Hazelnut Kitchen

We came here on graduation weekend which meant that all parties had to order off a pre-​fixe menu for $ 63 — we were fine with that since all signs pointed to an amazing dinner. This turned out to be the worst dinner we had during our time in Ithaca.
All of the things we ordered were off in taste and seasoning. The crab cake appetizer that we all ordered was overly salty and covered in a mayonnaise sauce. The NY Strip Steak that the guys ordered were rubbery and tasteless. The worst was the seared salmon with beet gazpacho. This weird combination made us feel so sick… my friend and I hardly touched the salmon. To top it off, both the coffee panna cotta and lemon curd parfait were so awful that we couldn’t even eat it.
Aside from the food being terrible, the waiter didn’t even ask us why we barely touched the salmon. We were so disappointed in the quality of the food and negligence from our waiter. We gave our feedback to the hostess, but honestly don’t think that this will make any difference. We all left dissatisfied and hungry, and will definitely not be coming back.

Stopped in while camping and visiting some wineries in Watkins Glen. Not impressed with the food in the area but this place is a gem. Had the chefs choice four course meal on Monday. Out of this world. Very nice staff. If I’m ever in the area again this place is first on my list. Keep up the good work Hazelnut.

I can’t say how many times we’ve been to Hazelnut Kitchen. For the sake of this review let’s say 20. The reason we go there so often, quite simply, is that it is the best restaurant in Tompkins County.
Owners Justin and Lisa make every visit a memorable experience. Justin’s mastery in the kitchen, ably assisted by Matt, is a joy to watch. Hint: try sitting at the bar sometime so you can watch them in action. Lisa handles the front of the house and makes sure every guest feels welcome.
Then food is fresh, local and real. Whether it is a beef short rib, a pork or poultry creation, a house-​made pasta, or any one of their vegetarian options, the meal will not leave you wanting. Throughout the year there are special events such as a night of specials pared with with local ciders. There are nights or courses where you can have the chef choose and Justin has never led us astray. Appetizers are a must, and highlights like the charcuterie board allows the kitchen’s quality to shine. Every soup or salad we’ve had had been wonderful.
Desserts are a must, although we often force ourselves to split just one. Amazing discoveries such as their tomato upside-​down cake or the to-​die-​for deconstructed carrot cake make winnowing down the selection a challenge. Of course one can never go wrong with ordering their signature hazelnut butter cake, served with their homemade ice cream.
While I could go on and on about every meal we’ve ever had there, let me just say we will be back soon.

This restaurant uses locally sourced vegetables/​meats/​cheeses/​etc. I enjoy how the menu changes with the season, and you can learn about where each main ingredient is sourced from. Incredible food. The first courses and wine are a perfect start to meal. The meat is always perfectly cooked, tender, and savory. The vegetable dishes are flavorful and delicious. The dessert is also incredible, especially the hazelnut cake. The menu has delicious coursed meals.
I’ve been four times over the past years and each time the food was superb, and the staff were friendly and professional. This is the spot I go for very special occasions like anniversaries, graduation, etc. It is expensive, but definitely worth the price. I also recommend making a reservation since space is limited. Great intimate atmosphere.

One of our favorite places in the Ithaca area. We have been here several times over the last four years since our son has been at college and it never disappoints. We have been to many «farm to table» restaurants, but this is probably the only one who truly represents this. Everything is fresh, interesting, and the service is awesome. The food is delicious. Why the 4 stars instead of 5? There are 3 booths along the back right wall and if you are in the last two you are in no man’s land, right by the bathroom and the wait station where they set up, dry glasses, etc. Be sure to ask for the seating in the main dining area.

This was our first trip to the Finger Lakes and we were lucky enough to hear about Hazelnut Kitchen before coming and we were staying just down the road at Halsey House. Hazelnut is a destination unto itself however and I would come great distances just to experience their food. Hazelnut kitchen takes local cooking to another level. They do everything they can to make sure that everything on your plate is made in house, even the butter that comes with the fresh baked rolls was churned there. I wouldn’t be surprised if a majority of the food served there is produced and grown right in the same county.
We came on a Monday when they offer their chef’s tasting menu with optional beverage pairing. Price was very reasonable for the tasting and pairing. My wife and I were each served 4 different dishes and beverages so we got to sample a great selection of their excellent cooking.
If you can, eat here as soon as possible, its one of a kind and will likely only get more popular and inaccessible as word continues to get out. This place does a few things no one else is doing and can only be done well in a place full of natural abundance like the finger lakes. The restaurant itself is cozy yet simple, the exterior blends in with the rest of historic Trumansburg. The food is the star of the show here. The fresh local ingredients don’t need much doctoring to make wonderful, but the deft hands at Hazelnut surprise with beautiful preparations while letting the ingredients shine as they should.
Their chefs tasting is a TRUE chef’s tasting. Meaning, that the chefs actually make up a dish that is fun and interesting and one of the chefs actually brings it to your table. This is a touch of personality that no one else is doing. It also makes it clear why they only offer the tasting on Mondays (likely their slowest day) since going off menu and and having a chef leave the kitchen even for a moment would be impossible on a busy day.
Every course was excellent but two really stood out for me. One was a mini Bahn Mi with house made pâté, pickled onions, and Sriracha aioli. It was spot on perfect. The other dish that really impressed was inspired by the flavors in a Rueben sandwich. House brined and braised pork, served over homemade sauerkraut, and dill spaetzle. So cool how the flavors all mixed together to basically be a heightened deconstructed corned beef sandwich. Awesome!
They serve wine, but you can still bring your own bottle if you would like (corkage fee). Great idea being that its NY wine country. But don’t think you will only find NY wine on their list. They have a nicely diverse selection from around the world. Our beverage pairing was spot on and included some local NY, californian, italian, and spanish wines as well as some cider. All very well paired and delicious.
These days the term farm to table is almost becoming cliché but this place takes the term to its truest form. At this restaurant food literally comes from the farm and then goes on your plate. I am quite frankly tired of using the term homemade after writing this, but they deserve every ounce of credit for the hard work necessary to turn raw ingredients into the gourmet delights they are putting out at Hazelnut Kitchen.
French Laundry… look out!

My husband and I dined here during a recent stay in Trumansburg– the Hazlenut Kitchen came highly recommended from the innkeeper where we stayed. We were very fortunate to walk in and get a table without a reservation– the café was very busy on the weekend, and rightfully so! The food was delicious, and they had a great wine/​beer/​cider list. I’d definitely recommend this café– everything was delicious!

Great little granola style stop. Gnudi with poached egg was beyond AMAZING! As a person with service in their work history, I loved the idea of buying a $ 6 sixpack for the cooking staff. Great find.

We really enjoyed eating here. After a few disappointing restaurant meals in the area, we so hoped that Hazlenut was as good as many of the reviews proclaimed. Oh! It sure was!
Tender freshly baked rolls with chive butter started our meal. How delicious they were and what a pleasant way to start! My husband ordered Pork and said it was tender and flavorful. I ordered the Cavatelli with vegetables. It was spiced perfectly and the pea pods added a fantastic crunch. I also loved the crispy breadcrumbs sprinkled on top. The meal was perfect. We didn’t want to pass up desert so we shared the Raspberry Coffee Panna Cotta. The tart raspberry layer sat atop the creamy filling and beneath the filling were fine coffee flavored crumbs. Oh it was so delicious! We will definitely visit Hazlenut when we are next in the area. The meal was just perfect. In an area with few restaurants that made us happy, Hazlenut stood out far above the others. This is a not-​to-​be-​missed restaurant!

This was the first dinner we had after we got married, and what a treat it was! This cozy little restaurant was just what we had in mind. We started with the delicious, lightly crispy and buttery and very warm and lightly salted Parker rolls, served with a herbaceous wild ramp butter. We had a chilled pea? soup with spicy, toasted garbanzo beans, followed by a Carolina rice risotto with shaved yellow beets and goat cheese and a host of fresh veggies, and a quite tasty pork loin (though my least favorite of all our spectacular dishes) with quite an intense grilled flavor. The service was attentive, albeit more matter of fact, without much friendly banter.
Still, all in all, a very special and memorable meal to celebrate.

Such a quaint little restaurant on Main Street.
If you are seated in the back of the restaurant, which is not very big, you can see the kitchen and watch the food being made.
For appetizer we ordered the artisanal cheese plate, that we really enjoyed. There was a nice balance between the three cheeses. Kunik, a creamy goat cheese, gouda, more of a sharp cheese, and a stronger blue cheese served with slices of bread with olive oil, a cranberry jam of sorts, and almonds. Beef carpaccio was very good, also!
Our bread was warm, light and fluffy, and so good. We noticed the table next to us had a different kind of bread. I’m not sure what that was about.
They had just ran out of the chorizo, so that must be a popular dish! So, I had the gnudi, which was amazing! My boyfriend had the smoked salmon, which had intense smoky flavor and was cooked well.
For dessert we shared the Panna cotta, which we ordered the last one! So so creamy and delicious with a raspberry sauce and raspberries on top. Get it!
Side note. The napkins from table to table were different, if you notice that sort of thing. The silverware on the table were also all different. They looked old, almost, with dents and scratches. Like eating at home. I didn’t mind it. Also, the bathroom is adorable! I had to throw that in there.
Come if you are in the area!

Hazelnut Kitchen has reached new heights after a bit of a catch-​up period when ownership changed 3 years ago. But tonight’s dinner was superb.
I had the asparagus with soft-​boiled egg and hollandaise, followed by a fantastic bbq pork loin cooked at the edge of pink, not rare but still very juicy and absolutely delicious, on a bed of homemade spaetzle and sauerkraut. Anne wasn’t so hungry and went with the carrot soup and then a beet salad as her entrée (then she stole a third of my spaetzle), Hazelnut cake for dessert, of course. (But they have many other options).
The food really is very good here, not at the level of the best places in New York City or Seattle, but absolutely delicious and certainly one of the best within 100 miles of Ithaca.
I also like the wine list. The wines by the glass are smartly chosen and always include something local that will surprise you (tonight, the Ryan Williams cabernet franc, 2011, and the Red Newt 2012 Riesling, both superb), plus all sorts of other goodies.

We had so much fun eating at the Hazelnut Kitchen. We had a gift certificate, so we’re definitely going there, and called earlier in the day only to find that there were very limited reservations available. It’s a popular place! So the proprietor at the B&B where we were staying told us to just drop in, because the bar stools overlooking the kitchen are «first come first served». We arrived at 5:45, and the hostess told us 2 barstools would be available at around 6:30, and that she would call us. She got our cell number, we went down the street for a beer, and she called just at 6:30 as we were walking back up the street.
We enjoyed (and shared togetherness) a nice beet and goat cheese salad and a cold carrot soup as appetizers, then had a hot sausage links sandwich and pork tenderloin as the main course. We also enjoyed «the show» as the cooks kept things moving on a busy night, and enjoyed a bottle of New York wine. There was no room or need for dessert!

I want to like this place. The menu looks great, the décor is simple yet hip, and the wait staff is eager. The problem was the salt – too much of it.
The gnocchi was too salty. The risotto was too salty and furthermore it never creamed up. The potatoes next to the NY strip were too salty. The NY strip was seasoned appropriately, but to me, cooking a great hunk of meat is not the measure of a great restaurant as much as dishes like gnocchi and risotto. The appetizer special was a tartar, which was great. It was the one dish in which the salt really worked well. Perhaps our chef that night was a little salt happy, but he didn’t have to take it out on the rest of us.
Granted, I’m a light salter when it comes to my own cooking. However I can only think of one other restaurant, in my life, where I was turned off by the salt: Texas Roadhouse. That is not the kind of company you want to be in.
Like I said, I’m hoping this was a bad night for a new salt-​happy guy. Because I want to like the place. Everyone else seems to like it.

At the urging of locals, we came here for dinner the first night we were in town. Great location that was bu 5 minute drive from our BnB. The restaurant had a laid back atmosphere but looked like it belonged in NY’s West Village. Great people and great décor. The food was fantastic though it was a little more expensive that we had expected. The staff was very accommodating even though we had no reservations. If you’re in the area, you must come here for dinner!

This place was not what I was expecting.
First thing to know is that reservation process entails leaving a message on an answering machine with a date, time, number of people, and a phone number. The staff will call back if they decide they have availability. Having gone through this process, we arrived to find a dining room half empty.
The restaurant itself is clean, not cramped and has a very open feel. The bare brick walls and high ceilings, though, do create a sound chamber, so that the conversations at every table as well as noise from the kitchen, reverberate through the dining room. This is worsened by the «ambient» music, which is turned louder, perhaps in an attempt to drown out the guests’ conversations. The result is a constant din that rather destroys the atmosphere.
The wait staff are very pleasant, and are very eager to please. Our server knew the menu well, and was patient with our somewhat protracted indecisiveness.
The food is rather a mixed bag. The menu advertises a locally sourced menu, which given the wonderful ingredients available in the Finger Lakes, promises some fantastic flavour. Yet…
The charcuterie plate was pretty much a disaster. The brioche had all the consistency and flavour of Wonderbread. The scant shavings of duck prosciutto were excessively dry and hard. The mostarda (which the menu calls a «mustardo») was very unbalanced and excessively sweet. It lacked all the pungency of the mustard oil, and resembled the syrupy diced fruit cups normally found in a school cafeteria. The pâté was a bland pink paste interrupted by small chunks of pistachio. The only real high point of the dish was the small cup of pickled peppers, which were bright and refreshing.
The entrees were not much better. The gnocchi were disappointing in their mushiness. The «summer vegetabes,» which amounted to mostly yellow summer squash and zucchini, were likewise overcooked. The entire dish tasted mainly of parmesan cheese. The NY Strip was well cooked, but poorly seasoned. The steak is billed as «ny strip, roasted cauliflower, romesco, toasted pecans, gremolata.» The cauliflower was small chopped pieces of florets mixed in with the gremolata. The romesco was rather undefined and lacking. The toasted pecans added a nice caramelised sweetness and smokiness, as well as a contextual variation that was very welcome. The gremolata was a salty mess. Though, really, it was the only thing on the plate that seemed to have been seasoned.
There is real potential in the flavour combinations the chef is creating. However it seems that execution is a major sticking point at Hazelnut Kitchen.

My family ate at Hazelnut Kitchen last night after having read fantastic reviews on Unilocal.Unfortunately, the meal ended up being quite disappointing, perhaps because we had slightly high expectations.
My parents each got the fried calamari special for the first course, and found the batter too heavy and salty. My first course of kielbasa with German potato salad was tasty, though the arugula was super bitter, but my second course of cavatelli with mushrooms, spring peas and horseradish cream was extremely salty and way too heavy. I was able to stomach less than half of the dish, and did not feel that it merited taking home as leftovers. (This, coming from a person that NEVER wastes food on principle.)
My mom’s grilled trout was slightly burnt, though the broth was refreshing. Dad’s steak was also too salty and the potatoes were bland. The steak came already sliced, which was also not to his liking, though the meat was still perfectly medium.
We ended up paying ~$ 40/​person, which is expensive in any case for us, and certainly not worth it in my opinion. I am glad that the kielbasa was good, otherwise I would have left starving.
I will say though that the place *looks* amazing and that we had a wonderful, cheerful waitress!

Came here on a Thursday evening about a month ago and it was surprisingly half-​full. Here’s why I’m giving it a 3.
Food: I had the free-​range burger with cabbage on top and side of fries. My friends had the cod with shredded beets. One thing I love about this place is that I think all of its ingredients are obtained from local farms and they are usually organic, free-​range, or something along those lines so that is a big big plus! The only down-​side is at least when I went, the food was not phenomenal. My burger was a bit salty? And the fries were kind of dry. The cabbage on top was an interesting addition though. The cod my friend ordered was good and I loved the beet sauce that complemented it. But overall, the taste of the food was not amazing. Although the ingredients definitely tasted super fresh.
Ambiance: LOVED IT. I really enjoyed the entire dining experience. The setting is relaxing and there is an open kitchen. You can literally see all the chefs cooking in little pots and pans depending on where you sit. They also finalize the dish on an open table before they bring the food out to you.
One last note: Waiter was a bit strange. It wasn’t that the service wasn’t nice, he was very helpful and provided us great info on the food and was very attentive but he never smiled the entire time. Maybe he was just having a bad day…
I’m just a bit disappointed by the taste of the food but perhaps it was just what we ordered that night. I definitely want to go back and try some of their other stuff sometime though!
I would recommend this place :)

Learned two new foods here: tat soi, a small leafy green that looks like Spring field lettuce, and faro, a starchy berry like wheat. I didn’t expect such amazing ingredients and graceful service in the tiny town of Trumansburg, the Hazelnut Kitchen is delightful for a quiet meal.
They start you here with slices of amazingly crusty and slightly nutty bread plus a house-​made cider butter. Hey, I could stop there and be happy :) But no, we piled on the charcuterie plate and cheese plate. Meats included a pistachio-​studded mortadella, a pastrami-​flavored sausage, smoked trout terrine, pickled carrots and peppers, cranberry relish and a deeply blackened pretzel roll. Cheeses were a soft creamy brie-​like selection, a sheep’s cheese not unlike manchego, a generous hunk of bleu, plus toasted baguette slices, apple slices, almonds and more cranberry relish. Good starters but somehow there’s never enough bread LOL.
Special of the day was polenta with embedded chunks of Italian sausage, served over the aforementioned tat soi plus caramelized onions and shaved parmesan, a meal in itself and a bargain at $ 10. Chicken breast was served over the faro with bonus protein of chicken meatballs that were deeply aromatic with berbere seasoning, basically chili, garlic ginger, fenugreek et cetera. The NY strip steak was charred outside to perfection, sprinkled with chopped hazelnuts, and had a funky meaty umami flavor that absolutely didn’t need anything more but still they served a bleu cheese sauce on the side.
The restaurant has a big open feel, like a café and even has an open kitchen where you can pull up a stool and watch the line cooks work their magic. Simple décor: vintage mirrors on the walls, globe lights, and white table cloths.
One minor downside: beer selection is all out-​of-​state (boo) and nothing on tap. A NY state hard cider by the glass was a treat, but $ 6 was too much for the short pour, maybe 8 ounces.
Make a reservation! First courses are $ 10, second courses are $ 25 and desserts are $ 7, you can run up a bill here without really straining.

This is a good farm-​to-​table restaurant nestled unexpectedly into the small town of Trumansburg, about 15 minutes north of Ithaca. The dining room benefits from the aromas of the open kitchen, ushering in the mouth-​watering smells of meats sizzling in butter and fresh vegetables being delightfully seared. One of the walls is constructed primarily of exposed brick and the entire restaurant feels open and modern, in contrast to the antiquated shops and bars that neighbor it on Main Street.
We began with the charcuterie appetizer, a mixture of head cheese, salmon terrine, bacon spread, stone jam and pickled cauliflower. Overall, the selections were good but not outstanding. The terrine was under-​salted and the head cheese also lacked a certain boldness of flavor. The highlight of this course was the crusty bread served alongside it, accompanied by lightly whipped house-​made apple cinnamon butter. The pretzel bread that came with the charcuterie plate didn’t complement the selections as well as that delicious bread.
Our next course was a beet salad that was likely the most disappointing dish of the evening. Stingy on greens and beets, the whole thing was crying out for an infusion of pizzazz or creativity. It was one of the specials and I wouldn’t order that again. $ 9 for not much.
My main entrée was the cornmeal crusted trout with brussels and grits. This dish was executed well — the fish was pan-​fried well, maintaining moisture while still providing a good solid outer crunch on first bite. I found the dish a little on the acidic side, however, with maybe a bit too much salt. It could have benefited from a milder garnish, but overall I really enjoyed it. My husband’s main course was the house-​made gnocchi, a delicious choice that was somewhat ameliorated by the sliced jalapenos. We love jalapenos and spice, but I can’t say that this worked well with gnocchi. It was also too salty.
Dessert was some iteration of a pound cake, salted carmel sauce and a scoop of chocolate ice cream. This was a wonderful trio of flavors, although the pound cake was on the dry side.
One major factor that may have detracted from attention to detail in the kitchen were the two massive parties at the front of the restaurant — each party was about 10 people. The restaurant was deafeningly loud as a result, and there was nothing to soak up the sound. The servers were very busy, but I don’t think our overall service suffered much. It was friendly and quite prompt. In the end, this was a good meal, but a touch on the disappointing side, as I was hoping to be «wowed» by a gem that I’d read about beforehand. It’s certainly worth a stop while in Ithaca (and better than most all restaurants in Ithaca), but I don’t think I’d make a trip 1 ½ hours south again just to visit it.