The Bistro at La Tourelle is attached to the inn on Danby Road and operates as a standalone restaurant without requiring a hotel stay, which is worth knowing because the room and the menu earn their own visit. Five stars for a kitchen that is using the Danby Road location with full understanding of what the surrounding landscape can source.
The menu works through the seasons in a way that reflects whoever is doing the purchasing and the cooking as someone who is paying attention. A spring visit and a fall visit are different experiences from the same kitchen, which is the right way to run a restaurant with this much good sourcing available within a reasonable radius. The Finger Lakes and the gorge country immediately around Ithaca produce exceptional proteins, dairy, and produce all the way through October.
For logistics: you're two and a half miles from downtown Ithaca, which makes the Bistro the natural dinner destination when you're staying at La Tourelle or Firelight Camps and want something serious without driving into the city. The wine list reflects Finger Lakes producers correctly. The room is calm and the service understands what fine dining pace means without making the table feel managed. A good room for a long dinner.
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