Madeline’s is the perfect example of a restaurant that needs a reality check. The menu is pretty decent, but the chefs cannot cook what they claim to be able to. Most of the time, the meat comes overcooked, so if you order the gorgonzola stuffed pork chop, expect it to come dry. Same goes for the duck and filet mignon. Just like every other restaurant in Ithaca with the exception of John Thomas’, no one here knows what rare means.

The appetizers are a bit better, but the thai stick, though it sounds good, tastes and feels like rubber. Also, every time I’ve come here, the bread has been cold and stale. This is the kind of place where you keep coming back, hoping that it will be different this time, but it never is. I may be a bit harsh, but it’s only because I feel so robbed by the price they charge for what they serve.

The ambiance is great for a night out with friends, a intimate dinner, or a late night dessert run. They’re menu changes constantly, offering only the freshest ingredients and most creative and palate-pleasing dishes every to tantalize your taste buds.

I ordered a Salmon Tartar on Endive Hearts Salads drizzled with Creme Fraische as an appetizer, Sauteed Skate flavored with a Thai basil-infused curry sauce as an entree with Bok Choy, a Mango Salsa, and Edamame salad complementing the dish, and finally a DESSERT called the Zuccotto – a Vanilla sponge cake soaked with espresso and kahlua surrounding two layers of cream fillings, which are studded with chocolate and hazelnuts.

At Madeline’s, the dessert cases generally have 15-20 decadent house-made selections. In fact, since a full-scale dinner may be on the pricey side, going to Madeline’s for dessert will certainly do justice!