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Excerpt From Down by the River
General Store Magazine, Summer 2002
New Hope, Pennsylvania offers some of the best dining and lodging in the metropolitan area.
Across the Delaware River in Lambertville, the tiny lights were growing dim, blanketed by the darkening clouds overhead. My wife and I were watching the gathering storm from our table on the open-air deck at The Landing. Below us we could hear the rhythmic slap of the water against the bank. Unfazed, the river remained calm, and the reflections of those lights over in Lambertville, pressed so tenuously against that ominous sky, bobbed carefree and safe.
"I'm sorry, but there's a storm coming," our server interrupted. "We're moving everybody inside. Just follow me please." With alacrity and precision worthy of a Broadway stage crew, the wait staff cleared the entire deck. A score of diners, unjostled and unhassled, settled comfortably inside the homey, candlelit atmosphere of the eighteenth century dwelling. Warm and dry, we watched nature's show through the picture windows. Walls of windswept water rained on our panorama, but not on our parade.
"We don't have too many adventures or misadventures when the weather changes," says Chris Bollenbacher, owner of The Landing. My wife and I couldn't decide if Chris was savoring his staff's smooth performance or figuring ways to knock another five seconds off the change-of-locations procedure. Over the years, I haven't met many restauranteurs who could cope with the kind of uncertainty that Chris and his attractive wife Ellen deal with routinely. Many would need an on-site therapist more than an executive chef.
The Landing, one of New Hope's most popular and upscale restaurants, is set back from Main Street, just north of the Bridge Street intersection, the eccentric hub of the town. Surrounded by English gardens that have consistently received awards in the Bucks Beautiful Garden Competition, the Landing offers the best vantage point in town for al fresco dining, notwithstanding the meteorological vagaries of Pennsylvania summers. The riverside deck is wide - waterfowl sound a soft counterpoint to the wall of sound from the cicadas and tree frogs.
With such a winning setting, food quality can become an afterthought. Not so at The Landing. The food is anything but humdrum. Executive Chef Joe McAtee's menu is innovative and consistent. The wild mushrooms, toasted hazelnuts and Maytag bleu cheese in puff pastry, applewood smoked bacon, white truffle essence is a zesty medley of coherent textures and tastes. With the goat cheese and pistachio stuffed breast of chicken, lemon grits, chicory, strawberry-rhubarb compote, black pepper and vanilla bean vinaigrette, the chef stretches harmonizes a symphony of different tastes marvelously, with nary a false note.
In New Hope, you're never far from a café or bistro where you can sit, revisit your purchases, or watch the world go by. And the local culinary scene is stellar, worth the trip in itself.
AMBIANCE: Hard to beat alfresco, riverfront dining in the summer in New Hope. The sounds of the river and surrounding nature, the lights from Lambertville, and the festive atmosphere on the deck itself work for fun get-togethers or romantic pairs.
SERVICE: Young serve staff hustles, bustles and smiles for attentive service.
PRICES: Appetizers, $8.95 -$10.95; Soups and Salads, $10; Entrées, $25.95-$30.95
CUISINE: Eclectic menu fuses substantial culinary territory. The chef's sometimes bold creations and aggressive fusions usually hit the mark. The main surprise is that a restaurant that could thrive on location alone consistently produces culinary excellence.
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