"A good addition"   My Rating
1 vgXhc	Posted on: Sunday, September 06, 2009
	Review: Eating vegan in Ithaca is not too hard but an exclusively vegan restaurant is a welcome addition for anyone vegan. Before going to Food for the the Planet, I had read the other reviews on happycow and was rather skeptical. I'm a big eater and often have the problem of going home hungry after a restaurant meal. Nonetheless, to show our support and to form our own opinion we decided to check out the place. It was Saturday night, around 8 PM and the place was neither empty nor crowded. The atmosphere is really nice, table service was quick and friendly, and the offerings on the menu all sounded pretty attractive -- I had a hard time choosing. I finally decided on some baked tofu dish ("fritatas something...") and my accomplice got a burger plus soup (adds three bucks to the price of your entree). Food arrived quickly (around 10 minutes) and we were both very satisfied with the taste of both the soup (Gazpacho) and the main dishes. Now what about portion sizes? Well, it was definitely not enough food for me. As I've said before, this is often the case for me in restaurants and I usually don't expect portions of an appropriate size for me. Would a "normal person" have found the food to be filling? Maybe. My accomplice indeed was happy with her burger/soup combo, and this might be the secret to eating at FftP as a big eater: get a soup, get a main dish, get a dessert, and then you'll probably be full. The only problem with that, of course, is the price. Given that all their food is local and organic, the prices are perfectly appropriate but unfortunately that means that a three course menu is not really affordable if you're a grad student. My overall judgment: excellent food, nice place and people, money-to-food ratio a bit low for me, but not necessarily for others. I hope they'll stay in business for a long time.   Pros: tasty food * friendliness * atmosphere Cons: prize * *
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"Love the idea of this place"   My Rating
2 WTF	Posted on: Friday, August 28, 2009
	Review: The black bean mango salad was literally a handful of spinach, with black beans and cut up mango. After that and the smoothie which was just ok, I was still hungry. I love the principle of Food for the Planet, and value the concept, but at $9 for a handful of spinach, it was definately not worth it - I can get over a pound of salad bar fixins from Greenstar for that much! I will be going back to give it another chance though.   Pros: The point of local, vegan food * * Cons: no place to wait for take-out * No uniform shirt or aprons on staffers. * Register is in front of kitchen, crowded
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"Loved it, Didn't Love it."   My Rating
4 BroccoliBo ttom	Posted on: Thursday, August 27, 2009
	Review: The first time I went I was really impressed. Restaurants in Ithaca aren't as great as they could be and this one was really exciting. My family is mostly vegan with several food allergies and we were excited by the options. The first time we ate there, the food was excellent, the service was good, and our only complaint was that we waited 45 minutes for our food even though we were the first ones there. We went back the next week to find the portions had shrunk about 25%, which made the food very expensive, and it didn't taste as good as it had the week before (we ordered the same thing). I was sad since I had been raving to friends all week about the restaurant. One thing that stayed excellent was the dessert, and we plan on going back for desserts, but we'll eat our main course elsewhere.   Pros: clean * food allergy options * raw options Cons: value * wait time *
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"Pretty good food, and worth supporting"   My Rating
1 serenity	Posted on: Tuesday, August 18, 2009
	Review: I should first point out that this restaurant just opened a month ago or something, so they are probably still working out the kinks. My husband and I went there for dinner. The place is very difficult to find because you can't really see the sign, but once inside it is cozy and cute. The food we had was pretty good. I had the warm lasagna and thought it was delicious. I also looked at other people's food and thought it all looked pretty tasty. The waitress did not know all the dishes very well but went and found answers from the cooks, which was good I thought. She is still learning it all I'm sure. The menu was a little confusing (organization-wise), and I thought the desert selection should be greater, but they do make up for it with their smoothies! My husband thought it was weird that you could see into the kitchen. I thought that was ok. I would definitely want to go back and try more things from that menu, especially the raw stuff. And I really respect that they are all vegan, mostly gluten free and frequently raw. So I hope they do well.   Pros: good food * small and cozy * very healthy Cons: hard to find * confused waitstaff *
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"OUCH!"   My Rating
1 Reality_Ch eck	Posted on: Monday, August 10, 2009
	Review: I'm not going back. I predict they will be closed in a month unless they radically change the portions sizes of their meals. The "simply delicious" dinner was nothing more than a measly portion of brown rice, black beans and kale. We were charged $10 for that. Why skimp on brown rice and beans? The salad ($4) was a mini-plate with a tiny drizzling of dressing. Was that supposed to be sheik? I had the collard wrap entrée: 2 pieces... it qualified as an appetizer. The raw lasagna was definitely the size of an appetizer. I just couldn't believe what they were charging for such a tiny amount of food. After dinner (which did nothing more than wet my appetite) I was sure the dessert portions would be small, so I asked, and the waitress used her fingers to show that a piece of cheesecake was about 2 inches wide at the end. It should have been TWICE that size. I didn't order one. We looked over at the next table and saw the KIDS menu was giving bigger portions than the adult menu! If you are hungry, this place is not for you! When will someone admit that The King Has No Clothes! 4 people, $70 plus $14 tip, and I went out afterwards to get some food... No, I'm not going back.   Pros: We had a nice waitress * * Cons: Small portions * Minimal selection * BAD VALUE
1 of 2 visitors found the above review beneficial  Responses(1) | Contact Member | Was this review useful?  • Not sure if you post made a difference or what but when I went to Food for the Planet last week I thought the portion sizes were just fine. I didn't even have desert because I was full. I had lasagna with a salad and that's all.. response by serenity - report abuse -

"THE BEST VEGAN FOOD IN TOWN & MORE"   My Rating
1 veganinith aca	Posted on: Friday, August 07, 2009
	Review: Lasagne, Black Bean Mango Salad, Raw Nachos, Quesadillas made with the new soy-free Daiya cheese (that you can't get anywhere else in town) that tastes incredible and melts beautifully, Collard Rolls, Brownies, Cheesecake (non-dairy, remember?), Emmy's Ice Cream, Smoothies, it's just all so good... And then there's the brunch. OMG!!! The crepes with cream filling (non-dairy, remember?) served wtih fruit, Earth Balance, and pure maple syrup are to live for!!! The Fritatta is yummy, and the potato kale hash (also available at dinner) is beyond description. All of the food is really great, and Maija is an accomplished chef who really knows how to create delicious fare - something that will be loved by vegans and non-vegans alike. Finally, a restaurant in Ithaca that will satisfy so many, the vegans, the raw foodists (there are many raw choices), the gluten-free (almost everything is gluten-free, the brownies, cookies, muffins, cheesecake, lasagna, with gluten-free choices for the burrito wraps and burger), the soy-free and even the omnivores. Please show your support for the restaurant, and if you go because you saw it here, please tell Maija that you saw her restaurant on Happy Cow!   Pros: Creative, delicious food!!! * friendly staff * healthy food & comfort food Cons: * *
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"Vegans' delight"   My Rating
1 bpals4	Posted on: Friday, August 07, 2009
	Review: As the only vegan restaurant in Ithaca, Food for the Planet is a welcome addition to the veggie-friendly Ithaca dining scene. The food is beautifully prepared and delicious, using locally sourced, organic ingredients as much as possible. We couldn't help but devour every last crumb, it was that good. The Nachos Veganos featured scrumptious refried beans, the lasagna was divine -- the vegan "ricotta" was superior to anything we've ever had -- and the Breaded Vish Cutlets took tofu to a new height. If you're still looking for a yummy way to get your greens, your search is over with the potato kale hash or the smoothies. Hard as it will be, try to save room for dessert. Brownies, I think, are the hardest vegan dessert to pull off, so I always use that as my gold standard. Food for the Planet's did not disappoint. The restaurant is small and cozy, with real potted plants adorning each table, and warmly colored walls and wood floors. Take-home containers are eco-friendly paper.   Pros: Excellent food * Friendly and warm * Sensitive to dietary needs Cons: Limited signage may make it hard to find * Menu pages seem to be out of order *
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