Dining
The Historic State Diner Offers Well-Prepared Authentic Fare By He nr y Stark
I
was having lunch the other day with a few friends and one asked if I had ever reviewed The State Diner. She said, “It’s been here forever!”. Actually, I’ve never reviewed it, so her query was all the incentive I needed. The 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 after being refurbished in 2012 after a fire. It has an eclectic clientele, with many dedicated locals and students. There’s a definite 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 offerings here ($10-$15) and are available from opening to closing. There are eight “Specialty Omelets”, ($11-$14). The Veggie Omelet was large, covering the plate, and filled 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
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The State Diner has been an Ithaca fixture since 1936. (Photo: Josh Baldo)
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Ithaca Tompkins International Airport | 1 Culligan Drive Ithaca, NY 14850
the potatoes; hot sauce or ketchup? While the menu lists the hash as “homemade corned beef hash”, I asked and two different servers confirmed it was actually canned. The accompanying toast came already buttered; however the “butter” was half butter and half margarine. The pancake syrup was packaged. The potatoes, however, are made from scratch and are very good. The price on the menu for Eggs and Hash is $14, but the price on my receipt was $13.15; ironically balancing out the pricing difference 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 find 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.
Much of the State Diner interior remains true to historic diner design. (Photo: Josh Baldo)
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