Christine’s Restaurant

As crowds attest, this lively new restaurant in Yardley, Pa., hits its stride with good Italian food and pleasant service.

By: Richard Burns

   IN late February a fine, modern, mostly Italian restaurant opened in the Yardley area. Happily, this comfortable and friendly restaurant is a bright addition to the restaurant choices in the area.
   Christine’s is located in the front of a new office-shopping complex at the intersection of Oxford Valley and Heacock Road, not far from the Oxford Valley Mall. It features open architecture with cathedral ceilings and exposed beams.
   A bright green rug covers the floor in the two good-sized dining rooms. There is a combination of booths and tables fitted with light mauve over white tablecloths. The wall decorations are subdued, and there are lots of windows on three sides facing the street and the complex. The design, and the fact that they were very busy on a Friday night, contributes to a noisy-but-cheery atmosphere. With live music on Friday and Saturday nights, it’s not quite the place for a quiet romantic dinner.
   The fast-moving, efficient and numerous waitpersons contribute to a sense of excitement and movement. Our waiter, Bruno, was friendly but professional. He is also the floor manager for that dining room. From the level of activity and the well-organized service, it appears he also handles that job well. The active presence of the owner, James Armetta, also adds to the smooth functioning of the restaurant. A subsequent visit for lunch uncovered a much less effective and experienced wait staff, and a less satisfactory experience as a result.
   The menu is fairly extensive and largely but not exclusively Italian. There is a range of steaks available from the grill (from $22-$27 for a 20-oz. Porterhouse) as well as grilled salmon and chicken. The luncheon menu includes more non-Italian items, such as Greek salad ($6), Santa Fe chicken salad ($8) and various kinds of cheeseburgers. There also are a half-dozen pasta dishes, which can be ordered as an appetizer ($8-9) or entrée ($13-15).
   At lunch, we sampled two of these, a vodka rigatoni and red pepper cheese-filled pasta bundles ($8 and $9, respectively). Both were well prepared and satisfying. For dinner, there is a short menu of specials, usually an appetizer, salad, pasta, fish and meat offering. The prices are listed for each special, frequently omitted information on menus at other dining establishments.
   Our dining experience began with a basket of exceptional warm bread and a small plate of pickled vegetables and olives. Another small plate with dried mixed herbs was presented for use with the jug of extra virgin olive oil already on the table — a nice touch. One unique offering among the appetizers is the "soup sampler," which provides an opportunity at lunch or dinner to try the three soups of the day. These come served in a small bowls on a tray.
   For appetizers, we selected the cozze fra diavolo and the calamari fritti (each $8). The first included two dozen very fresh and grit-free mussels steamed in an incredibly flavorful and spicy marinara sauce. It was a highly rewarding dish. The calamari also came with a good marinara sauce and was tender and tasty, but not as crispy as it should have been. The appetizers can be ordered either as an individual portion, as we did, or family style, serving three to five people ($20 and $22, respectively).
   I tried the caprese salad ($6), which consisted of four halves of decent and large plumb tomatoes topped with fresh mozzarella. This was served on fresh baby arugula and basil with Calamata olives and a balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing. It was good, but the dressing had a limited impact.
   For entrées, we chose the veal Vincenzo ($21) and the homemade crab cakes ($23). The veal dish yielded a large portion of well-sautéed medallions with prosciutto and mozzarella perched atop portabella mushrooms. It was served with a good Marsala wine sauce over fresh spinach. The combination of flavors and textures was right on target.
   The two crab cakes were large and crispy, served with a sherry-cream sauce garnished with sautéed shrimp and garlic-sautéed green beans. The problem was that the crab cakes, although loaded with crab, were served lukewarm and were not very flavorful. While the sherry sauce was a nice complement, there was too little of it to properly augment the crab cakes. We also ordered sautéed asparagus with garlic and olive oil ($5) as a side dish. This turned out to be outstanding, cooked al dente with just the right garlic flavor.
   Our waiter offered an impressive array of desserts on a tray. We passed over an attractive large wedge of Tiramisu and a delightful-looking dark chocolate cup filled with a cappuccino mouse topped with whipped cream. Instead, we shared the crème brulée sampler ($12). Three ramekins of different-flavored crème brulée are included — citrus, pistachio and strawberry. Each ramekin held about one-third to a half-cup of superb, creamy smooth custard with sharply different tastes. Unless you only have dessert, I wouldn’t recommend ordering this dish for one person.
   Christine’s seems to be very well run and does a first-rate job in the kitchen and in the front rooms. Its atmosphere, while loud and busy, is fun, and the variety and quality of the food and service will keep people coming back.
For directions to Christine’s Restaurant, click here.