Marie WheelerEarlier this week I attended a two-day training in Ithaca, NY, and each day my boss and I explored the food around the Commons area. For anyone not familiar with Ithaca, there is a four-block section of State Street turned pedestrian mall in the mid-70’s. It is lined with many unique shops and lots of fantastic restaurants. The area around the Commons, from Green to Buffalo Streets and Cayuga to Aurora Streets are also lined with many great places to eat.
We visited two restaurants for lunch during the training: New Delhi Diamond’s Indian Restaurant and Taste of Thai.
Diamond’s Indian Restaurant
In 2005, I had tried Indian food while in Seattle, WA at a conference. It was a confusing and not particularly good experience as I had no idea what I was eating and a lot of it was too spicy for me. Since that time, I have vastly expanded my palate to include a larger variety of spices and a larger range of heat within those spices. In 2005, my idea of hot was a mild wing sauce; things have changed.
When my boss asked if I wanted to eat at New Delhi Diamond’s Indian Restaurant, I jumped at the chance as not only would I get to try Indian food, but I could do it with someone who knew about it and could point me toward things that I might like more.
I loved it! The restaurant serves a buffet daily through lunch for a very reasonable $9.17+tax and I tried a little of most everything offered. I wish I had the names of everything I tried, but I do know that my favorite was the Aloo Matar, which was a curried potato and peas dish. That is a comfort food, it’s like a warm hug for your tummy.
Taste of Thai – Ithaca Commons
A.D. and I both tried Thai food for the first time just last year in Boston, MA. We have been obsessed with it since, 
and were plainly pleased when a Thai restaurant opened near us. It is passable Thai food, but not the most amazing or likely authentic, not that we are great experts, but it doesn’t match the food that we had in Boston or other areas.
Day two of the training, coming into the lunch hour, my boss and I were searching for food options that fit our needs and originally decided that we would try the Ethiopian restaurant a block from where we were located. When we got there, it was a few minutes to noon and they didn’t open until noon. We decided that might be an adventure for another day and pressed on, walking down the Commons area. We spotted Taste of Thai and headed in as we both love Thai food and decided this would be a good spot to try.
I normally go for the Pad Thai as I know it is often spice appropriate – I had an experience with Thai food where I ordered medium spice and it ended up super-extra spice and literally burned my mouth and caused some temporary issues with my whole mouth going numb. It was bad, except for learning about the joy that is Mango Sticky Rice. I decided to be adventurous and ordered the Drunken Noodles with chicken, which was amazing. The quality of food can not be denied.
In all, it was a wonderful training with great food and great company. I wish all work weeks could be this good!
