14850 Dining

Mama Teresa Pizzeria & Italian Restaurant now has an additional location, in the old Oasis Halal Grill spot on College Ave, east of Dryden. (It appears that Collegetown Pizza on Dryden Road, which was a Mama Teresa in the past, I believe, is no longer operating -- but please correct me if I'm wrong about this.)

I had a couple of tasty NY-style slices today. I'm not sure if they'll do the whole Mama Teresa menu, but it sounds like they'll be able to do most of it.

I wonder where one goes for good shawarma now....

It's in the old Mexeo location on the south side of Dryden Road. I tried the carnitas tacos today and enjoyed them! (Guacamole is extra, naturally.) I appreciated that they have a heated tortilla-press to brown the tacos -- everyone should be using them at this point, IMHO.

It's also good to have another outlet for Mexican Coke in Collegetown. (I know that Collegetown Bagels sells it -- does anyone know of other places?)

I had a delicious NY-style slice there today (with artichoke, tomato, etc.). Perfectly seasoned crust with even browning. If you're a pizza lover, you ought to check it out.

The location is the old "Greek House" on the east side of Dryden Road.

I tried the ribs today and found them even better than I remember from their old East Hill Plaza location. Given the crowd today -- I guess it was their first day open -- they might want to look for a larger location!

I tried the Dagwood (turkey, ham, corned beef) today. Nice flavors. All in all, it's worth going past Subway to eat here. The (extra charge) pickle makes the sandwich that much better, too. If it weren't for Gorgers (whose fresh homemade sub rolls REIGN SUPREME), this would be the best sub shop in Ithaca, IMHO.

P.S. For a soda-phile, the Cherry Coke is worth a visit, all just by itself!

This is in the former location of "Sarah's Pita House" and "That Burrito Place" on the East side of College Ave, south of Dryden Road.
Everything is pretty good, but my current favorites are the chicken gyro and shawarma!

They have a substantial Italian menu. I tried the pizza slices and found them better than average, with a nice evenly-toasted crust.

Their falafel pita is also quite good.

Also, their Philly cheesesteak is probably the closest to the genuine article that I've had in Ithaca!

Their stromboli just might be the best in Ithaca, IMHO!

Their website is http://www.dueamiciristoranteithaca.com/, which is different from what is printed on the paper menus.

They've upped their game recently (for a while, they couldn't get the coating they had been using). Now, it's back to being the best in Ithaca, IMHO! (If you know of better fried chicken in Ithaca, please tell us about it!)

What's old is new again? E-mail newsletters have come a long way in the last couple of years, and they've become very common and popular as the shortcomings of some newer social media approaches have become clearer.

Last week, we introduced the 14850 Dining Report, a periodical e-mail newsletter that we hope lots of our readers and listeners will subscribe to. It will help us let you know when there's new stuff to read that you might otherwise miss on Facebook or Twitter or what have you.

Hop over to http://tinyletter.com/14850dining and you can see last week's issue and subscribe for the future.

Despite the similarities in name, and the fact that the old sign still seems to be outside, and the fact that their Facebook name is

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gateway-Kitchen/1464650563748610

this is quite a different restaurant than the old "Gateway Kitchen".

Their menu can be found at their own website, http://gatewaykitchenithaca.com/.

They have several barbecue entrees now. I've tried the beef brisket and it was quite tender and flavorful. Also, the ribs just might be the best in town!

I notice they've advertised (on the web) a "Blossom Bowl" (which is their BBQ salad in a Navajo taco bowl, basically). I've tried this, and it's an AMAZING COMBINATION. It's not on the standard menu, but it's worth asking about.

Check out the menu at oldmexicoithaca.com. They have a relatively inexpensive weekday lunch combo, but I recommend paying up for the excellent carnitas. I also like the chile colorado and the shredded-beef enchiladas de casa!

In case you find the spicing too "bland" (it may be tuned for New England tastes, rather than, say, those of the Southwest), try the diablo sauce! (It's spicy for Ithaca, but more flavorful than extremely hot.)

Update: As of 9/10/2015, they have a Buy 7 lunches, get 8th free deal! (see restaurant for terms/conditions)

This week, 14850 Dining revisits a familiar brunch player on the scene, at Felicia's Atomic Lounge. This West End bar has always had food available, including their great flatbreads and Friday night "drunken" hot dogs and not dogs, and this week they expand their Sunday brunch to include Saturdays, too.

Felicia's first tried brunch on Black Friday a few years ago, and opened for weekly brunch on Sundays just over two years ago.

( Read more about Felicia's brunch on 14850 Dining. )

I recently had some rather good pot roast at "The Rose", at Triphammer Mall (which, long ago, was the "Mexicali Rose" -- It still has some Mexican offerings). Given the number of ways that people can make bad pot roast, this is quite an accomplishment ;-). It makes me think that their other "Mama's Kitchen" entrees might be good, also.

(Thanks to mhaithaca for the tip about this!)

-D.E.