day forty: rogan’s corner

I really feel for Ithaca College students. It isn’t particularly convenient to be up on South Hill. At any given time, at least one driving or walking route to the rest of Ithaca is under construction, leaving South Hill residents marooned and East Hill residents wondering where, exactly, South Hill is. To make matters worse, while Cornell’s Collegetown has plenty of dining and convenience store options just steps from campus’s edge, Ithaca College has, approximately a quarter-mile from main campus, well, Rogan’s Corner.

Rogan’s Corner isn’t so much a Collegetown as a South Hill pit stop. As a South Hill resident myself, I stop there mostly for beer, sometimes gasoline. Still, it’s not really that convenient. It’s almost a half-mile uphill from where I live and, when I go there for something specific that I think a convenience store might have, say, mustard or, like this morning, cereal, Rogan’s Corner doesn’t have it and I have to head downtown to the Commons Market. (Were I to want lottery tickets or cigarettes instead, Rogan’s Corner has these in abundance.)

Occasionally, when I’ve stopped into Rogan’s Corner, I’ve noticed people drinking beer at what is, essentially, the convenience store counter. I always thought it odd that Rogan’s Corner served draught beer, what with the obvious reality that most anyone drinking beer here would have to soon be driving to get just about anywhere else. But, with 99 cent Miller Lite draughts, I guess I could see the thrifty appeal.

Recently, I also noticed that Rogan’s Corner serves pizza, sandwiches and wings. Were I not for the vanguard Shortstop Deli (whose toasted subs I shall review in due time), I might not have tried Rogan’s offerings. I stared up at the menu, indecisive, and asked the bleached blonde, over-makeuped, 17-year-old behind the counter for her recommendation. She suggested the chicken cutlet, which I was leaning toward anyway, so I went ahead and ordered it. In order to give more credence to or potentially unsettle my own claim that Napoli’s wings are the best in Ithaca, I ordered a dozen of Rogan’s wings as well.

I waited in the dining area of the convenience store and wished I could have a beer. While I felt relatively certain that one beer wouldn’t put me over the legal driving limit at my weight, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Rogan’s Corner draught beer was some kind of trap. I had this sneaking suspicion that if I were to have beer and then walk out to my car, a cop would be waiting for me, much like the cops on South Hill wait on Hudson Street in the early mornings and evenings to try and bust anyone going over 15mph in the school zone. The guys whom I would see drinking here in the evenings, I felt, must pay some kind of tithe to Rogan, a get-out-of-DUI free card. Perhaps Rogan was related to the sheriff or something. Who knew? I dared not chance it.

My sandwich and wings came to the counter, delivered by a kind-looking boy no older than 17. The wings smelled incredible. Driving back down the hill, I couldn’t wait to open the box, photograph them, and then, promptly eat them. I opened the box and was sad. There was no chicken that would be able to get around on wings like these. They were thin, more bone than meat, and the meat that was on them was rubbery and bland. The hot sauce was decent, but the wings were just not a good vehicle for it at all.

The sandwich was no better than the wings. The chicken cutlet tasted like something out of the frozen food section and the lettuce and tomato had no flavor whatsoever, only texture. I ate it. I was no longer hungry. But I was certainly not any happier than before I ate it. It was just basic sustenance, empty calories.

Rogan, if you’re reading this, the beer is nice, but use those profits, ill-gotten or otherwise, to do the South Hill and Ithaca College community a much needed service — provide us all with better food and more convenience. Mustard and cereal would be a good start.

Price: Student-friendly (< $7)
Hours (summer): Sun, 7am – 11pm; M – Sat, 6am – 11pm
Location: 825 Danby Road (96B)
Website: Rogan’s Corner

day eight: napoli pizzeria

In an earlier post, I promised I would cover the best wings of Ithaca. So, here they are (featured alongside one of the best cheese pizzas in Ithaca). Behold, Napoli’s:

Napoli’s large pizza and 20 wings special is the meal my partner and I default to on those nights when we’re caught up in work, grading, or just don’t want to think about how we’re going to get unhungry. The amazing thing is that after years of eating them on a relatively regular basis, they never cease to hit the proverbial spot. Napoli’s classic New York style pizza has just the right amount of silky sauce, a golden crust that stands on its own, and is good plain or with pepperoni. The wings are killer: Fried, meaty and spicy, they make you want to go ahead and gnaw the ends of them right off, leaving no trace of fowl behind, and, in its place, only bare, jagged bone. (And, if you’re as carnivorous as me, you might do just that with no remorse whatsoever.) Go ahead and order them hot — the hot sauce is tangy and packs a punch, but won’t overwhelm you with an unpleasant burn. I’m not a huge fan of blue cheese or ranch dip, but it does come free with the wings, and, if you order it, you’ll have enough left over for a week’s worth of salad dressing, facial masks or whatever else you might choose to do with it.

At $23.99 for a large cheese pizza with 20 wings, Napoli Pizzeria might seem a bit steep, but know that you’ll get at least 4 heaping servings for the price, for an average of about $6/meal.

one heaping serving size

In my opinion, the pizza and wings don’t reheat particularly well, so it’s best shared with a group. For your biggest group of besties, go for the 2 large and 30 wing special for $36.99. I also occasionally splurge for the bruschetta pizza, a white garlic pizza topped with marinated plum tomato and red onion, that tastes a good deal like its namesake.

Napoli’s delivery service can be kind of slow (making the pizza and wings unsavory and cold by the time they arrive) and take up to an hour, so I recommend ordering for pick-up. Their location is one block up away from the Commons off State Street at the Gateway Commons center, right next to Domino’s. Plus, they’re open until 1am on the weeknights and 2am on the weekend, making it the perfect stop to get undrunk on your way back from the Commons and to give you enough energy to make it all the way back up the hill to Collegetown.

Price: Student-friendly (< $9)
Hours: Sun – Th, 11am-1am; F-Sat, 11am-2am
Recommended: Cheese pizza & hot wings
Website: Napoli Pizzeria
Delivery phone: (607) 272-3232

day two: todd’s beach house

I didn’t plan to visit Todd’s Beach House for the food;
I came for the Saturday night karaoke. Driving up route 34 and just out of the Ithaca town limits into Lansing, I wasn’t quite sure what kind of place to expect. Imagine an episode of Cheers set in Key West, shot on location in upstate New York. This is the ambiance of the Beach House.

My partner and a friend joined me for the adventure. We sat down at the bar and the owners, Kay and Tom, immediately welcomed us. “We haven’t seen you in a while!” Kay exclaimed. (My friend explained: He used to come more regularly for beers and karaoke.) Introductions went all around, and I complimented Kay on the funky decor. “Classic early American kitsch,” she said, gesturing to the fishing nets and plastic parrots above her.

We talked for a while with Kay about her family, travels, other errata, then turned to the menu. The food fell into four basic categories: Pizza, wings, sandwiches, and sides. I was tempted to spring for the extra-hot wings, but Kay advised caution, so we ordered the merely hot ones instead. The wings came in two varieties: Saucy (regular) and seared (broiled before serving, far less messy). We had a long night of karaoke mic-holding ahead of us, so seared wings seemed prudent. My compadres both ordered the 1/2 pound blue burger, while I settled on the Damn Good Dog topped with sauerkraut and served with seasoned waffle fries.

The wings, pre-dipping.

The wings arrived. I declared them second-best in Ithaca (stay tuned for more on the best). The sauce–a spunky mix of horseradish and spices called The Texas Sauce–though, I declared the best wing dip, bar none. This dip made not just the wings, but everything it touched, taste better. I dipped my seasoned waffle fries in it. I dipped my Damn Good Dog in it. (Had I been a character on The State I would have dipped my you-know-what in it.)

The "Damn Good Dog"

The Damn Good Price

After yesterday’s pig dog, the Damn Good Dog, alas, couldn’t compete. The sauerkraut could have been juicier and the frankfurter, while meaty, was nothing out of the ordinary. That said, the Damn Good Dog was a Good Enough Dog and, at the price point–$5–I’m compelled to split the difference and call it a “Damn Good Dog for $5.” I mean, you can’t go to Five Guys and get a hot dog and fries for that price. (And Five Guys doesn’t have a $2.50 Sierra Nevada Pale Ale special, either.)

The blue burger

I tried a bite of my partner’s blue burger, a hamburger topped with blue cheese, lettuce, tomato and red onion. It was a Darn Good Burger, comparable to its downtown competitors at the Ale House and Mahogany Grill at just a slightly lower price.

When I told Kay that I was a “Beach House virgin,” she quipped that my “first time wouldn’t be my last.” My next trip, I think I’ll throw caution to the wind and try the extra-hot wings, saucy. ’cause that’s how I like ’em. And I’ll try the pizza, as well.

(One note of caution for date-goers: Prepare yourself for the Beach House Burps. I wasn’t the only one in my party who suffered from these throughout the night…)

Ed note: A friend tells me that Kay & Tom purchased the
the bar about a year and a half ago from the eponymous Todd, who still bartends there occasionally. Apparently, the place isn’t officially called “Todd’s Beach House” anymore but the more generic “Beach House Bar and Grill.” Like my friend, I think the old name will stick. (Thanks for the tip, Carl!)

Hippie & Happy Hours

Price: Working-class friendly (<$9)
Hours: Dine-in and take-out available T-Sat, 4:30 – 10pm
Recommended: 1/2 lb. blue burger w/seasoned fries & Texas Sauce
Website: Beach House Bar & Grill