Simply Red Bistro at La Tourelle Resort truly welcomes travelers who are looking for an outstanding dining experience. Whether you are exploring the region's many attractions by bus, automobile, boat or bicycle, Chef/Owner Samantha Izzo and Executive Chef Mark Fitzgerald will ensure that this will be your most memorable stop on your journey.

True to her South Aftrican up-bringing as well as the legacy of her maiden name, Buyskes, which translates from its Dutch origin, "to travel by ship," Samantha Izzo prepares dishes that invoke the spirit of those historic adventurers who traveled the seas in seach of new foods and spices. Simply red offers an ever-changing menu that features a blend of the region's seasonal harvest and the exciting spices of foreign lands. Chef Samantha's culinary passions and cultural roots intermingle to create a memorable epicurean delight for the fellow traveler.

Executive Chef Mark Fitzgerald, native to Syracuse, New York, and educated in the Adirondack mountains where he received a Bachelor's of Science in Culinary Arts Service Management, studied French cuisine and culture in Paris, France, earning certificates from Le Cordon Blue Culinary School. Chef Mark is passionate about eclectic food pairings, stunning food presentation, creative menu concepts, and is excited to share his love of food with Simply Red Bistro at La Tourelle Resort, Tompkins County locals, and the Finger Lakes Region.

To begin, Simply Red Bistro at La Tourelle Resort will offer breakfast daily from 7 to 10:30 a.m. Menu items will focus on ingredients that are organic, free-range, sourced locally, and created with passion and love. Imagine a myriad of sumptuous flavors in a Chamomile tea crepe laced with sweet mascarpone cream, apricot compote, guava jelly, fresh lemon and honey. To finish your repast, sip a mimosa, featuring sparkling wine from the Finger Lakes and freshly-squeezed orange juice.

As for lunch, to be served Monday through Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., picture artisanal cheese paired with poached figs laced with decadent spices, brown sugar, and wine, accompanied by spiced nuts and a baguette. Monthly, we will feature a tasting menu to be called the Chef's Flight, a three-course menu, carefully prepared and paired with wine. The first flight will begin with a Cuban black bean soup infused with star anise and topped with cilantro creme fraiche, followed by a rice-paper-wrapped smoked salmon with julienne carrots, red pepper, cilantro, arugala, and ginger, drizzled with a chipotle vinaigrette. To complete the meal, guets will be served a lavish chili chocolate cake drizzled with dark chocolate ganache and finished with anise-laced whipped cream.

Sundays mark the return of Brunch, served from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For a glimpse, we'll revisit the Giant Mexican Burrito: black bean, corn salsa, eggs, and chorizo sausage wrapped in a burrito shell smothered in mole, cilantro creme fraiche, guava jelly, and escabeche.

Simply Red Bistro was named one of the best restaurants in the Finger Lakes - "2008, Frommers Guide-New York State-3rd edition."

John Thomas Steakhouse

Getting away is about great fun, great relaxation and great food. At La Tourelle Resort & Spa you just have to walk across the sweeping lawn from your room to enjoy a culinary delight. With a varied menu that includes dry aged beef and fresh seafood, John Thomas Steak House is a favorite restaurant of the locals here in Ithaca. Once you visit, you'll know why.

Whether you dine on the porch, enjoying our beautiful country evenings or in one of the cozy dining rooms of this historical 1800's farm house, our attentive servers will make your John Thomas dinner a memorable experience. Just give the deer right-of-way when you're walking back to your room!

The restaurant menu includes porterhouse steak for two, filet mignon, strip steak, T-bone steak, rib eye and prime rib. Double lamb chops, chicken dishes, lobster, sea bass, shrimp scampi, salmon and a vegetarian delight are also items on the menu. Compliment your entrée with some of John Thomas's wonderful appetizers, salads, side orders and dessert and you will savor a meal to please even the most discriminating palate.

Contact the John Thomas Steakhouse: 607-273-3464 or
visit the John Thomas Steakhouse website.