Our meal at Gala Osteria was delicious -- authentic Italian dishes. I loved the tagliatelle and the…read moredessert with maple syrup grown locally. Our waiter Steve was very attentive and gave great suggestions. Don't let the somewhat odd location discourage you from a fabulous meal.

Delicious pasta! Better than Thompson and Bleecker and perhaps my favorite restaurant in Ithaca!…read more We tried the eggplant roll appetizer which was warm and very cheesy. The anchovy salad was also good (I prefer the white anchovies which they used). The salad was also quite generous with the cheese. I enjoyed dipping the warm bread in the leftover eggplant cheese/sauce. For mains we tried the chicken, black spaghetti, and the pappardelle. I love mushrooms, so the pappardelle was my favorite. A rather simple buttery sauce which allowed the flavor of the mushrooms to really come through. Delicious! I don't usually like to re-order the same dish when returning to restaurants, but this was so good when I come back I will definitely be getting this again! Black spaghetti and chicken were also good- no complaints here. For dessert we tried the panna cotta which was a tiny bit on the runny side though I am just being picky. It was very tasty and not too sweet. The tiramisu was also good (on the boozier side). The desserts were rather small but the mains were all quite hefty portion sizes. Reservations were rather inconvenient to snag though definitely not too hard. Overall, I really enjoyed Gola Osteria and will have to return to try more of their pastas!

I suggested this not so casual spot for a casual catch-up with my girlfriend and a friend, mostly…read morebecause I'd tried their sister restaurant next door. We were seated right away. The layout and vibe were nearly identical to the other location: cozy, softly lit, and upscale. Deciding what to eat was the hardest part. I went with my gut and got their Lamb Ragu Pasta - rich, herby, and the pasta had this firm bite. My girlfriend had the Porchetta, which she found a bit too fatty, though she polished off the potatoes with zero hesitation. My friend ordered the Chicken Piccata. I tried it, nodded, and moved on - good, but not groundbreaking. We ended with an affogato (fancy words for vanilla ice cream drowned in espresso). Simple, classy, and somehow the star of the night. If nothing else, I'd come back just for that.

Super cozy restaurant with phenomenal food and service!…read more We ordered a few starters: the chicken liver crostini, beet salad, and mixed green salad--all of which were fantastic. The chicken saltimbocca and bucatini were delicious, but the star of the meal was the hanger steak. Not only juicy and tender, but so so flavorful! I don't order steak often, but I wouldn't hesitate to get it again. They also have a solid selection of cocktails and wine to pair with your meal. The staff are really friendly and helpful with menu suggestions and wine pairings. I believe it's run by a family, and it certainly provides the comfort and care of one. We enjoyed a fabulous dinner and will be back!

Martin at Ciao was honestly the greatest server ever, always bringing energy and making every…read moreexperience better. He had a way of making people feel welcome while still being quick, attentive, and on point with everything. It's rare to find someone who balances personality and professionalism as well as he did. I hope to hear his response because he truly deserves the recognition. GIVE HIM A RAISE!!

The secret menu item here is the Tuscan Sacchetti pasta but with the bolognese sauce instead of the…read moreAlfredo sauce. They are so popular here they ran out of my favorite go to dinner the lasagna. A waiter recommended the above way of ordering the Tuscan Sacchetti and ever since it is now mandatory. Bolognese sauce is off the hook tasty.,Throw in the the hot bread and oil dip and BOOM!!

The Rook is located a couple blocks north of the Commons. The staff were very pleasant and…read moreexplained everything on the menu. The menu itself is short and focused, while the interior of the restaurant features wallpaper with anthropomorphic animals, and large windows. I opted for the Burger, and my wife the Salmon. We also ordered the grilled dates and collard greens. I also decided on a Ginger Beer. They serve Goslings (since 1806), with all 47 grams of sugar, over ice and a lime. Highly recommended on the ginger beer flavor scale. The Burger came with a massive amount of their duck-fat fried fries, certainly more potato than burger. I also liked the burger with the added bacon. But my wife's Salmon was even tastier. It featured a nice hunk of fish, skin-on, crispy, and not some half-or-quarter fillet that other places might serve. Plus, it comes over a bed of green peas and canneli beans and green asparagus sauce on the bottom, and a small bed of frisée on top. The combination with the lemon cream leads to very satisfying bites. The grilled dates wrapped in bacon, with goat cheese, Marcona almonds, and honey were presented as a drumstick. The collard greens were nice, though on the saltier side. Seating here can be had inside or out. The bathrooms are located in the hallway next to the restaurant.

Unique mac and cheese and good gnocchi!…read more I am debating giving the rook 3 or 4 stars... I was not a fan of the salmon mousse... far too salty and I wish it was paired with crisped bread or at least something other than Ritz crackers. I did, however, enjoy the presentation and taste of the macaroni au gratin. The square shape is very unique and I liked the cheese sauce. The lamb w gnocchi was also quite good. Pillowy and soft. The lamb was cooked well. Overall, I would maybe return. I enjoyed the macaroni au gratin as well as the lamb w gnocchi!

Excellent pizza! Fresh ingredients, plenty of tomato and basil on our Napoli. Cooked to perfection…read more Absolutely would recommend.

The service was very poor and almost nonexistent, idk if the guy had a horrible breakup or what but…read moreI felt bad for him, no hi when we walked in, no 'can I help you' or 'can I take you order' nothing like that at all, he just stood there, we were the only ones in there too. Another guy walked in and he did the same thing to him and the guy said thank you and the worker said nothing. It was very strange. The pizza somehow only tastes like a tomato, the cheese on both the regular and vegan pizza had no taste, the crust too, it all definitely needed seasoning. The bathroom was sooooo nasty and the toilet had something on it that I won't even discuss on here, just use your imagination, maybe the guy was mad about that?

I've had brunch, lunch, and dinner at MIX, and all with varying levels of enjoyment. My recent…read morebrunch experience included ordering a Where the West Begins omelette, which includes "Braised short rib, butternut squash, red onion jam, spinach, smoked gouda". I wasn't sure how to feel about butternut squash with everything else (I'm not necessarily a huge squash fan - but I'm trying to learn to enjoy it), but the omelette was decent... it's the other side on my plate that looked less than appetizing. The biscuit was still covered in flour (and who wants to bite down on a clump of flour?), the cheddar hashbrown casserole lacked in flavor, and the brown sugar cinnamon oatmeal just... wasn't doin' it for me. Other recent experiences have been similar... there's usually one item on the plate that's flavorful or imventive (sometimes a main dish, sometimes a side), and the other parts of the plate are lacking. In reality, I think MIX is suffering a bit from rising food costs and inconsistency in their service and offerings. They've also changed the style of their menu from the original tapas-style to now being more typical entree options. Again... they've lost some of their innovative, experimental approach. In terms of ambiance, it really depends. I've been here for a work event and, because of the number of people, it was SO LOUD... they had also done a buffet offering for the event. As you can imagine, the food from the buffet was lacking, but that's often what happens when you're more mass producing your food (and it's left in a chafing dish, trying to be kept warm). On the other hand, I've been here for a dinner on a random night and was able to enjoy one of their Thai noodle bowls (and split some other apps with friends). The reality is that experiences at MIX are... well... a mix. Whether service, menu offerings, etc., I've found MIX's recent inconsistencies to be a disappointment. Will probably only visit in the future if it's suggested by others.

we made a resy for 5 for a wednesday night dinner, not crowded at all and our server was the most…read moredarling lady. she checked on us many times and would call us "love" after she would take our orders or give us more water. it was very nice and homey. we came here initially because in the past it's been a tapas place and we were looking forward to sharing small plates. unfortunately they changed their menu so they mostly do individual entrees now with a plethora of options from spaghetti to steak to burgers to thai noodles (lots of options) thai mussel bowl - 3/5 mussels a little ocean-y fishy tasting and the thai sauce a little liquidy brazilian cheesy bread gluten free 4/5 - yum appetizers delicious crunchy with cheese inside. the red dipping sauce was just tomato sauce a little strange but not bad osco bucco 3/5 - a little salty but a solid pork shoulder. the gnocci was also fried which was interesting italian sub with house salad 4/5 - good solid sub, i could only finish half and ate my entire side salad which had nice breaded croutons (not the dense thick ones) red clam linguine 4/5 - not bad, only about 4 clams but some more inside the pasta penne alla vodka 3.5/5 - a solid pasta nothing special

Visited BG Budas for lunch with a couple friends. Server was nice enough, but service itself was…read moremuch slower than expected (especially because there were very few people there at the time). Server also didn't write down our orders, and then brought out one of the orders incorrectly... which, unfortunately, my friend didn't feel like she could send back because everything was taking so long. Food itself was okay... but could use more flavor. For example, a friend and I split the lobster corn fritters (fresh Maine lobster, sweet corn, asiago, cilantro, honey mustard, and sriracha). The fritters were almost entirely corn, and I tasted no hint of asiago or the cilantro (and I like cilantro, so I tend to pick up on the taste pretty easily... but there was nothing). The pizza I ordered for my main dish was fine... if perhaps a bit undercooked. One of my friends ordered a pizza with tomatoes on it, and it came out with large, rectangle chunks of tomato covering the pizza (red and yellow tomatoes). At first, she though the yellow tomatoes were pineapple chunks because of the size. She figured out they were tomatoes, but the amount of them on the pizza itself made it a bit awkward to eat. Ambiance was interesting. It feels welcoming enough, but the door to the outside patio was open and there were numerous flies that would seemingly dive-bomb my friends and I during our meal. Because the door was open, it was also a bit muggy inside the restaurant itself. Anyway... would I/we rush back? Probably not. And I certainly wouldn't grab lunch here again just because of how much time it took.

I got take out and it was ready when I requested & brought to my car. Tasty calamari and…read morefries--appetizers are always a win and these didn't disappoint.