Op-Ed
A Table for Two
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Don't Miss Out
January 18, 2007 - 1:00amFor my fifth and final semester writing this column, I wanted to add a little twist to my usual commentary on college lifestyles and the like. When I approached my editor Carlos with this query, he asked me two simple questions: what would you rather write about? And, what niche could you fill that The Sun is currently lacking?
I contemplated both questions.
This is my last semester in college and, as any senior can understand, I have recently been plagued by the feeling that adolescence is slipping away. I must grab on to the udders of youth, I tell myself, and milk them before selling my fanciful soul to the likes of a nine-to-five job.
With that in mind, I decided to be indulgent and devote this semester’s columns to a zesty combination of my two absolute favorite topics: food and men.
Fellow columnist Nikki Nussbaum currently delves into the realm of college sex, and Daze columnist Charlie Niesenbaum successfully tackles the subject of college snacks. But The Sun has yet to feature a column which artfully combines the two. That’s a shame, as far as I’m concerned, because there are plenty of gentle- (and not-so-gentle) men in Ithaca to be dated, and almost as many restaurants to be reviewed.
Thus, for my final semester at The Sun I’ll be sampling and critiquing the various goodies that this city has to offer. I am on a mission to find the finest places to dine in Ithaca, and the finest company with whom to share it. Don’t miss out (pun intended), because it could get interesting.
We’ll start with the eatery that is, in my opinion, Ithaca’s single best location for a classy first date. Just a Taste, centrally set on Aurora Street in Ithaca Commons, is a cozy Spanish-style wine and tapas bar. The miniature portions are perfect for sharing, and, as our waiter Michael accurately suggested, five tapas will sufficiently feed two people. Just be sure to save some room for one of their exotic, mouth-watering desserts.
The menu changes nightly, and offers a few large dinner entrees such as penne in a brown garlic sauce ($13.50) and grilled ribeye steak ($13.75). However, I highly recommend foregoing the full-size dishes for a sample of their smaller, unusual tapas. The wider variety will let you experience the breadth of this chef’s culinary talents. Plus, choosing several dishes with my date was a perfect way for us to candidly become acquainted.
With helpful recommendations from our waiter, my escort and I chose a classic mix of meat, vegetable and seafood tapas. Some of our selections were rather adventurous while others were seemingly mundane, but none of the five disappointed either one of us. The winning ‘tapa’ of the evening was unquestionably a spicy shrimp sauté with tomato, jalapeno, onions, lime and cilantro ($5.75). The unlikely combination of flavors was outstanding. For vegetarians, a delicious and popular dish to try is the eggplant-goat cheese napoleons with almond-red pepper sauce and Asiago cheese ($5.50). For those with simpler taste, the sliced chicken breast sautéed with potatoes, onions and Madeira ($5.50) is just right.
The atmosphere at Just a Taste is casual but elegant. In other words, you might consider leaving your North Face and Birkenstocks at home. But despite its classy aura, Just a Taste somehow manages to maintain the comfy Ithaca feel of, say, the Carriage House Cafe. Through its doors you’ll find a friendly staff, intimate seating and a wine selection that will impress even the elite minority of students who’ve passed the Wines course at Cornell. To put it simply, you’re bound to leave this establishment feeling much more sophisticated than you actually are. I know I did; and if my date hadn’t been in his early thirties, I’m sure he would have agreed.
Yes, I said ‘thirties’ and it was not a typo. This is where the date-critiquing begins.
My “date” was originally not a date at all, but an interview I’d conducted as research for another article. An attorney, who I saw as a potentially good reference for that column, was passing through Ithaca so I scheduled an appointment to meet him. We’ll call him…The Lawyer..
I waited in the Statler lobby for him to arrive. When he did, the middle-aged, gray-haired man I’d expected was actually a well dressed 32-year-old. Not bad. We proceeded with the interview. I hardly looked up from my yellow pad as I scribbled down his answers to my questions. But every now and then, The Lawyer would interrupt my questioning with a question of his own. “So, what do you college kids do on Thursday nights around here?”
Oblivious to his advance, I continued my questioning. It took me far too long to understand that The Lawyer and I were, in fact, flirting. Eventually I came around. We got a few drinks at Collegetown Bagels after our interview and chatted. I was amazed that, unlike my frat boy contemporaries, this guy seemed to listen to what I was saying. He was actually looking at my face rather than twelve inches below. Could it be that men actually do mature once they leave college?
It didn’t take long to find out the answer. Wooed by The Lawyer’s good manners, I accepted his offer to take me to dinner the following night. (An actual date! Wow! Older men are wonderful!) Somewhere between the shrimp sauté and chocolate soufflé, however, The Lawyer confessed that he has a serious girlfriend in New York and was merely looking for a weekend fling.
So, The Lawyer turned out to be a slight disappointment. But I can’t say our date was a total failure because I got some great tapas, delicious wine and a valuable lesson to boot. I suppose you can take the boy out of college, but you can’t take college out of the boy.
The Restaurant?
Just a Taste
Delicious but pricey
Three Stars
The Date?
The Lawyer
I’m sticking to college boys
One Star
Missy Kurzweil is a senior in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. She can be contacted at mek37@cornell.edu. Don’t Miss Out appears alternate Thursdays.
Do you even read the Sun?
There already is a restaurant column. Why don't you brainstorm a bit more about your passions before stealing someone else's column.