Patrons wined and dined at the anniversary celebration.
By: Cynthia Williamson
LAMBERTVILLE — She’s been a bank teller, tried her hand at carpentry and at one time, owned a gym.
She’s worked as a State Police dispatcher and gave serious thought to becoming a State Trooper but dropped out of the training after deciding it wasn’t for her.
But for all of Diana Menzel’s endeavors, those who stopped by her Lambertville eatery, De Anna’s on Lilly Street, for a 10-year anniversary celebration May 11 are glad the city woman chose finally to open a restaurant.
“You feel like you’re in your own home,” commented Leo Nichols, who had traveled 60 miles from Morris Plains for the party. “They make you feel very comfortable.”
Added Mr. Nichols’ wife, Barbara, “And the food is very good.”
Another couple from Pennington said they have been “weekly regulars” for almost as long as De Anna’s has been in existence, explaining they “stumbled” on the restaurant one evening when another one in the neighborhood was closed.
Another customer has a standing reservation for him and his wife every Friday night at 7:30 at table seven.
“She’s such a nice person, a good customer and a good friend,” remarked Jerry Melson of Millbrook Inc., Lumberville, Pa., who has been supplying Ms. Menzel with food since she opened. “Ten years is something to be proud of.”
While patrons wined and dined the night away over a buffet of homemade pasta dishes that De Anna’s has built its reputation on, Ms. Menzel recalled how she got interested in the restaurant trade.
“It was opening night at a restaurant in Stockton, and they had no dishwasher,” Ms. Menzel recalled. “So I helped out, and six months later, I became the chef.”
And although she enjoyed cooking, the experience still wasn’t enough to whet her appetite. She quit the job and went to work as a carpenter. When the restaurant that formerly occupied her current location closed, Ms. Menzel decided she was ready for the challenge.
“She called and asked to borrow $5,000 for a pasta machine,” remembered longtime friend Barbara Kendall of Mount Holly. “I wish I had had more faith in her but I didn’t even know she could cook.”
Today, Ms. Kendall said with pangs of regret that she didn’t loan her friend the money.
“I think she’s great, she’s unbelievable,” Ms. Kendall said. “It just took her a while to find out what she wanted to do.”
Undaunted that no one was willing to loan her the cash, Ms. Menzel sold treasured belongings, such as the red 1970 Oldsmobile convertible with the black leather interior to raise the capital she needed to start De Anna’s.
“That was a nice car, man,” she recalled. “I sold everything to do whatever I had to do to get the business going.”
And going it is. Ms. Menzel purchased another property at 18 S. Main St. a number of years ago and opened Fiesta, a second restaurant she had hoped would capture the lunchtime business.
But that didn’t pan out so Ms. Menzel expanded De Anna’s, creating additional seating in the two rooms on the first floor. The two buildings adjoin at the rear that Ms. Menzel has converted to a small covered courtyard where guests can dine outdoors on spring and summer evenings.
“We have a lot of fun here,” said longtime employee Carrie Neal of Lambertville, who started working at the restaurant as a teen-ager and left for a number of years to finish college. “I’m back now, and it’s great.”
De Anna’s opens at 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday and from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday. Tuesday is Lasagna Night, and Wednesday is Ravioli Night when entrees are $9.75 each, including salad and bread. Reservations are suggested by calling the restaurant at 397-8957.