Lunch on the Commons

During the whirlwind of a month leading up to our move to fair Ithaca from dreary Connecticut, I interviewed for several jobs, all in one day. Let me tell you, driving five hours one way for one interview - totally not worth it. Driving five hours one way for two or three interviews, getting closer to worth it.

Eventually, I managed to score two interviews in one day. I planned them far enough apart that I was able to take a break for lunch. As lunch is usually my first meal of the day, I usually try to plan for time, accordingly. I had scheduled a leisurely two hour block of time.

Simeon’s is on a busy corner of the Ithaca Commons, and has a great set of windows to people watch out of. I actually ended up people watching the people inside, but probably only because there were closer and much, much louder. It was interesting to watch and listen to power lunches and casual acquaintance conversations mingle.

I studied the menu fairly intensely, as it was really something to behold - especially for lunch. There were salads, burgers and a vast array of sandwiches. Okay, so it wasn’t the biggest menu I’ve ever seen for lunch, but it seemed carefully thought out and well-executed, if nothing else.

Keeping in mind that I was going to need one hand free to read my book (“Tips for Eating Alone” - there must be another blog post in there somewhere!), I chose their Asian Shrimp Salad. Their online menu describes it as: “Spring greens, julienne peppers, carrots and red onion tossed with an Asian vinaigrette topped with 3 jumbo glazed shrimp & crispy noodles.”

I also order a glass of wine, at the suggestion of the server. I honestly wish I had written down the name of the wine. It was so good, and it was on a special that day - it wasn’t normally sold by the glass. I was very impressed by the claret color of it and the dry bite to it.

When the salad came, I had to make a face. It was piled so high, with the shrimp perched precariously on top, that the server was having a hard time getting up the two stairs to the mezzanine that I was sitting on without dropping the whole plate to the ground. I had an equally difficult time not knocking he whole thing to the ground when I went to dig into it.

All that being said, it was an amazingly flavored salad. The dressing that it was tossed in was both spicy and tangy on my tongue. The greens and other vegetables were fresh and I’m pretty sure local. The only complaint I had about the salad was that the shrimp were rubbery. I do have to give some leeway to the chef on this - shrimp are a tough little creatures to cook. But, if this is a staple of your menu - it’s on the dinner menu as well - then learn how to cook the shrimp a little better.

However, it was an enjoyable lunch.Thinking that my meal was over, I was surprised when the server came over, carrying a wire rack full of frosted shot glasses. She explained that they do desserts in shot glasses. I chose the white chocolate cheesecake. I was very impressed with the velvety texture and deep flavor of the cheesecake.

The bill came for me all too soon - not because the server was pushy, but I was lost in my own world reading and didn’t realize how long I had been sitting there. While the wine, salad and dessert was excellent, I was very surprised by two things. The first, that the cheesecake was free. I don’t know if it was a glitch, as I haven’t been back yet. The second, that my “special” glass of wine cost me $13. Now, I don’t begrudge the pricing of wine, but when you tell me something is on special, I expect it to be under $10.

All in all, though, the wine was good, the salad fresh and tangy, and the dessert creamy and excellent. I will definitely be going back for dinner at some point, to sample their dinner menu, but I will be ordering wine from the menu where I know how much it costs. Enjoy this place, though, it’s nice for a slightly upscale lunch or for a date night dinner.