DINING

The Historic State Diner Offers Well-Prepared Authentic Fare

By Henry Stark

Iwas having lunch the other day with a few friends and one asked if I had ever reviewed e State Diner. She said, “It’s been here forever!”. Actually, I’ve never reviewed it, so her query was all the incentive I needed. e State has not been in Ithaca “forever” however it has been on the west side of State Street, just a couple of blocks from the Fulton and Meadow Street thoroughfares, since 1936. It more than doubled in size a er being refurbished in 2012 a er a re.

It has an eclectic clientele, with many dedicated locals and students. ere’s a de nite nod to Greek cuisine and those dishes are generally well prepared and seem authentic.

I don’t normally review breakfasts however they are an important part of the o erings here ($10-$15) and are available from opening to closing. ere are eight “Specialty Omelets”, ($11-$14). e Veggie Omelet was large, covering the plate, and lled with a copious selection of green peppers, onions, mushrooms, and tomatoes. Every one of the ingredients was cooked perfectly, not easy to do. While the price on the menu for Veggie Omelet is $14, the price on my receipt was $14.85.

When I ordered Eggs & Hash ($14) I found myself answering a barrage of questions from my server: I asked for poached eggs, so she asked: did I want them in a cup; on the side over the accompanying hash brown potatoes; or on top of the hash? For toast; white, wheat, or rye? For the potatoes; hot sauce or ketchup? While the menu lists the hash as “homemade corned beef hash”, I asked and two different servers con rmed it was actually canned. e accompanying toast came already buttered; however the “butter” was half butter and half margarine. e pancake syrup was packaged. e potatoes, however, are made from scratch and are very good. e price on the menu for Eggs and Hash is $14, but the price on my receipt was $13.15; ironically balancing out the pricing di erence for the Veggie Omelet.

Under the Classic Sandwiches section I selected a Reuben ($13) because the listing had all the proper ingredients: Corned beef, sauerkraut, grilled on rye bread with melted Swiss cheese and Russian dressing. However I wasn’t able to identify the meat…it didn’t seem like any corned beef I’ve ever had…more like round luncheon meats. I wasn’t able to nd any “melted Swiss cheese” and the Russian dressing wasn’t on the sandwich, it came in a small side dish. Despite all that, I enjoyed it.

The State Diner has been an Ithaca fixture since 1936. (Photo: Josh Baldo)

Much of the State Diner interior remains true to historic diner design. (Photo: Josh Baldo)

We Fly ITH Why

We appreciate how easy it is to travel “home”. —Bill and Debbie Collier

delta.com aa.com united.com

Ithaca Tompkins International Airport | 1 Culligan Drive Ithaca, NY 14850

AUGUST 10–20

110 North Cayuga St., Ithaca repstudio.com • 607-272-4292

BUY TICKETS NOW!

HangarTheatre.org • 607.273.ARTS

801 Taughannock Blvd in Cass Park

350backpacks withPapaJohn's givingasliceper backpack!

BackpackStops:

7/13 From 10-12pm : Cortland CFCU Located at 3912 State Route 281 7/15 From 4:30-5:30pm : Ithaca Giac Located at 301 W. Court St. 7/16 From 4:30-5:30pm : Dryden Elementary School Located at 36 Union St. 7/17 From 4:30-5:30pm : Lansing High School Located at 300 Ridge Rd. 7/18 From 4:30-5:30pm : Groton High School Located at 400 Peru Rd. 7/19 From 4:30-5:30pm : Newfield Elementary School Located at 247 Main St.

Is it worth a thousand words? Check our art reviews

The IPD Chief Roll Call

Here are the names and dates of service for all the Ithaca Police Department acting and sworn chiefs pictured on the cover. Acting chiefs are identi ed with an asterisk. Not pictured are Eugene VanOrder (1905-1909), Edward Buck (1910-1915), Patrick Hartnett* (1951), and William Simmers (1952-1957).

Albert Neideck (1888-1900) John D. Conley (1901-1904)

James Herson (1972-1987)

Harlan R. McEwen (1989-1996) Walter Pagliaro* (1987)

David P Barnes* (1997)

Victor Loo (2004)

Pete Tyler (2018-2019) Lauren E. Signer (2005-2007)

Dennis R. Nayor (2020-2021) William Marshall (1916-1950) Herbert VanOstrand (1958-1972)

Brian T. Page (1988)

Richard P. Basile (1998-2002)

Edward E. Vallely (2008-2012)

John Joly* (Current) Walter Pagliaro (1989)

Lauren E. Signer* (2003)

John R. Barber (2013-2017)

continued from page 17

One of the major categories on their menu is Wraps ($13). I tried the Greek Wrap and was pleased. It was cooked properly with a generous lling of basic ingredients: grilled chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, onions, and feta cheese. e diner is very busy on weekends when students are in town, so be prepared to wait on long lines on the street at times. e diner is always noisy because, even when it’s not crowded, loud music is piped in on individual overhead speakers from outside the restaurant and sta doesn’t seem to be able to adjust the volume. e menu says that breakfast is served all day and lunch service starts at 11:00 AM. In fact, you can order lunch and dinner items all day, starting at 7:00 AM. e diner closes for the day at 4:00 PM.

On Fridays, they o er a Fish Fry dinner with two sides ($15) or a Sandwich with fries or soup ($12). Also, a Mac & Cheese special with three cheeses and one side ($11). e seats at the booths are on springs and ip up and down so you don’t need to slide across a bench to get to the inside seat.

I’m glad my friend suggested I nally get around to reviewing e State Diner. e food is generally well prepared, reasonably priced and has been popular with Ithacans for many years. e State Diner is located at 428 West State and is open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

BOOKS

continued from page 14

— went unpublished, and his savings were running out.

Mrazek was having doubts about whether he could be successful as an author. But this all changed when he took his then high school aged daughter to visit Cornell’s campus.

“[During this visit,] I woke up at two in the morning with the whole idea for a civil war novel. And I dictated into my little linear, for two hours, what the book was going to be. And that one won the Michael Shaara prize for the civil war novel of the year and became a bestseller. And I thought, ‘Okay, [I] can do it,’” Mrazek recounted.

As a congressman, Mrazek was used to meeting with hundreds of people in a single day. Now, his daily work routine mainly consists of just him and his laptop.

“I love the writing life as much as I ever enjoyed public life, but they're totally different,” Mrazek said.

“Couch time” is one of his favorite writing methods, when he’s not working in his writing “sanctuary,” a cozy sunlit room that conjures up images of oreau at Walden.

“My wife will come down and see me stretched out on the couch in the library [and] say, ‘What are you doing? I thought you were writing.’ I [reply], ‘I am,’” he said.

Mrazek doesn’t shy away from di cult topics in this novel and there are a few grisly scenes. But his writing also incorporates some positive themes, including courage and love, as well as the occasional dash of humor.

“If I didn't have the creative outlet to escape into my imagination every day with the characters I'm writing about, whether they are real or not, I would be a very depressed person about where we are in this world,” Mrazek said. “I write [books] for my own pleasure in the hope they will give other people pleasure.”

Mrazek also said he strives to write books that include strong female characters.

“I have two young granddaughters, eight and six, who I hope someday will read my books and feel grandpa did a good job,” Mrazek said.

Julia Nagel is a reporter from the Cornell Daily Sun working on e Sun’s summer fellowship at e Ithaca times

continued from page 16

that radiates a spinning energy that destabilizes the whole eld.

Even Ithaca’s best abstract expressionist painters tend towards cozy, domesticated approaches. ( is is either an acknowledgement of or a concession to the genrei cation of abstraction, depending on your perspective.) Particularly in this context, the brutalism and material experimentation of Paine’s work is particularly refreshing. is is work that hits hard while opening up layers of subtlety and depth. In a local culture that o en expresses itself in rainbow colors, such austerity feels like a genuine alternative.

“Andrew Paine: New and Recent Work” rough August 14 e Gallery at South Hill at 950 Danby Road Open 5-8 p.m. Friday and 12-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday www.southhillcampus.com

hot summer cool threads