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Picture This:
By: Carl Lavo — 04/20/01
Picture this: A God-like spring afternoon, mid-70s, blue sky, slight breeze, table for three on outdoor terrace overlooking the Delaware River. Panoramic view of quaint Lambertville on opposite shore and entire length of historic iron bridge linking town to New Hope.
Toss in superb luncheon cuisine and you have a recent Saturday at The Landing restaurant. For us, it was a perfect 10.
The Landing offers three distinct ways to enjoy a visit:
There’s a cute, freestanding restaurant set back from the busy hum of New Hope’s Main Street at the end of a garden path. The building is much like a rustic Swiss pension, with interior dining rooms featuring intimate booths and tables and two working fireplaces, and decorated with photographs of the Alps.
Along the river's edge behind the restaurant is a large garden terrace with dozens of outdoor tables and umbrellas, conjuring up a sense of being on the Riviera. And next to the patio is a Tiki-like bar, seating up to two dozen, for casual get-together over drinks and snacks.
New Hope's Chris Bollenbacher founded The Landing in 1976. He and his wife Ellen employ three chefs specializing in regional American cuisine with a Continental influence.
The Landing serves lunch (entrees $8-$13) and dinner ($26-$30) which can be previewed on the Internet (www.landingrestaurant.com).
Lunch is on the eclectic side. Appetizers, for instance, include mussels steamed in Corona Beer, chipotle chorizo sausage, roasted corn, lemon and garlic broth ($10.95). Salads include a warm pistachio crusted goat cheese, mesclun greens, lentils and white balsamic vinaigrette ($10.95). Among the entrees: a pan-roasted fillet of monkfish, mixed julienne vegetables, citrus segments in a coconut-amaretto broth ($12.95).
Over cold Corona beer ($4) and chilled white Zinfandel ($6.50), our trio ordered a variety of salads as our entrees: an Alaskan king crab salad with assorted vegetables ($11.95), a traditional Caesar salad with chicken ($11.95), and an assortment of mesclun greens, mixed berries, toasted walnuts in a hazelnut vinaigrette ($8.95). Each was extraordinary, with generous servings of king crab and chicken in very flavorful dressings. Mary Anne termed her Caesar the best she's ever had.
My berry salad was loaded with jumbo offerings of fresh blackberries, blueberries, slices strawberries and laced with lots of toasted walnuts that made a terrific combination.
We also tried one of The Landings popular grilled chicken wraps in a soft sundried tomato shell — deliciously stuffed with tender chicken, spicy mayonnaise, a spring veggie mix and roasted red peppers (priced at $7.95 and accompanied by unusual corn fries on the side).
From the dessert list, we shared a Tahitian vanilla bean crème brulee with seasonal berries ($7) to bring our afternoon to a satisfying close.
Noteworthy: Aside from its scenic beauty, The Landing is known for its two affable dogs, Fred and Chopper, who patrol the peaked roof of the two-story restaurant, providing entertainment for visitors on the terrace below. The canines go home with the Bollenbachers at night.
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