Behind the Blog: Ithacork

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We're wrapping up the year on a festive note as we go "Behind the Blog" to meet Tom Mansell of Ithacork. Though he's relatively new to the local wine scene, his blog offers a fresh, fun, and scientific perspective that makes wine easy to understand and worth getting excited about.

In this interview, Tom takes Dave on a tasting tour of some of his favorite Finger Lakes wines, covering the best grapes of our region. With the enthusiastic mind of a chemist, he helps Dave learn something new about how wine works, how we taste, and generally makes wine less intimidating and easier to comprehend. This episode is 96 minutes long, but it's worth listening to every minute, a perfect download to listen to on your holiday travels. However you choose to listen, and no matter how much you already know about wine, you can still learn something from Tom.

This is also our last podcast of 2009. We'll be back next year with new episodes of our regular Eating Ithaca podcast. In the meantime, you can find updates by following us on Twitter and on Facebook. We'd also love to hear from you, so write a comment here on the blog, leave a message on our voicemail line 607-216-8624 (607-21-MUNCH), or send an email with your thoughts to: feedback [at] eatingithaca [dot] com.

If you really enjoy what we create here at Eating Ithaca, why not make a donation? Your support goes directly to helping us keep this blog and podcast running, and keep making it even better as we go. Just click on the Donate button on the main page and you'll be helping us keep Eating Ithaca!

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MORE ON TOM MANSELL:

• www.Ithacork.com
• Follow Tom Mansell on Twitter
• Tom's writing at The NY Cork Report
• Tom's writing at PalatePress.com

THE WINES WE TASTED:

• 2007 Shalestone Cabernet Franc (Seneca)
• 2007 Thirsty Owl Reserve Pinot Noir (Keuka)
• 2007 Heron Hill Old Vines Riesling (Keuka)
• 2007 Hermann J. Wiemer Dry Riesling Reserve (Seneca)
• * Tom's Wine of the Year:
  2008 Sheldrake Point Gewürztraminer (Cayuga)
• 2008 Fulkerson Winery Vidal Blanc Iced Wine (Seneca)

TOM ALSO RECOMMENDS:

• Heart & Hands Pinot Noir (Cayuga)
• 2007 Keuka Spring Vineyard Lemberger (Keuka)
• Tom's Lemberger Review on Ithacork

TOM'S PICKS FOR FINGER LAKES SPARKLING WINES:

• Heart & Hands Brut Rosé
• Damiani Wine Cellars Sparkling Wine
• Hermann J. Wiemer Cuvée Brut
• Château Frank Célèbre and Blanc de Noirs
• Bellwether Cider King Baldwin
• Eve's Cidery

ALSO DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Gary Vaynerchuk on Wine Library TV
• Riedel Glassware
• Jamie Goode's Wine Blog

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. 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

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.

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. 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