A few times in the 210-edition history of the Washington Watch it has included a restaurant review by someone other than yours truly. This is one of those times. The review below was written by Max Feinleib.
Debbie, Rachel, Steve, Jacob and Max went to The Heights on a Saturday night.
When seated at our table, we were presented with olive bread, along with oil and vinegar and a white bean spread for dipping.
For an appetizer, we all shared the peach and goat cheese pizza – caramelized onions, broccoli, plum tomato, garlic, mozzarella & balsamic drizzle.
The menu only lists nine entrées, but there were at least half a dozen specials, which our server Jamie described in intricate detail. These included multiple seafood dishes and a selection of steaks.
Debbie chose one of the specials – drunken mussels with a crispy salmon collar.
Rachel had the daily soup – Tuscan zucchini soup.
Steve also selected a special – Chilean sea bass.
Max had Seafood Pad Thai – crab beignets, clams, rice noodles, lime, pickled egg, rosemary honey, peanuts, crema & lobster teriyaki sauce.
The Pad Thai was listed as an appetizer but was as big as any of the entrées, and it did not seem well-suited to sharing if ordered as a starter.
Jacob chose Za’atar grilled chicken – curry braised sweet potatoes, poi choy, Thai cucumbers, hoisin aioli & chimichurri garlic chili sauce.
All of the entrées came with a choice of Caesar salad or mixed greens salad. The portions were quite large in general, and the salads too were substantial.
For dessert, we ordered two lava cake soufflés – one without marshmallow. The soufflés also included vanilla and chocolate ice cream. You have to order the soufflés along with your food, as their preparation takes 30 minutes. (This is not the case for their other desserts).
The restaurant is divided into three main rooms, along with a bar. These rooms together seat roughly 120. There is also a basement and a private seating area. The restaurant is quiet inside.
There are two gender-neutral individual restrooms.
There is a white floor-based commode directly toward the back, with a small metal wastebin beside it.
The walls are tan, and the floor tiles are black, gray, and white, in a herringbone pattern. These both match the rest of the restaurant.
There is a white rectangular wash basin, backed by a small white tile backsplash. There is a tall oval mirror over the wash basin.
Beside the wash basin, there is a wooden table, with an ornamental light fixture sitting on top.
The Heights Restaurant
903 Hanshaw Road
Ithaca, NY 14850
607-257-4144