This past weekend I had the pleasure of eating at one of my favorite restaurants in Ithaca, John Thomas Steakhouse. For me, John Thomas is my Peter Luger’s away from home. The meat is prime dry-aged beef, just like Peter Luger’s and everything from the steak sauce to the menu selections represent how a true American steakhouse should be.

The night before I came back to Cornell, I had the pleasure of eating at Terrance Brennan’s Manhattan restaurant, Picholine. Though I had an unpleasant experience there five years ago, complete with terrible service and even worse food, recent reviews piqued my interest in returning. Having loved Brennan’s flagship restaurant (Brennan’s in New Orleans), I was willing to give Picholine another chance and I was glad that I did.

I found this recipe for baked eggs with mushroom cream in Robuchon’s book, which I have mentioned in previous posts. He calls it oeufs cocotte à la crème de champignons. This particular dish is great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner and is sure to impress guests. What is best about it is the soft texture of the egg and the vibrant colors that come from making the dish correctly.

Continuing with recipes from The Complete Robuchon, the next dish I made was a monkfish with garlic and fennel cream, which Robuchon called lotte à l'ail, crème de fenouil. Monkfish looks a bit like anglerfish, but despite its gruesome appearance is incredibly delicious. Its tail meat resembles that of a lobster and cooked properly, even tastes similarly.

I am exploring many of the recipes in Joel Robuchon’s 2008 book, The Complete Robuchon. What fascinates me the most is trying recipes for dishes that I normally only see in top restaurants like Robuchon’s L’atelier de Joel Robuchon. The first of such dishes I attempted was his rendition of pan fried foie gras slices, entitled foie gras en tranches, poêlé.

As a Junior who had never been to the Glenwood Pines before, I had often heard stories of the famous Pinesburger, but had neglected to actually try one. Last Saturday I was fortunate enough to go there with a few of my friends. It is a bit harder to get to than most places in Ithaca, and you definitely need a car since no buses travel there, but the trip is worth it.

Last Saturday, September 5th, I attended the 3rd Annual Ithaca Brew Fest and it turned out to be the most fun I have ever had in Ithaca. The sun was shining and the beautiful blue sky and picturesque Cayuga Lake were accentuated by the extensive variety of offered food and drink.