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The Landing
By: Lynn Welden — June 2001
He's been at this for the past quarter century. A twenty-five year commitment to building a business, honoring his clientele, inspiring a staff of talented food professionals and contributing to the vitality of a town in the process. That's what Chris Bollenbacher, owner of The Landing Restaurant in New Hope, PA, has been up to since 1976. Today, with his trademark energy intact, he and his wife, Ellen, oversee a restaurant that, in their words, strives to “consistently deliver creative, approachable cuisine in an environment that's unpretentious but special.” They're succeeding handily. The dinner my friend and I recently enjoyed at The Landing was delicious and our visit, enchanting. Bollenbachers, take a bow!
Enchantment does not happen by chance. Being able to dine at a table on The Landing's outside dining terrace on that early spring night certainly contributed to our happy state. But I'm also thinking about the food created by three able magicians in the kitchen (more about them later). It made quite an impression. Kudos as well to a terrific server who did all she could to distract us from the few offending raindrops that appeared briefly between courses (and magically moved on ). Nor can I dismiss the sight of the Bollenbacher's friendly dog. Fred, making a cameo appearance on an adjacent rooftop. Or the three stray ducks that paraded across the deck, and just as politely moved on with no intent to annoy or linger. Not your standard dining-out experience, by any account.
And what of the view of the Delaware River from the terrace dining area? It's pure intoxication. After all, this is a river artists are compelled to capture on canvas, poets write about, and sportsman go crazy over. So of course it works similar magic on The Landing guest who can dine while overlooking its banks. Come the first hint of spring, and up until fall's most persistent chill, the outdoor dining area, fringed with award-winning gardens, is a mecca for hungry customers eager to soak up the atmosphere and enjoy the tableside vistas at this particularly picturesque stretch of the waterway, just up from the New Hope-Lambertville bridge.
The night my friend and I sat down to dine, we bet against the threat of an impending rain storm and won. What's more, we were eventually treated to a spectacular sunset — one that bathed the hills across the river in shades of pink and lavender. Yet, I have also eaten at The Landing on wintry nights when the romantic European-flavored main dining room, complete with glowing fire, had a cozy and singular allure all its own. No matter what the season, you can be assured of one thing — the consistently high quality of The Landing's bill of fare.
Which brings me back to the kitchen triumvirate, the chefs responsible for creating and preparing the restaurants's imaginative American regional cuisine. At the head is Joseph (Joe) McAtee, with Eliel Vasquez and Jason Higley completing the trio. Such a fortunate synergy of talent and teamwork has produced a crew that's up to the challenge of producing not only interesting and creative dinner menus, but also tantalizing lunches, Sunday brunch, lite-fare option served in the bar, and daily specials. The selections are varied and inspired. Choosing is mouth-watering work.
Does the thought of soup, escargots, mussels, a yummy-sounding spring roll or an onion, mushroom and brie tart send your taste buds reeling? Then any one of these, or an appetizer special of the day, would be a fine way to begin a meal at The Landing. Or what about a mixed salad? The dinner menu features four, including a traditional Caesar and another with warm goat cheese, greens and lentils. In our case we were completely enthralled by our starters. The Shellfish Ravioli appetizer ($10.95) — generous pasta pillows topped with peas, tomatoes and lobster cream sauce — was superior. And who could have predicted how wonderful the special salad of warm pancetta-wrapped endive, crisp Asian pears, roasted beets, shaved parmesan and honey-ginger vinaigrette could be? I'd go back for seconds on this one every day!
The eight dinner entrées ($25.95 to $29.95) at The Landing follow a similar pattern of using seductive ingredients to their best potential. Monkfish, Grouper and Chilean Sea Bass creations reside comfortably on the same list as classics like Filet Mignon, Pork Tenderloin and Grille Rack of Lamb. Signature delights such as the Porcini-Crusted Sea Scallops (with gingered carrot purée, roasted Italian eggplant, baby spinach and saffron-squash coulis) appear on the menu from time to time, and come highly recommended.
However, they would have to be pretty awesome to compete with what we did succcumb to that evening. The Scotch-and-Marmalade-Braised Salmon Fillet (served with goat-cheese-swirled mashed potatoes, asparagus and accompanying fennel sauce) was fantastic. The fish was delectably fresh and the distinctive braising mixture was delicate and remarkable. My friend's well-prepared Grilled New York Strip Steak produced like levels of appreciation for the kitchen's prowess. So simply done and so good. The Landing offers a comprehensive list of wines by the bottle as well as by the glass. Cuisine like this does well by good wine.
We capped off the meal with a noteworthy take on another old favorite, bread pudding. But unless your mom or grandmother made hers with macadamia nuts and coconut — topped with a dark rum caramel sauce — it's doubtful you've ever tasted one to beat this.
Sunsets come and go. Dinners too. But somehow the magic of sitting on the riverside deck of this restaurant is one of those warm-weather rites that must be acknowledged, acted on and savored. Chris and Ellen Bollenbacher, and the rest of the company at The Landing, make it supremely easy to enjoy yourself while you're a guest in their midst. Whatever the weather. After more than two decades of serving up hospitality and good food, it's only natural they would. Practice makes perfect.
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