Get a taste of Downtown Ithaca on the inaugural Comfort Food Trail
Photo Credit: Downtown Ithaca Alliance
ITHACA, N.Y. (WENY) -- Whether it's a meal, a drink, or a delicious dessert, downtown Ithaca has a flourishing food scene with a little something for everyone. To encourage people to try new things, the Downtown Ithaca Alliance is hosting its first Comfort Food Trail for the Holiday season.
The inaugural event is held over the course of two weeks. It began on December 7 and will end on December 21. Thirty restaurants and businesses will provide good eats to customers who can check in at each location for a chance to win prizes.
Every participant who checked into at least one location also received a Buy One Get One Free coupon for the Kitchen Theatre's Comfort Food show.
For the Downtown Ithaca Alliance, the idea came about after recognizing how busy the holiday season can get for their community. To take the heat off some businesses and remind people of what the area has to offer, DTA is welcoming all to the comfort food trail.
"In the past, I know it's been a much-beloved favorite, the Chowder Festival, the Chowder Cook-Off, and what we found is that actually is a lot more work for our restaurants," said Nan Rohrer, CEO of Downtown Ithaca Alliance. "So what we wanted to do is meet them where they are and let them continue to do what they do best, which is create great food and great drinks, and have the people come to them for a span of two weeks instead of just for a couple of hours on a Saturday."
People can sign up for free online, create a passport, and head to one of thirty participating businesses, each one with its own featured comfort food item.
Simeon's American Bistro, one of the trail's participants, shared its comfort food of choice, lobster mac and cheese.
"Well, there's nothing more comfortable than mac and cheese, and when you add lobster to it, it even makes it ten times better," said Dean Zervos, the owner and general manager at Simeon's American Bistro. "So we have leeks, onions, fresh Maine lobster, pasta, and our house-made cheese sauce that goes into this, and then we bake it and it comes out beautiful and golden."
Other participating locations include Revelry Yards, the Alley Cat Cafe, the Yellow Deli, and the Monks on the Commons.
If you purchase comfort food from any of the 30 locations, you can scan the restaurant's personalized QR code to check-in.
"For every single check-in that you have, you then are entered to win various prizes," said Rohrer. "For anybody who checks in at five or more locations, that means that they are entered to win the grand prize, which is a $250 downtown gift card, which is accepted at more than 97 locations downtown."
At just a week in, organizers and participants say the first Comfort Food Trail is already proving to be beneficial for business owners and foodies looking to try something new.
"Anything that can attract people downtown always works for us," said Zervos. "We got a great location right here on the corner of Aurora Street and when people come down, they just always have to walk by us so they can come in and try our food...We just hope people come down and try out many of the restaurants, not just ours."
Rohrer and Zervos both shared that they hope the event will encourage people to regularly attend restaurants in the downtown area.
"We don't just want to see you once, we want to see you frequently and we want you to feel welcomed here and know that we have a lot of great businesses that are working hard to make sure you have a pleasant experience every time you're in downtown," said Rohrer.
There is just under a week left to travel the Comfort Food Trail and enter to win the grand prize of a $250 downtown gift card.
