 "Photo: Julie Munn/Photo Editor")
"Most students only leave campus for the occasional Wal-Mart trip or to hit State Street, but they’re probably missing out on one of the Binghamton’s key selling points: its diverse restaurant selection. Binghamton is known for being an area with lots of refugee settlements, and it shows in the variety of eateries around town. Take a break from Sodexo and the chain restaurants and check out some of these local, diverse food haunts.
Lemongrass Kitchen & Lounge
1550 Vestal Parkway East
Vestal, NY 13850
Lemongrass is the first fusion restaurant in the greater Binghamton area. Combining tastes from Thailand, Japan, Malaysia, India, Vietnam and Korea, the restaurant prizes its organic ingredients and strives to keep the menu authentic, healthy and palatable.
With choices such as pineapple fried rice with Malaysian curry and naan — a round, flat, leavened bread — the contemporary restaurant offers 20 entrÃ.©es that suggest a strong mix of elements from different cuisines, the ingredients ranging from sautÃ.©ed chicken to “drizzle of vibrant sauces.”
The dimly lit restaurant seems compatible with people searching for food from varying cultures. The pristine, yet relaxed atmosphere is a fit for both a business lunch and a dinner date, although whole Binghamton University classes have visited the restaurant before. The restaurant also has various choices of wine and other alcoholic beverages.
The eatery is busy during regular lunch and dinner hours, but anyone wishing to make a reservation can do so online or by phone.
The florid restaurant, however, has a price for its colorful food and trendy atmosphere. EntrÃ.©es range from $15 to $20, appetizers average $5 and desserts are $7 to $8.
—Irene Rekhviashvili
Kampai Japanese Steakhouse
108 North Jensen Road
Vestal, NY 13850
Picture yourself amidst hardwood oak, mahogany and redwood timber. The exotic, yet comforting sound of a shamisen (a stringed Japanese instrument) plays quietly in the background. Hot sake is available to chase the winter blues. You may be in a small, peaceful village in rural Japan, or you may also be in Vestal’s own Japanese steakhouse and sushi bar, Kampai.
This restaurant, located on the corner of Jensen Road and Route 434 just about a mile west of Binghamton University’s campus, has something to offer everyone. The economical students on shoestring budgets can find relatively inexpensive noodle dishes to satisfy their hunger, and the city-slickers with corporate cards have numerous options with which to impress their agents.
Started by Richard Matsushima as a hibachi restaurant in 1975, Kampai has expanded several times over the years to meet customer demands. The sushi bar was added in 1985, and a fresh supply of high quality seafood has been coming from New York City ever since. An additional kitchen was added in 1995 that focuses on more traditional dishes and caters to the quieter, classier dining room area.
Matsushima, from the city of Kobe, Japan, has spent 39 years in the United States. As founder and owner of Kampai, he acknowledges the difficulties of running a private business.
“It took time to get to where we are,” he said.
Yet it is easy for him to define his success: “We see families who keep coming back. When people come and spend money, we want them to be happy.”
With the dozens of menu items ranging from tantalizing appetizers to delicious sushi and live-action hibachi, it is not hard to see how he keeps the customers happy. There is even a full bar stocked with domestic and imported beers, authentic sake and myriad mixed drinks for the cocktail fans.
The casual vegetarians, considering fish an edible animal product, will also find an abundance of food choices. With all the varieties of sushi at one’s fingertips, this place is a pescetarian’s delight.
With everything Kampai has to offer, it is clear that no list of the Binghamton-area restaurants would be complete without its inclusion.
—Jarrod Williams
Whole In The Wall
43 South Washington St.
Binghamton, NY 13903
The Binghamton area has no shortage of American cuisine, from chain restaurants to smaller cafes, but Whole in the Wall is a beacon of light amidst the corporate bar-and-grills. The extensive menu will suit your taste buds’ desire for American fare and more, without clogging your arteries.
Eliot Fiks, senior partner of Whole in the Wall and a former BU student, opened up the restaurant on Dec. 6, 1980. The idea for the restaurant stemmed from the University’s own Food Co-op.
“I was interested in nutrition and social change,” Fiks said.
He used to make 200 bagels everyday in his apartment and sell them at the Food Co-op, and 29 years later, you can still purchase these 100 percent whole wheat bagels — made fresh daily — at Whole in the Wall.
Of course, this fine eatery offers more than just bagels. The menu is accommodating to all types of eaters. Vegetarian? There are variety of options like the stir-fry veggies with tofu or tempeh and homemade, hand-rolled falafel. Have a gluten allergy? Try the gluten-free cream of mushroom soup. While about 75 percent of the menu is vegetarian you can still choose from a number of beef, poultry and fish dishes. If you’re craving a fat, juicy cheeseburger, the Whole in the Wall offers all-natural, locally raised beef.
However, if you really want the real Whole in the Wall experience, you need to try their most popular item, the acclaimed “Best pesto in the Universe.” Whether you’re ordering a plate of pasta or taking home a container to go, you can choose from seven flavors, including fresh basil, sun dried tomato and dairy-free. The pesto is produced from scratch every Sunday.
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