One of my favorite parts of the weekend is brunch; there’s nothing better than sleeping in and enjoying the morning after a big night out by gathering around warm, delicious breakfast food.
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The previous weekend was my friends and I’s last in Ithaca before we all went our separate ways for summer. So we decided to have a brunch date to enjoy each other’s company before leaving. Our next move was deciding on where amongst the many delicious restaurants in Ithaca we should go to for this special brunch occasion.
For weeks, we had been telling each other how badly we wanted to go to Dolce Delight – a somewhat new breakfast/lunch destination in Ithaca – located right up the street from Ithaca College.
All of my friends and I had heard many rave reviews about Dolce; some points that stood out included it being close, inexpensive, and having mouth-wateringly delicious food. Before leaving Ithaca for summer, going to Dolce was on the top of my priority list.
We arrived at Dolce on an overcast Saturday morning around 11:30 AM, and were pleasantly surprised that the line was very reasonable. We waited no more than 5 minutes before ordering at the counter, although I could have used more time; I knew I wanted a breakfast sandwich as I had received many specific recommendations for them by my friends, however, they all sounded amazing which made it hard deciding on which one to order.
The “Louie” Sandwich
Photo by Sophia Sioris
I was carefully debating between the “Louie” sandwich that including egg, tomato, cheese, and pesto on a bagel and the “Dolce Special”, which was an egg, cheddar cheese, ham, and spicy pepper jelly on a chipotle biscuit. I went with my gut and ordered the “Dolce Special” simply because it sounded too irresistible to pass up. My friend Dani ordered the special as well, while our bagel-loving friend, Sophia ordered the “Joey Special”, composed of 2 eggs, bacon, sausage, and cheddar cheese on an “everything” bagel.
“Joey Special” Sandwich
Photo by Rose Lee
In addition to our sandwiches, my friends and I also ordered fruit smoothies; Sophia and I both ordered the Strawberry, Pineapple, Banana smoothie and Dani went outside the box by ordering the “Green Dream”, which is essentially a bunch of veggies blended with a few choice fruit, including mango.
Photo by Rose Lee
We sat in the café for less than 10 minutes, admiring the quaint décor and enjoying each other’s company (and our smoothies), before a waiter delivered our sandwiches and we became giddy with excitement.
Photo by Rose Lee
To say that we enjoyed our breakfast sandwiches would be an understatement. The “Dolce Special” is hands down one of the best breakfast sandwiches I’ve ever tasted; it had a seamless balance of spiciness, saltiness, and mind-blowing umami flavor, paired with a chipotle biscuit that was fluffy and baked to perfection. Also, drinking the fruit smoothie alongside the sandwich was especially refreshing as it cooled off my palate from the slight heat from the spicy-pepper jelly.
“Dolce Special” Sandwich
Photo by Rose Lee
Why we waited so long to make our way just slightly further up South Hill to Dolce Delight is beyond me. I fully intend to make a stop there immediately when I return back to Ithaca for the fall semester. The chances are very likely that I’ll become a regular weekend patron. For all you lucky people staying in Ithaca this summer, I strongly encourage you to try Dolce Delight. I promise you will leave feeling both satisfied and delighted.