you may leave a comment on the blog, call our voicemail line anytime at 607-215-4392, or send an email to: feedback at eatingithaca dot com. Remember to check out our Flickr page for photos of all the food we've been eating at restaurants we review (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eatingithaca), and be sure to follow us on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/EatingIthaca) for continuing updates throughout the week. If you like what we're doing, be sure to share the love and tell a friend about us!

Click Play to Listen to Episode 24


Stuff we talked about in this episode:

• Art Bars at Ithaca Fine Chocolates
• Fall Creek House on Google
• Friendly's Restaurants
• Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock on BeerAdvocate.com
• Brewery Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence
• Ithaca Bakery Celebrates Chocolate in December (PDF)
• Join us at Felicia's Atomic Lounge on December 16th!

One Week Until Eating Ithaca LIVE!

Our special Eating Ithaca 25th Episode Party is only one week away and we'd love to see you there at Felicia's Atomic Lounge on December 16th to BE PART OF OUR AUDIENCE FOR A LIVE RECORDING! It's going to be a great party for grownups, featuring some very special guests:

• Felicia's co-owner and cocktail guru Leah Houghtaling
• Chef Seth Gregory of Ithaca's Fine Line Bistro
• Dave Yantorno and his band in a special live performance
  

Plus we'll be looking back at the past year of Eating Ithaca and sharing some surprises along the way. It's going to be a lot of fun, and Felicia's amazing bartenders will be mixing up some special seasonal cocktails all throughout the night. Best of all, we'll be raising money with Felicia's to help support the Friendship Donations Network, an important organization that is keeps healthy fresh foods from going to waste and gets it to people in need throughout Ithaca and Tompkins County. Bring your own donations to the event and support this special cause.

Come on down on Tuesday Dec. 16th @ 7:00 pm and join us for this party. We'll be making cookies to share and you can bring some of bring some of your favorites as well! And don't forget to tell your friends - click on the image above to download a copy of our poster, put one up in your office, put it in the window of your car - spread the word! We look forward to meeting you!

Ep. 23 - Holiday Gift Guide 2008

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The results are in and we've got all our favorite local gift ideas that foodies love to give and receive this holiday season, along with some winning ideas from our listeners.

And we continue our ongoing series of reviews of every restaurant in Ithaca from A-Z with a review of Four Seasons Korean restaurant in Collegetown. Plus we have lots of exciting news about upcoming events, including Ithaca Beer's 10th Anniversary and our very special live event at Felicia's Atomic Lounge on December 16th!

If you want to get in touch or be part of a future episode, you may leave a comment on the blog, call our voicemail line anytime at 607-215-4392, or send an email to: feedback [at] eatingithaca [dot] com. Remember to check out our Flickr page for photos (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eatingithaca), and follow us on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/EatingIthaca) for continuing updates throughout the week. If you like what we're doing, be sure to share the love and tell a friend about us!

Listen to Episode 23


Stuff we talked about in this episode:

• Ithaca Farmer's Market
• Waid's Honey & Candles
• Finger Lakes Maple Products
• Cornell Orchards
• Finger Lakes Popcorn
• Bellwether Hard Cider
• Eve's Cidery
• Cherry Knoll Farm Blueberry Wines & Vinegar
• Buy Garden Gate Delivery Gift Certificates
• Ithaca Local Lover Challenge
• Shop online and contribute to Share Our Strength
• Buy Moosewood Restaurant merchandise
• Buy the Simply Red Cookbook by Chef Sam "Mama Red" Izzo
• Buy and send Gimme Coffee
• Buy and send Art Bars chocolate
• Ithaca Coffee Company Gift Baskets
• Bet The Farm Wines and Gifts (Aurora, NY)
• Gift Ideas from 14850 Dining
• Edible Finger Lakes Magazine
• Four Seasons Restaurant on TripAdvisor.com
• Triphammer Wines & Spirits “Evening to Remember” Holiday Gala
• Ithaca Beer Company 10th Anniversary Celebration
• Cayuga Wine Trail holiday shopping event
• Join us at Felicia's Atomic Lounge on December 16th!
• Enjoy the "Swiss Colony Beef Log" song? Buy the South Park Christmas album "Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics"
  download from iTunes Store
  buy on CD

Ep. 22 - Giving Thanks for Local Foods

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Thanksgiving is time for sharing the bounty of the season, something our guest Sara Pines has been doing year round for 20 years with her Friendship Donations Network. Listen to our conversation to find out why this community food resource is in jeopardy of closing and what you can do to help.

We're also talking about Thanksgiving ideas and resources for making your feast more local. Plus we visit the Fine Line Bistro in our ongoing series of reviews of every restaurant in Ithaca from A-Z.

If you want to get in touch or be part of a future episode, you may leave a comment on the blog, call our voicemail line anytime at 607-215-4392, or send an email to: feedback [at] eatingithaca [dot] com. Remember to check out our Flickr page for photos (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eatingithaca), and follow us on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/EatingIthaca) for continuing updates throughout the week. If you like what we're doing, be sure to share the love and tell a friend about us!

Listen to Episode 22


Stuff we talked about in this episode:

• Friendship Donations Network
• Fine Line Bistro
• Wegmans Honey-Brined Split Turkey Breast
• Dave's Thanksgiving Cranberry Muffins
• Moosewood Restaurant recipes
• Sweet Potato Soup with Buttered Pecans
• Ithaca Farmer's Market
• Garden Gate Delivery Thanksgiving products
• The Piggery
• Bellwether Hard Cider
• Eve's Cidery
• Ithaca Beer Company
• Pizza Hut
• Cayuga Wine Trail holiday shopping event
• Triphammer Wines & Spirits “Evening to Remember” Holiday Gala
• Enter the Eating Ithaca Giveaway Contest!
  (listen to Episode 20 for details)

Enter our Local Foodies Holiday Gifts Contest!

If you missed the details of our latest contest in Episode 20 of the Eating Ithaca podcast, there is still time to participate.  We're looking for your best ideas for foodie gifts from local sources, your favorite products that are produced in Ithaca and the Finger Lakes region that local foodies would enjoy recieving, or gourmet gifts you love to share with people out of town. 

Of all the ideas submitted to contest [at] eatingithaca [dot] com by 11:59pm on November 26th, we will randomly choose one winner to receive a free one-year subscription to Edible Finger Lakes magazine. 

And Four runner-up winners will be selected to receive their very own amazing Spork utensil made by Light My Fire, the newly crowned Official Awesome Utensil of Eating Ithaca.

All entries will be shared with our listeners as part of the Eating Ithaca Holiday Gift episode coming in December, so send us your ideas, enter as often as you like, and you could be a winner!

Ep. 21 - Cocktail Time with Pixel Lounge

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We've reached #21, and that means we're legal - time to talk about drinking! We're skipping the beer and wine for now, and focusing on the true culinary art of the cocktail and how it's growing in Ithaca. For that, we've headed to Collegetown for a chat with Jim and James of Pixel Lounge to find out more about their taste-driven approach to quality cocktails and brews. We'll also talk a bit about our own cocktail history, explore other highlights of the local liquor scene, and share some of our favorite recipes and resources for home mixologists.

As always, we'll also talk about another restaurant in our ongoing series of reviews as we visit every restaurant in Ithaca from A-Z, with a visit to the newly opened Ameritalia Restaurant and Pizzeria on The Commons. And we've got more details about our special 25th Episode Party at Felicia's Lounge coming in December!

Remember that if you want to get in touch or be part of a future episode, you may leave a comment on the blog, call our voicemail line anytime at 607-215-4392, or send an email to: feedback [at] eatingithaca [dot] com. Remember to check out our Flickr page for photos, and follow us on Twitter for continuing updates throughout the week. If you like what we're doing, be sure to share the love and tell a friend about us!

Listen to Episode 21


Stuff we talked about in this episode:

• Pixel Lounge
• Felicia's Atomic Lounge
• Finger Lakes Distilling
• More about Bee Vodka from Hidden Marsh Distillery
• Later, At the Bar by Rebecca Barry
• Kingsley Amis on Drinking (NY Times review)
• Esquire Drinks Database
• Esquire Whiskey Burger cocktail recipe
• Imbibe Magazine
• Modern Drunkard Magazine
• Ameritalia Restaurant & Pizzeria
• Chef's Night Out on November 11, 2008
• Enter the Eating Ithaca Giveaway Contest!
  (listen to Episode 20 for details)

Save the Date for Eating Ithaca LIVE!

Ever since this blog and podcast started back in January, we've been amazed and delighted at all the encouragement and positive feedback we've received from many of you who have found us and have been listening all year long. We'd like to thank all of you by throwing a party!

You are all invited to join us as we celebrate our 25th Episode with a year-end Eating Ithaca party and a live recording of the podcast! Join us at Felicia's Atomic Lounge on Tues. December 16th at 7:00 pm as we record our last episode of 2008. We'll have a special live guest interview, an awesome musical guest, giveaways, and a whole lot more. Plus you can get to know us in person and we'll get to meet you, too!

In order to make this party super special, we'd love to have people from the local food community bring treats or other surprises that they'd like to share with Eating Ithaca fans at this event - if you're interested, send an email to dave [at] eatingithaca [dot] com with your idea.

More details and updates on this event will be posted as they are confirmed, so be sure to keep checking EatingIthaca.com and listen to the podcast for more details. We'll see you in December!

Ep. 20 - Edible Finger Lakes and Ten Things #2

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Every 10th episode of Eating Ithaca we talk about Ten Things, and this one is packed with some great food finds and fun facts. First off is our interview with the founders of Edible Finger Lakes magazine, Zoe Becker and Michael Welch, who talked with us about how their magazine started and some of the incredible finds they've made along the way.

We're also continuing through the letter "E" in our visits to every restaurant in Ithaca with a review of Easy Wok in the Ithaca Mall food court. And along the way, we're talking about new food books and trends we've discovered, some Foods of Fall, local eating, our first ever song from a listener, plus a really wacky taste test with magic of Miracle Fruit. Be sure to listen to the episode for details on our new Giveaway Contest, and you could win a free subscription to Edible Finger Lakes!

If you want to get in touch or be part of a future episode, you may leave a comment on the blog, call our voicemail line anytime at 607-215-4392, or send an email to: feedback at eatingithaca dot com. Remember to check out our Flickr page for photos, and follow us on Twitter for continuing updates throughout the week. If you like what we're doing, be sure to share the love and tell a friend about us!

Listen to Episode 20


Stuff we talked about in this episode:

• Edible Finger Lakes magazine
• Roasted Acorn Squash recipe
• The Cider Mill of Endicott, NY
• Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper: A Sweet-Sour Memoir of Eating in China
  by Fuschia Dunlop
• Easy Wok Restaurant
• Spork by Light My Fire
• Miracle Fruit on Wikipedia
• Miracle Fruit in NY Times
• Buy Miracle Fruit Tablets
• Buy Miracle Fruit Berries
• Buy a Miracle Fruit Plant
• Enter the Eating Ithaca Giveaway Contest!
  (listen to Episode 20 for details)

Ep. 19 - Community Food Outreach and East Shore Dining

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This episode is packed with information about eating local from one of Ithaca's experts, Liz Karabinakis. She's the Community Food Educator for the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County and we talked with her about the different ways she's helping to bring local, organic, and healthy foods to families in our area.

We're starting the letter "E" in our visits to every restaurant in Ithaca with a review of the brand new East Shore Cafe. We also have lots of news and feedback to share from our listeners, plus new resources for Ithaca eaters. If you want to get in touch or be part of a future episode, you may leave a comment on the blog, call our voicemail line anytime at 607-215-4392, or send an email to: feedback at eatingithaca dot com.

Remember to check out our Flickr page for photos, and follow us on Twitter for continuing updates throughout the week. If you like what we're doing, be sure to share the love and tell a friend about us!

Listen to Episode 19


Stuff we talked about in this episode:

• Email Liz Karabinakis
• Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County
• Buy Local Campaign
• East Shore Cafe
• Stick and Stone Farm
• Double C Farm Bison Ranch
• Mark Anbinder's Flickr photos of the Wienie Wagon
• Wake Robin Farm
• Finger Lakes Artisanal Cheese Open House [PDF]
• IC Culinary Arts Club
• Watch "Food Fight Face Off" on ICTV
• Indian Creek Farm

Join the Eat Local Challenge for October 2008!

We've always been excited about eating locally, and we love to celebrate everything that makes eating in Ithaca and the Finger Lakes so wonderful throughout the year, but it's always easy to find everything we want from within local sources. But throughout the month of October 2008, people across the US will be trying to do that as much as possible and it's easy for anyone to be a part of it.

Check out www.EatLocalChallenge.com for details about participating in their nationwide event. It's a great place to connect with other locavores from across the country. And if you're looking for some great background information on local eating, be sure to look for our next podcast on October 6th for an interview with Liz Karabanakis of the Cornell Cooperative Extension, who is working to bring local foods to families throughout Tompkins County and supporting the local food producers in the process.

In the meantime check out our archives, where you can learn about the kinds of foods that are produced in Upstate NY from our interview with Cornell scientist Chris Peters, and check out our interviews with local farm stand legend Michael Ludgate and Garden Gate Delivery founder Marlo Capoccia to find out how they are bringing local foods to the masses.

Ep. 18 - Garden Gate Delivery, Dijon, Domino's, and Donuts

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We're very excited to bring you our conversation Marlo Capoccia, the founder and driving force behind Garden Gate Delivery, and one of Ithaca's brightest new champions of local, sustainable foods. She's taken a simple idea and turned it into a new way of connecting regional foods with homes and restaurants throughout Tompkins County, becoming a role model for other like-minded entrepreneurs in the process.

We also have come to the end of the "D" section of our visits to every restaurant in Ithaca from A-Z, and we have reviews for you of Dijon Bistro, Domino's Pizza, and Dunkin' Donuts. You can see photos all the food we discussed and more at our Flickr page

You can follow us on Twitter for continuing updates throughout the week, and be sure to share the show with your friends. If you want to get in touch, you may leave a comment on the blog, call our voicemail line anytime at 607-215-4392, or send an email to: feedback at eatingithaca dot com. We look forward to hearing from you.

Listen to Episode 18


Stuff we talked about in this episode:

• Garden Gate Delivery
• High Point Farms
• Little Banneton breads
• Dijon Bistro
• Domino's Pizza
• Dunkin' Donuts
• Buy Denis Leary's album Lock n' Load at Amazon.com
• They Might Be Giants
• Method Blog
• The 26th Annual Apple Harvest Festival
• Edible Finger Lakes Harvest Dinners
• Eat Local Culinary Passport

Ep. 17 - Inside Cà Phê House; Bad Brunch; Collegetown Korean

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Join us for a conversation with Fernando Lee, one of the partners behind the counter at the Southeast Asian sandwich shop Cà Phê House and learn about his experiences starting a restaurant in Ithaca.

Our restaurant reviews lead us to wonder what makes the lousy brunch at Dappers in the Ramada so popular , and we try Korean BBQ for lunch at Dasan-J in Collegetown.

Remember to visit our Flickr page for photos of the restaurants we visited, follow us on Twitter, and be sure to share the show with your friends. If you want to get in touch, you may leave a comment on the blog, call our voicemail line anytime at 607-215-4392, or send an email to: feedback at eatingithaca dot com. We look forward to hearing from you.

Listen to Episode 17


Stuff we talked about in this episode:

• Cà Phê House
• Dapper's Restaurant at the Ramada Inn
• Dasan-J Korean BBQ on Yelp.com
• Eat Local Culinary Passport
• Edible Finger Lakes Harvest Dinners

A Fantastic New Reason for Eating Local in September!

We're passing on this great email we got from our friends at the Tompkins County Buy Local Campaign - be sure to check out their website for all the details on this great promotion for local eating! --Dave

Local Food Enthusiasts,

Throughout the month of September you can go to over 20 restaurants, delis and cafés in the area to have a chance to win fabulous prizes for eating local foods!

It's simple- just pick up a FREE Culinary Passport (available at any of the participating restaurants, Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County or the Tompkins County Visitors Center) then dine out at a participating restaurant, order a dish that features local foods and get your passport stamped.

If you receive three or more stamps (from different restaurants) you can enter into the raffle prize drawing; six or more stamps and you could win the Grand Prize Package that includes an overnight stay in a king room at La Tourelle Resort & Spa with a complimentary breakfast or lunch at La Tourelle’s Le Petit Café, a dinner for two at the Taverna Banfi, a $50 gift certificate to Just a Taste, a $30 gift certificate to the Ithaca Farmers Market and a Finger Lakes bottle of wine.

Participating restaurants include: ABC Café, GreenStar Cooperative Market, Hazelnut Kitchen, The Heights Café & Grill, John Thomas Steak House, Just a Taste, Le Petit Café at La Tourelle Resort & Spa, The Lost Dog Café, Manndible, Mate Factor, Maxie’s Supper Club, Moosewood Restaurant, Pourhouse, Red Newt Bistro, Rogue’s Harbor, Simply Red Lakeside Bistro, Smart Monkey Café, Taste of Thai Express, Taverna Banfi, Watercress, Willow and Za Za’s Cucina.

Raffle Prizes include:
Grand Prize-
An overnight stay in a king room at La Tourelle Resort & Spa with complimentary breakfast or lunch at La Tourelle's Le Petit Café
Dinner for two (up to $80 value) at Taverna Banfi
$50 Gift Certificate to Just a Taste
$30 Gift Certificate to Ithaca Farmers Market
A bottle of Finger Lakes Wine

First Prize-
$50 Gift Certificate to Hazelnut Kitchen
$35 Gift Certificate to Rogue's Harbor
$20 Gift Certificate to GreenStar Cooperative Market
A bottle of Finger Lakes Wine

Second Prize-
$50 Gift Certificate to Red Newt Bistro
$25 Gift Certificate to ABC Cafe
A bottle of Finger Lakes Wine

Third Prize-
$50 Gift Certificate to Moosewood Restaurant
$25 Gift Certificate to Manndible

For additional information on Cooperative Extension's Buy Local Campaign, the Culinary Passport Program or the 4^th Annual Celebration of Local Foods visit: http://ccetompkins.org/localfood/events.html or contact Cornell Cooperative Extension at (607) 272-2292.

Ep. 16 - Foods of Summer Finale and Three Restaurants Reviewed

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As August comes to an end, we're wrapping up our series on the Foods of Summer with a look at a seashore favorite, the clam. We like 'em fried, steamed, baked, grilled, or even straight from the shell, but where do you find them around Ithaca?

And our visits to every Ithaca restaurant from A-Z wraps up the letter "C" with The Corner Store, catches the "B" we missed with Blimpie, and starts on "D" with D.P. Dough.

Visit our Flickr page for photos of our homemade clam pizza and all the restaurants we visited on, follow us on Twitter, and be sure to share the show with your friends. If you want to get in touch, you may leave a comment on the blog, call our voicemail line, or send us a message at our NEW email address: feedback@eatingithaca.com.

Listen to Episode 16


Stuff we talked about in this episode:

• Doug's Fish Fry
• Maxie's Supper Club & Oyster Bar
• RECIPE: Grilled Clams
• RECIPE: Steamed Littleneck Clams With White Wine
• RECIPE: New Haven-style Clam Pizza
• Order Clambake Delivery
• The Corner Store
• Blimpie Subs & Salads
• D.P. Dough
• Ithaca Brew Fest '08
• Chowcast!

This episode features the song "Summertime" by Ithaca-based band Revision from their album "Broken Art." Check out Revision online at www.RevisionMusic.com.

Foods of the Finger Lakes in the NY Times

There's a wonderful piece by Kim Severson in the New York Times today exploring the culinary bounty of Ithaca and the surrounding region. It also includes some great photos of the Ithaca Farmer's Market and other popular foodie destinations in our area. Check out the story here:
http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/08/22/travel/escapes/22nyfood.html

Ep. 15 - A Visit to The Piggery and Collegetown Eats

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In this episode, we're off to visit The Piggery, where Brad & Heather are raising heritage breed pigs in pastures outside Trumansburg, and making some of the most delicious pork you've ever tasted. Check out our interview with the couple behind this popular newcomer at the farmer's markets.

And here's a bonus: Eating Ithaca listeners can get an exclusive discount at The Piggery through the end of the month. Listen to this episode for details!

Also, our visits to every restaurant in Ithaca from A-Z continues with a look at Collegetown Pizza, and we have a lot to say about the local institution that is Collegetown Bagels.

Check out our photos on Flickr, follow us on Twitter, and be sure to share the show with your friends. We also welcome your feedback, so send us an email or give us a call - we'd love to hear from you.

Listen to Episode 15


Stuff we talked about in this episode:

• The Piggery
• Mulefoot pig breed on Wikipedia
• Collegetown Bagels
• Collegetown Pizza
• From the Garden to the Table: A Celebration of Food Plants

Ep. 14 - Foods of Summer Pt. 2: Ice Cream!

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We have a lot to say about ice cream, what it means to us, why we love it, and where to get the good stuff in and around Ithaca, so take a listen and get in touch to share your ice cream favorites with us.

Eating at every restaurant in Ithaca from A-Z continues this week with visits to the Carriage House Cafe and Chili's, and we have updates on more great regional foodie events happening in the days to come. Check out our photos on Flickr, and browse the links below for more details.

Listen to Episode 14


Stuff we talked about in this episode:

• Ice Cream on Wikipedia
• Thomas Jefferson's Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe
• Chef Heston Blumenthal’s Smoked Bacon and Egg Ice Cream
  as served at The Fat Duck (Bray, England)
• Tasti D-Lite
• AvaSoft Ice Cream System
• Dippin' Dots
• Friendly's Ice Cream
• Purity Ice Cream
• Dennis' Homemade Ice Cream
• Your Daily Soup
• Cayuga Lake Creamery
• T-Burg Mini Golf
• Ithaca Journal Ice Cream Trail
• Carriage House Cafe
• Chili's
• 2008 Spiedie Fest & Balloon Rally
• Finger Lakes Culinary Bounty
  3rd Annual Gourmet Local Foods Dinner
• Edible Finger Lakes Harvest Dinners

Happy National Ice Cream Day!

Today is the day which our nation has designated as the day when we shall all come together and enjoy the pleasures of ice cream in all its forms. Ever since 1984, July has officially been National Ice Cream Month, and the third Sunday of July is designated as National Ice Cream Day - this year, that's July 20th. So get out there and do your patriotic duty by enjoying a couple scoops from your favorite local ice cream maker, and if you find something you love, be sure to let us know!

Call our voicemail line at (607) 215-4392 and tell us where you get your favorite ice cream in or around Ithaca. We'll be sure to include it in the next episode of the Eating Ithaca podcast, when we'll be celebrating Ice Cream as one of our favorite Foods of Summer!

Ep. 13 - The Hot Dog Man and CajAsian Cuisine

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We've had a few long episodes in a row lately, so this one's a little shorter to let you (and us) have more time to enjoy the summer weather and all the great eating it brings.

First, to follow up on the discussion of hot dogs from our last episode, we have a quick visit to Lou "The Hot Dog Man" on the Ithaca Commons. Then our visits to every restaurant in Ithaca from A-Z continues with a look at the surprising "CajAsian" cuisine of the Cajun Café Grill, and unique items on the menu at Capital Corner. Check out photos of their food at our Flickr page, and get in touch to help us decide what will qualify as a restaurant for our next round of reviews. See the comments below for more details.

Finally, we have details on the latest foodie events around town, including the big Finger Lakes Wine Festival happening this weekend at Watkins Glen. And don't forget to vote for what you think should be our third choice for the "Foods of Summer" series - it's quick and easy to vote using the tool on the right of our blog. Download, listen, share, and enjoy!

Listen to Episode 13


Links for this episode:

• Mark Anbinder's photos from our Hot Dog lunch on Flickr
• Cajun Café Grill "Chicken Wars" in the Cornell Daily Sun
• Capital Corner Restaurant
• "The Soup Comes Last" at the Kitchen Theatre
• Finger Lakes Wine Festival
• GrassRoots Festival
• Cafe Dewitt

Ep. 12 - Foods of Summer (Part 1), Tres Cafes, Chelada

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The 4th of July is upon us, which means Summer is officially here and along with it comes Summertime eating! We're celebrating the season of outdoor eating with our new series on The Foods of Summer, and to kick it off we're joined by our guest Mark Anbinder from 14850 Dining to discuss that iconic American outdoor food, the Hot Dog.

Also, our ongoing quest to visit every restaurant in Ithaca from A-Z continues this week with reviews of three restaurants with similar names: Café Carpineto, Cafe Dewitt, and Café Pacific. And we're tasting a new concoction in a can known as Chelada.

We have a new phone number for you to share your feedback (so new that we couldn't even get it right when we recorded the podcast - see if you can hear the edit). Plus, updates on the latest local foodie events happening in the days to come. Download, listen, share, and enjoy!

Listen to Episode 12


Links for this episode:

• Mark Anbinder's Restaurant Reviews
• Mark's photos from our Hot Dog lunch on Flickr
• Gianelli Sausage
• Hofmann's Hot Dogs
• Letters Central Hots
• Cà Phê House
• A&W Restaurant hot dogs
• Tony's Texas Hots at Roadfood.com
• Syracuse Skychiefs
• Café Carpineto
• Cafe Dewitt
• Café Pacific
• Chelada at the Boozin' Blog
• Summer Block Party at GIAC on July 5th
• Dilmun Hill farm stand at Cornell

Our new voicemail number is ready and waiting

We've activated our new voicemail line for your questions and comments, so feel free to call us anytime at:
607-215-4392
This new number is hosted for free by GrandCentral.com and while it's not a local Ithaca number, there are plenty of new options for you to call us that won't cost you a thing. Just click on the big button over on the right of the blog to have your line connected to our voicemail for free! We look forward to hearing from you soon...

Would you buy a $185 burger from BK?

When we visited Burger King for our 10th Episode, we thought the Loaded Steakhouse Burger was pretty hearty and a kind of extreme. But that was nothing compared to what Burger King is trying to do with their new world record-breaking publicity stunt in England: the £95 'bling burger' made with "flame grilled Wagyu Beef, topped with white truffles in an Iranian saffron and truffle bun." Sounds delicious on paper, but would it really be worth it? Check out this video from the London Telegraph:


Get the full story here.

Our phone number is changing!

Hello listeners... We are in the process of changing our voicemail service for Eating Ithaca, and we'll be getting a new number very soon, so stay tuned. We'll update you right here as soon as the new number is confirmed, and we look forward to hearing from you again soon...

Ep. 11 - Foodsheds, Festivals, and Collegetown Eats

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We're back after an extended break and we've been busy during our time off - check out the new look for our website! Not only did we change the layout, we also updated our logo and we're planning to add more changes in the weeks to come. We'd love to know what you think!

In this episode of the Eating Ithaca podcast, our guest is Cornell scientist Chris Peters, who has been researching the way land is used in New York State for food production. He talked with us about his findings and what they mean for the Ithaca region.

Our ongoing quest to visit every restaurant in Ithaca from A-Z continues this week with reviews of two Collegetown eateries, the Asian Noodle House and Cà Phê House. You can see photos from our visits on our Flickr page (www.flickr.com/photos/eatingithaca).

Plus we have news about two big Ithaca foodie events happening this week, and we announce the winner of our very first giveaway contest! Send us your feedback, your reviews, and your thoughts on our changes. We look forward to hearing from you!

Listen to Episode 11


Links for this episode:

• Article on Chris Peters' research from the Cornell Chronicle
• How Great Cities Are Fed by W.P. Hedden
• Asian Noodle House
• Cà Phê House
• Bánh Mì sandwich on Wikipedia
• Ithaca Taste of the Nation
• Ithaca Festival 2008

"Ithaca Taste of the Nation" Tues. June 17th!

Somehow we let this slip past us, but it's not too late to get tickets to this year's Taste of the Nation event, an annual benefit for Share Our Strength that works to eliminate childhood hunger nationwide. This is a fantastic opportunity to enjoy the food of our region's best restaurants paired with our best Finger Lakes wine makers for an evening of delicious dining and entertainment, and all for an important cause.

The event is TUESDAY, JUNE 17TH, starting at 6:30pm in the Emerson Suites at Ithaca College. Tickets are $75 per person, or you can get VIP tickets for $125, and remember - it's all about coming together to celebrate wonderful food while supporting the local programs that help provide food for those struggling to eat enough every day.

To purchase tickets or more details, visit the website www.ithacatasteofthenation.org.

Last chance for contest entries!

Hello Ithaca Eaters! As we prepare our next episode of the podcast, this is a friendly reminder that you have until the end of the day on Friday, June 13th to get your name entered our giveaway contest! Just send us an email (eatingithaca@gmail.com) with your Name, your Town, and let us know about a Topic or an Interview you'd like to hear on an upcoming episode - that's it! The winner of our random drawing gets a brand new paperback copy of Michael Pollan's bestseller The Omnivore's Dilemma! So get those entries in, keep listening, and we'll announce the winner on our brand new episode of Eating Ithaca on June 16th!

Ep.10 - Ten Things!

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It’s our big 10th Episode and we’re celebrating this mini milestone with an extra-long discussion of Ten Things that have been on our minds, including dining outside Ithaca, foodie books and bad restaurant movies. Plus, we find out what happened to Ari, and our visits to every restaurant in Ithaca from A-Z continues with a discussion of the two Burger King locations in Ithaca (somehow overlooking that burger chain’s connection to Cornell!) and reminisce about the BK of our youth.

And if all that isn’t enough for you, we’ve also got a contest! We’re giving away a brand new paperback copy of Michael Pollan’s award-winning book The Omnivore’s Dilemma, but you have to listen to the episode for details!

In order to make sure we’re not recording any future episodes on a holiday weekend, we’re taking an extra week off before the next episode, so this episode is longer than usual to help you make it through the three weeks until Episode 11 is online (June 16th). But don’t think we’re on vacation - we’re going to use these weeks to improve the website and the podcast, and we’re looking forward to sharing those updates with you soon.

There are a ton of links below for everything we’re discussing in this supersized edition of Eating Ithaca, and don't forget to check out photos at our Flickr page (www.flickr.com/photos/eatingithaca). Send us your feedback, your reviews, your opinions. We look forward to hearing from you!

Listen to Episode 10


Links for this episode:

DINING

• Burger King
  (and do you remember this contest?)
• WD-50
• ’SNice
• Momofuku Ssäm Bar
• Serendipity Catering of Ithaca
• Ithaca Soda Co. Root Beer
• Cornell Chicken Barbecue Sauce recipe

BOOKS

• Schott’s Food & Drink Miscellany
  by Ben Schott
• The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals and In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto
  by Michael Pollan
• The Devil in the Kitchen: Sex, Pain, Madness and the Making of a Great Chef
  by Marco Pierre White
• The Fortune Cookie Chronicles
  by Jennifer 8. Lee
• Fast Food Nation: the Dark Side of the All-American Meal
  by Eric Schlosser

FILMS

• No Reservations
• Spanglish
  (you can find the wonderful "Spanglish Sandwich" recipe here)
• Ratatouille
  (get it now at the iTunes store!)
• Big Night
• Fast Food Nation
• Our Daily Bread
• King Corn

Welcome new listeners!

This has been a popular week for Eating Ithaca. Our audience is growing quickly, and thanks to some extra promotion from Michael Ludgate we’re nearing our 1,000th visitor to the website and our podcast audience is passing 100+ per episode. In fact, this week our little show briefly made it to number 49 in the iTunes Store list of the Top 100 Food Podcasts!

We want to welcome all the new listeners who've downloaded our podcast and hope you enjoyed it. We aim to post a new episode every two weeks, and we've got more great interviews lined up for upcoming episodes so we hope you keep listening.

We also hope to hear from you on what you think of Eating Ithaca, guests you'd love to hear, or features you'd like to see. Send us an email, or leave us a message at (206) 312-4746.

Because you asked for it, we've already added a new feature to the website which lets you play the podcast directly from your browser. It's super easy to use and we hope you'll find it helpful when you feel like browsing our archive or don't want to save the file to your hard drive. Of course, if you enjoy what you hear, we encourage you to subscribe to the show for free using our podcast feed.

Our Extra Big 10th Episode will be online starting Monday, May 26th and we hope you'll come back and listen. Until then, keep Eating Ithaca!

Ep. 09 - Ludgate Farms, waterfront dining, and too much soup

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In this episode, we'll talk with Michael Ludgate about the 35-year-history of Ludgate Farms and find out why his eclectic market on Hanshaw Road has such a special place in the hearts of Ithaca foodies.

Also, our visits to every restaurant in Ithaca from A-Z continues with reviews of the waterfront's Boatyard Grill and the Austrian cafe known as Brötchen.

Don't forget to check out all the photos for this episode at our Flickr page, and send us your feedback and reviews! We look forward to hearing from you.



Links for this episode:

• Ludgate Farms
• Full Plate Farm Collective
• Fever Tree premium mixers
• The Boatyard Grill
• Brötchen
• 14850 Dining review of Brötchen

Ep. 08 - Spring Cleaning

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It's spring cleaning time at Eating Ithaca studios, and we've uncovered some items that should have been eaten a long time ago (or should they?). We taste a limited edition Snickers Charged bar with caffeine and taurine for an extra kick. Plus we try a "flight" of the Jones Soda Dessert Pack - could soda really taste as good as pie? We'll let you know.

Also, our A-Z restaurant reviews continue with visits to Big Al's Pizza on South Hill, Bistro Fry & Grill in Collegetown, and downtown's Blue Stone Bar & Grill. All that plus previews of what's coming up in future episodes. Take a listen and enjoy!



*NEW* Check out all the photos for this episode at our Flickr page!

Links for this episode:

• Snickers Charged via Candyblog
• Jones Soda Limited Editions
• Wine Library TV
• Big Al's Pizza
• Bistro Fry & Grill
• Blue Stone Bar & Grill