ITHACA - Ithaca Bakery

ITHACA - Ithaca Bakery

It’s a movie date day but we’re old homebodies so that means we start with breakfast and hit the early showing! We did a scouting mission and, upon seeing a couple full parking lots for local diners, we ended up with our pick for the day.

LOCATION: TRIPHAMMER MARKETPLACE, 2255 N. TRIPHAMMER ROAD, ITHACA, NY 14850

We’ve been to Ithaca Bakery before a couple of times and this location is the most convenient when we’re trying to hit a movie so here we are. It’s been awhile, but we don’t LOVE going here since it’s usually a pretty busy spot. I also don’t love the layout of this location - it’s pretty cramped by the doors and the menu is nowhere near the registers so don’t forget what you were planning to order. Caleb wanted a bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich but everything has a name so he got a Brooklyn bagel (add cheese for $.90) and I decided to go with an Avocado Toast #2. I had a moment at the counter wondering if I really did want the #2 and not the #1 or #3 and since the menu is over by the door, I just hoped for the best. The upside was that I was correct and I did want the #2 which comes with avocado, feta crumbles, bacon, olive oil, salt and pepper on oatmeal wheat toast. I’m not the biggest fan of wheat toast at all but I figured it’d be fine with all the extra toppings included.

Not gonna lie, this was a disappointing toast. And for $10 I should’ve known better but I’ve been having a mental aversion to eggs lately and didn’t want a whole bagel sandwich because I knew I wouldn’t eat it all. Joke’s on me because I didn’t eat all of my avocado toast either! For an avocado TOAST you would thing that they would actually TOAST the bread but no luck. I could’ve used a little extra bit of support but the bottom was floppy. It did manage to stay together well enough so that’s what hearty bread will do for you but just a light toast on it would’ve made a world of improvement.

Honestly, this felt like an avocado toast you could get at a dunkin’ donuts. Pretty generic ‘avocado spread’ that didn’t really scream freshness, microwave bacon that smells smokey but only tastes like salt, and some pretty mid feta crumbles. Each component tasted the way I wanted it to, but all together it was so muddle and one note. My wallet is crying for a meal that was not worth the $10. We’ve got to find some alternative breakfast options for days like these.

SYR - Mist Tea Cafe

SYR - Mist Tea Cafe

The area around Syracuse University/Marshall Street is a bustling hub for bubble tea and we are divided. There are pros and cons to each spot but I’m not going to lie, right now, Mist Tea can have my money.

727 S. Crouse Ave., Syracuse, NY 13210

Mist tea has the classic mix and match flavors that I love when I get boba and they’ve recently added in some ‘blind box’ cups that have a chokehold on my office. They’ve also added in korean corn dogs so I’m down for some lunch today.

My go-to order right now is a mango black tea with lychee jelly (less sugar and less ice when that’s an option) and I decided to get a korean corndog with potato on the outside, half cheese and half hotdog on the inside. Best of both worlds.

They don’t miss when it comes to drinks and I’ve tried a few different variations of some tea drinks (not trying to add lactose if I can avoid it for my stomach) and it’s always what I want.

The corndog was a little bit of a letdown. This was pretty oily and sogged out. The cheese wasn’t great with the amount of oil and salt but I did like the hotdog part so if I were to give it another shot, I’d try a different outside topping and go all dog on the inside, no cheese.

We’ll see if I decide to give the corndogs another shot but we’ll be back for drinks for sure. Especially when it means I can get another cute little Hello Kitty keychain/bag charm!

ROC - Boba Mi

ROC - Boba Mi

It’s been a little since my last visit and in that time, one of my best friends told me I HAD to try Boba Mi so off I went for a little lunch date with mom.

LOCATION: 376 JEFFERSON RD., ROCHESTER, NY 14623

Now, being Vietnamese, we ARE critical of good or bad Vietnamese food and while my tastes are not as refined and mom is quite a picky eater, we do know good Viet food and this was good Viet food.

Turns out this place is run by a a cute South East Asian family (not Vietnamese) but they nailed the flavors. I ordered one of my favorite dishes, a noodle bowl with grilled pork chop while my mom got her classic rice bowl with grilled pork chop. I know everyone thinks of Vietnamese food and goes “Phở” which is great. I love the representation and phở is no joke when it’s done well so no shade, but ya’ll are sleeping on the pork chops. Bún thịt nướng is my JAM when I got to a restaurant. The one month I waitressed at a family friend’s restaurant post grad, I had it for lunch almost every shift.

Bún thịt nướng/noodle bowl with grilled pork chop comes with rice noodles, your protein of choice (the grilled pork is a classic), cucumbers/lettuce/pickled carrots/daikons, peanuts, and an egg roll. The juices from the meat is enough for me for moisture so I did a little mix-y mix and it’s perfection and makes me feel so nostalgic. A REAL Vietnamese person would tell you you HAVE to drizzle in some fish sauce (Nước mấm) but I’m so sorry, the American-ness gets me sometimes.

Mom and I were so happy. This place is close to my parent’s home, clean, affordable, good portion, casual vibes, and the pork chops were PERFECT. We’re interested in trying other dishes here so I’m looking forward to coming back and she’s already planning future lunch dates here with my younger cousins and/or my brother. I’m happy to introduce her to new places that she can enjoy with my family as well. Very hyped to see more modern Vietnamese restaurants for the cultural exposure. Love love love.

Corning - Slammin' Jammin' BBQ

Corning - Slammin’ Jammin’ BBQ

It’s my birthday trip! Which of course, obviously, means a trip to Corning, NY!

Honestly, a little anticlimactic for a Rochester native because I’ve been coming here for school field trips since I was at least 8 but Adirondak child Caleb has never been so I’ve been really looking forward to taking him. Talk about being spoiled because I had no clue this was WORLD RENOUND for glass. It was always just Corning growing up, but I love that this level of art was just a given for me in my life. It’s only helped make art feel like an obvious option for little Emily.

We had a really nice time at the museum and had a great seat for the glass blowing demonstrations. Turns out it’s not terribly busy in the morning so it was all smooth sailing, no lines and plenty of space. Caleb and I had a great time doing some early Christmas shopping for his family in the gift shop and to celebrate my birthday properly, we signed up for a little flameworking glass workshop. We both decided to do make a fall leaf pendant since that was a seasonal option and it’s just fitting for my birthday. I love fall.

We did a little shopping nearby and ended up at Slammin’ Jammin’ BBQ for lunch!

LOCATION: 69 E. MARKET ST., CORNING, NY 14830

I always get brisket when we get BBQ. We don’t eat beef much at home and I love a fatty piece of brisket so I ordered the BBQ Slamwich with sliced brisket and a side of fresh cut fries. I would say my photo doesn’t do this sandwich justice. It was the perfect amount for me (I always have a slice of brisket leftover because it it’s a little too much meat and I get full fast now in my ripe old age.) but the sandwich and the fries were so good. We sat at the bar because it was a little full, but we had a really chill time, food came out quick, and service was really nice. We ended up in a great spot and I’m so happy to wrap up my birthday day trip on a high note.

SYR - Orange Asian Cafe

SYR - Orange Asian Cafe

We went on an adventure today wandering around for lunch and ended up walking by Orange Asian Cafe.

Location: 713 S Crouse Ave Unit 1, Syracuse, NY 13210

This spot is tucked around a corner near Syracuse University and we knew we were in for a good time when we walked in and the whole place was filled with international asian students and the staff was shouting out orders in Chinese. I did get the fake out of being asked a question in Chinese and had to take the L on that one and respond back in English. Sometimes, Americanization really takes you down a peg because I KNOW the service would be prime if I was smart enough to answer.

Regardless, this was still a good spot. The staff were quick in a busy restaurant kind of chaos that resonates with my soul and there’s a little QR code on each table that takes you to online ordering so you can just drop your order and they bring it right over. I’m not a huge fan of their usage of AI photos of the food. Very unsettling.

Today, I decided to order the Korean Style Noodle with Soy Bean Paste in the hopes that it would result in a jjajangmyeon and I lucked out on that one. I’ve never had true jjajangmyeon before, just instant versions, so you never know how true and authentic the real deal is. This place spot has pretty big portions so this order was easily two meals for me. It’s a thick black bean sauce with little bits of meat inside along with some beansprouts and spinach. I’m a fan. I’m already thinking about ordering it again. The noodles themselves were okay. It’s giving spaghetti which is fine but nothing special. All of the nuance is in the sauce so that’s what you’re here for and I’m about it.

Their menu is extensive. It’s a little overwhelming to look over but if there’s something you have in mind that you’re craving, there’s a great chance they have it which I love. It’s tricky finding places that serve food outside of the typical Asian American options which is not what I’m ever craving. I’m so glad our little group stumbled on this place. I’m definitely coming back.