Spectacular waterfront dining and elegant fare a colorful combination of traditional main ingredients creatively matched with more unusual fare make this New Hope restaurant an ideal spot for a quiet evening.
By: James d’Esterre
The Landing Restaurant |
In 1976, when in their early 20s, Christopher and Ellen Bollenbacher bought a house in need of repair on Main Street in New Hope. The property had a panoramic river view, including the bridge to Lambertville, N.J..
During a two-year rehabilitation, the couple lived upstairs in what is now the office. Chris had restaurant experience, but confesses it took 10 years to learn the business of fine dining. Over the years, their best results working with chefs came from dismissing head chefs and promoting sous chefs. Today, The Landing Restaurant has three chefs working in concert, producing what I suspect are the best kitchen results since the Bollenbachers opened their doors.
When patrons enter from the street, they encounter carefully tended shrubs and flowers along their stroll. The house rests near the water, away from the road. New Hope parking can be stressful. To access the private parking on the premises, turn right just past the restaurant when heading north on Main Street.
During winter and bad weather, the quaint house seats 55. Spring through fall, a 120-seat brick patio with an unobstructed view of the river provides fair-weather dining. The patio also has a screened cedar porch for cocktails while waiting for your table. A number of blooming flower boxes anchor green umbrellas.
My first visit was on a weeknight, and I was fortunate to obtain a table at the railing. During daylight, ducks, swans and an occasional cigarette boat play in the river. As darkness crept in, I marveled as a pink moon rose over the span of the night-lit bridge and crossing cars produced shimmering reflections off the water. For a moment, I thought I was at a European waterside hotel as a duck politely paused at my feet to greet me, before proceeding through the tables to the orchestration of soft strings coming from the bar.
On my second visit, this time a Friday evening, I was surrounded by a large crowd of people, happily, with another great view. Mellow barks drew my attention, and I turned to discover a sweatshirt-covered dog patrolling the roof of the house. Familiar music, the Beatles and Hall & Oates, detracted from the previous dreamy ambiance of my weeknight visit. The wait staff was casually dressed, and during both visits only a few guests were formally attired.
The menu is a colorful combination of traditional main ingredients creatively matched with more unusual fare. Colorful artistic presentations added significantly to each dish. Medallions of Monkfish salad ($11.95) brought cocarde lettuce a bronze oak-leaf variety provided by a farmer from Stockton, N.J. red and yellow tomato confit, toasted pine nuts, and bite-size sautéed monkfish medallions tossed in a thin creamy citrus vinaigrette with yogurt and honey. It was a rewarding first course that could serve as a light meal. The lettuce had an interesting, slightly bitter character but was not as crisp as other more frequently seen varieties.
Fried saffron-lobster ravioli, with butter-braised lobster claw and sun-dried tomato-rosemary beurre noir ($11.95), produced three large, slightly crisp golden raviolis with minced lobster inside. A ragout mixture of small lobster clawmeat pieces, softened sun-dried tomato and a plentiful helping of fresh rosemary accented this rich and delicious starter. A lovely French bread was perfect to swab the plate, removing any trace of the buttery pasta sauce.
Sautéed rack of lamb ($28.95) was a real treat. The dish took its remarkable flavor from shallots, garlic, crushed red pepper and rosemary, served atop a melange of crisp carrots, snap peas and blood orange segments tossed in a delicate mint-champagne vinaigrette. My lamb was cooked less than the specified medium rare but was intensely flavored from its preparation.
Wondering how one crusts scallops with mushrooms, I ordered porcini-crusted sea scallops, with gingered carrot puree, roasted Italian eggplant and a saffron-squash veloute ($27.95). The plate had a not-too-sweet, gingery carrot puree circled by a thin yellow squash sauce and an olive-oil soaked, roasted eggplant spear. A scallop shell was nestled atop the puree, serving as platform for six sautéed scallops on a nest of carrot shreds, pea pods, and red and yellow pepper slivers. Chef Joe McAtee informed me that the restaurant uses ground, dried porcini mushrooms to provide the strong-flavored crispy coating for the perfectly cooked scallops. This dish has great creativity, colorful eye appeal, flavorful blending and proper preparation of ingredients.
For dessert, I sampled Tahitian vanilla bean crème brulee with seasonal berries ($7). The brulee was exquisite, but seemed slightly skimpy in portion and had a single unripe carved strawberry as garnish. White Chocolate Mousse Cake ($7), on the other hand, was a large piece of cake resting on its side, displaying three layers of cream-colored cake with white mousse filling and icing. Raspberry coulis circled the cake slice and was swirled to form a bull’s-eye at the center of the slice. As a final touch, a carved strawberry and thin Granny Smith apple slivers created an imaginative flower effect. White chocolate shavings finish this fine dessert.
All told, my outdoor dining experience at The Landing was the best total restaurant experience I have had in Bucks County this year. It is worth every penny of its $50 per-person cost, and remember, that’s without tip or beverages. If you are planning to go on a weekend night, I recommend you arrive early or go late, unless you enjoy spending time at the bar, which might be enjoyable also. Now that summer’s here, The Landing seems like the perfect spot for an enjoyable evening.
For directions to The Landing Restaurant, click here.