MIX — Restaurant in City of Ithaca

Ambiance:

Upon walking in, the restaurant is decorated with contemporary dinner vibes, like a level below fine dining. Service here was a great, very standard experience.

Food:

Appetizers: As I dined with friends, we shared plates of mussels. For the mussels there were 3 different versions you could choose from and my table opted for the french version. The broth was amazing, a 10/10, please dip the bread in it! However the mussels themselves definitely needed more through cleaning, a lot of the mussels had sand in them. :( Prior to serving the mussels, our server gave us complimentary bread with tomato sauce on the side. This was one of the best bread I’ve had, warm, soft yet chewy, I wish I could have moaaaar!!

Main Course: We ordered the Roasted Salmon Scampi, Noodle Bowl (can’t accurately recall the name, on special menu), Wild Mushroom Ravioli, and Sriracha Buttermilk Fried Chicken and Waffle. For the prices, the portions are pretty large and would have filled the average person’s appetite without apps. Flavor wise it was delicious but nothing special. I had the roasted salmon scampi which was basically salmon, stir fried bok choy with 2 slices cheddar bread-cake?. Upon looking at the menu again as I wrote this review I realized it was supposed to be polenta which I’ve never had before. If I had to relate it to something similar it would be red lobster’s cheddar bay biscuits. My expectations for this dish was more along the lines of shrimp scampi but lesson learned google dish terms lol. My partner ordered off of the special menu. The name of the dish did not match what the actual dish was at all. Not worth the price according to him so just avoid the noodle dishes here. It was more along the lines of the Taiwanese braised beef noodles but not as good. After finishing the entrees we were stuffed, no dessert was ordered.

TL;DR While the menu seems to attempt to throw a different twist on classic dishes it’s a very hit or miss. Flavors are nothing special with the exception of the complimentary bread, despite google reviews averaging 4.5 at the time of this review it’s closer to a 4.1 imo. Compared to the restaurant options in the area, I can see why it’s higher rated but compared to food cities, it's very average.

Good dinner spot for Ithaca visitors...

The service was so-so, our server was obviously in a hurry to finish her shift and go home. She asked if we wanted containers to take our food home while we were still eating. One of our dishes came out of the kitchen after the others (which is fine, these things happen), but our server stood right at our table with the last arriving dish, and asked the table next to us if they wanted the check, this is while she was still holding the dish we were waiting for. She then dropped the check on our table while we were still eating, didn’t ask if we wanted dessert or coffee, or an after dinner drink, obviously she was done with us. She then came back looking for payment about 45 seconds later, before we had a chance to even look at the bill. She then sat at the bar, having a conversation with a coworker loud enough for all to hear. I worked as a server for many years, I’m tolerant as a guest, but this was unusually poor service from start to finish.

The food was pretty mediocre, nothing to get excited about. The diet soda was flat. The server forgot one of our beverages, I politely reminded her we were missing a drink after our entrees arrived, she responded with a dismissive attitude.

The overhead HVAC system kept cycling on every few minutes, it sounded sort of like a small plane landing on the roof, or maybe a huge truck pulling up and shaking the building from outside. The pseudo-reggae music playing was too loud (maybe to try and cover the HVAC racket?), repetitive, and just intrusive. There’s a Taco Bell just down the road, I’d be more likely to go there than come back to Mix...

I was looking on Yelp for good brunch spots in Ithaca. Mix had great reviews so I wanted to try. I’ve ordered their Mix & Match Signature Benedicts. I chose Smoked Salmon & Florentine Benedicts. It was served with Butter Rich Hollandaise, Poached Farm Eggs, Cheddar Hash Brown Casserole, & fresh sliced fruit. As a choice of Two Benedicts $14.95. That’s pretty good deal.

Soon as it arrived the presentation itself was beautiful. Too pretty to eat. The butter rich hollandaise sauce was delicious!

The smoked salmon (left side), had red onion marmalade and capers. The Florentine (right side) had braised kale, beefsteak tomato, cremini mushrooms both Benedicts were on top of a toasted on an English muffin. The flavors were divine. Perfectly made. The English muffin wasn’t soggy at all. First bite, you can feel the crunch.

The menu has a lot choices to choose from. From All American Omelets, Sourdough French Toast, Breakfast Favorites, Mix’s International Omelets, Mix & March Signature Benedicts, Buttermilk Pancakes, Breakfast Sandwiches, Back to Basics, Vegan, and Waffles. All reasonably priced and affordable.

The place is well decorated with gorgeous decor and accessories. I’d definitely come back again for...