Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

cook's for me. nice and accessible

with just a bit of salt. yum!

no preference!

i have little-kid hands. so its really important that knives are small, with a good grip and well balanced

:( no other tips from anyone?

OMG
I forgot about Villabate Alba on 18th avenue.
Bensonhurst has Italian bakeries sprinkled around, but Villabate is the best!
7001 18th Avenue
(Between 70th and 71st)

http://www.villabate.net/index.html
damn. now i want a sfogliatelle... or a rainbow cookie... or...

what happened to the sweet creamy buns? How come they're dented in like that? I'm surprised to see them in 'cupcake' liners, too..

@Aya, I graduated a few years ago. I don't remember the service being terribly slow at CTB, but I agree that the bagels are pretty terrible. Granted, I grew up in Brooklyn, but my family has been known to buy Thomas' bagels on occasion. That being said, the CTB bagels are sad and dry. A well meaning friend used to buy me Bialys from CTB/Ithaca Bakery after I mentioned I was homesick and could kill for one of Kossar's bialys. It was hard as a brick and bland, too! She did this on more than one occasion because I didn't have the heart to tell her that they sucked.

as for other foods, a lot of the stuff is rather junky college-y food.
Shortstop, Wingz over Ithaca, a lot of the joints in collegetown are like that. The Carriage House cafe is nice for brunch or a hot drink + pastry. They also have live music some nights.

Downtown (in the Commons), Mahogany Grill and Madeline's come to mind. Taste of Thai and Asia Cuisine have pretty mediocre asian food. D.P. Dough has ridiculous gut-bomb calzones (very little seating though, mostly a delivery place)

Also: that weekend is Parents Weekend at Cornell (not sure if thats why you might be visiting?) However, this means that there will be lots of people everywhere. Parking might also be terrible.

If you want ice cream, I'd suggest the Cornell Dairy Bar if you're going to be on campus. Cornell cheese and Apple cider is also pretty good.

Consider checking out some of the Finger Lakes wineries for some tastings and such. Might be a little out of the way, though.

I love soup. and have been known to eat them on the subway.. even without a seat. So I might be a little partial. honestly, I have more trouble eating salads off a plate while standing than soup. Balancing a plate on my hand plus using a fork to stab at things of varying textures and sizes usually ends with me spilling food on myself.
Just make soups that are easily spoonable, no flopping noodles and dont make them burning hot.

wow.. Bobby's Burger looked really messy to eat. If I make a burger and realize its impossible to eat without extra hands or a fork and knife, I would re-evaluate its composition. I'm all for awesome toppings, but I can't handle something like that.

Also: I am so sad that the hangover burgers are skewered like that. All that gooey yolk just drips out onto the pan before it makes it to your mouth!

I LOVE eggs too. I didn't know other people felt the same way. Definitely bookmarking this thread.

Since eggs are basically my favorite food.. its hard for me to pass up ordering eggs at a diner. I like them in nearly any form.. although im not too keen on scrambled eggs from diners. I usually order them over medium. That gives me a range of doneness I can handle.
I'd say its a good idea to get something "made to order". Pancakes, burgers, eggs.... even a simple BLT will do..
No chili though, not unless the place is famous for it.

Its understandable that some restaurants have "no check splitting" policies. In this case, perhaps since she made an exception, they are just not used to having to split it up?
Any way you do it- with or without splitting the check- whenever you go out with a bunch of people, everyone just needs to have a little patience. If possible, agree on how you'll do things beforehand. (try not the be "that guy", but it helps to get things straight early on!)
These days, if I know I'm eating out with people I try to have enough cash on hand... just to make it easier.
Oh and tip appropriately!