Ithaca Bites: Bangers for Your Buck

The first reason I like Kilpatrick’s is their booths. If you’re scatterbrained like me, the high backs and enclosed sides will actually allow you to focus on the person you’re with. You won’t overhear strange conversations from the next table, but something’s got to give.
Each booth comes standardly equipped with a TV, which can either save a bad date or simply lead to the realization, as my ex-boyfriend and I found out last semester, that America’s Next Top Model is simply more interesting than each other’s company.
The second reason I like Kilpatrick’s is their food. My friend Matt Richwine and I started with the “Irish Beer Mussels,” which came with a shot glass of drawn butter and a spicy sauce, and arrived even before we could make a dent in our beers (there’s a great selection of those as well). Matt had the “Hen of the Woods,” a giant burger with wild mushrooms, bacon and swiss cheese.
As I had a recent Glenwood Pines Burger on my mind (purported as Ithaca’s best), I asked him for a comparison. “If I had to say,” he said, pausing and thoughtfully chewing, “this one is better.” This is high praise indeed from someone who has sailed up the western shores of Lake Cayuga in order to procure a Pines Burger.
I had the “Bangers and Smashed” because it seemed appropriately Irish, which delightfully proved to be more food than I could eat – a giant mound of “smashed potatoes,” some banger sausages with an excellent mustard sauce, and a heap of red kraut.
I was extremely satisfied. Other items on the menu include various steaks, fish dishes and several vegetarian options, all of which sound great and, if our meal was at all indicative of the others, are all bound for glory. If you stick to a burger or bangers, your meal won’t break your wallet, but if you get fancier, get ready to shell out $15-$25 for your entree.
Kilpatrick’s is also closer than you think. Get over the mental road … err … hill-block and walk the ten minutes from Collegetown down to Tioga Street. Kilpatrick’s is right under the Hilton Garden Inn, next to Starbucks. Later on, your post-prandial walk back up the hill will serve your digestion well. Kilpatrick’s offers good food, good beer, good service, and really cool booths (although I think I heard three Britney Spears songs play while we were there). Check it out.