Hound and Mare — Restaurant in City of Ithaca

What is behind those heavy rich curtains? The space is urbane, spare, hip, with slim fashionable young people waiting quietly for expensive hot drinks and exquisite breakfast sandwiches. Coming here for specialty drinks like a London Fog or Golden Mylk may prove more exciting than the simple Americano I ordered (which was standard and fine but not worth the extra 50 cents compared with other espressos around town).

My raspberry white chocolate scone was delicious, the chips infused magically into the gentle scone-body, in that sort of almost-too-sweet guilty baked good sort of way. Inarguably fresh. Also more expensive than other scones in town.

My breakfast sandwich (easy-over egg, everything B, kale crispies, and an actually flavorful out-of-season tomato) came to $9.80 with tax and tip. And the splurge was worth it. All other brekky sandwiches from my past now became a dull black and white; this one was in full color. Its rare to find bagel sandwiches that bring flavor from ingredients beyond salt and fat; but these here are made full and nuanced by toasted sesame seeds, roasted veggies, and the creatively done kale crisps. Extra virgin olive oil leaked from all components into my to-go container.

The baristas and servers were extremely professional and all wore properly-fitting masks, but diners at tables were mask-less and that number of unmasked faces in that small of a space made me feel anxious. The easy contact-less pickup is the answer.

Thank you for not using Styrofoam, H & M. (Please remember to compost your used take-out...

I recently visited this place with high expectations, only to leave disappointed. Here’s what I ordered and my thoughts on each item:

Coffee: I opted for a large decaf coffee, which turned out to be below average. It was watered down, lacking the robust flavor one expects. There was no balance between the espresso shots and the water, making even McDonald's coffee seem stronger and tastier by comparison.

Tea: The tea was the only redeeming part of my order. It was a black tea with rose, and it was quite enjoyable.

Avocado Toast: This was the biggest letdown. The avocado paste (consistency of baby food) barely covered the bread and seemed to come from a tube or package, almost certainly previously frozen. The flavor was almost nonexistent, with only the marinated onions providing any taste. These onions, while the best part, couldn't save the dish. The toast was bland, with the avocado paste being the cheapest quality one could find at a grocery store.

Overall, the avocado toast was one of the worst I've had, not worth the money at all. Given the number of alternative options in the neighborhood, I’m baffled by the high ratings this place receives. I felt misled by the description; this wasn’t avocado toast, but more like baby food smeared on bread.

I wouldn't recommend this place based on my experience. Save your money and try one of the many other breakfast spots...

I was directed to this place for breakfast over Ithaca bakery by the Ithaca subreddit. I even got one of the suggested sandwiches, the cofax. On paper it sounds good, flank steak, fried shallots, egg and Sriracha aioli? Sign me up!

But alas. The aioli was quite mild, and didn't taste of Sriracha at all. The flank steak was tough and much too thick for a sandwich, should have been sliced thinner or chopped up. The bagel was 'fine', though I've had better from Wegmans. No complaints about the egg and shallots though.

I got a coffee with it as well which seemed to be ground to order which is nice, however with a rotating menu of coffee roasters, you never know what you're going to get, and today I got "weak". I would suggest to the owner, keep your rotating coffee, but find one you love to always offer on the menu alongside it.

No complaints about staff or cleanliness, but left a bit disappointed after the rave reviews from the Ithaca subreddit. My visit to this town is nearing an end and I will be trying and contrasting to Ithaca bakery. I will update this review with a fourth star if the Ithaca bakery sandwich is not as good or better...