Tag Archives: Lambertville

Aztlan Mexican Grill – Outstanding Mexican with a Twist

10 Wednesday Aug 2016

Posted by in dinner, Ethnic, food, Hidden gem, restaurants, review, Uncategorized

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I love good Mexican food.  It’s something of a guilty pleasure – fried chips, cheese, mounds of meat, spicy sauces. Though after taking Mexican cooking classes with Shelley Wiseman at The Farm Cooking School, I’ve become very hard to please!

Aztlan raises the bar, serving up a huge variety of Mexican and Tex-mex dishes, both familiar and new. Chef/owner Edgar Castro, who was the chef at the popular Tortugas before buying the restaurant, has crafted a new menu. The dishes, heavily influenced by his youth in Mexico City, artfully melds dishes and flavors from all over Mexico as well as retaining many of the familiar Ameri-Mex that we’ve all come to know.

In fact, Aztlan has done something so special that they received a “very good” from the New York Times food reviewer. The Times is known for their tough reviews, so this is high praise! Based on our dining experiences at Aztlan, they’ve earned their accolades.

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Brian’s Reinvented

08 Sunday May 2016

Posted by in BYOB, dinner, fine dining, Poorly Kept Secret, restaurants, review

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It’s not often that a restaurateur chooses to reinvent an already successful restaurant. But that’s exactly what Brian Held, chef-owner of Brian’s in Lambertville and NoLa in Stockton has done. The new (May 2016) Brian’s has melded the best of both restaurants into his eponymous restaurant in Lambertville creating a wonderful new and unique fine dining experience.

We applaud Brian’s thoughtful evolution. While Stockton is a charming town for NoLa, we feel like Lambertville is the right location for his flagship offering. With convenient parking and its central location, Brian’s is an easy destination for more diners. I know we’ll be coming more often!

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Brian’s – Why did we wait so long to go back?

16 Wednesday Sep 2015

Posted by in BYOB, dinner, fine dining, Hidden gem, restaurants, review

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Have you ever felt like you’ve missed out on years of joy after “discovering” something that others have known about forever? Tonight, Evy and I kicked ourselves, because we’ve missed out on so many amazing meals at Brian’s in Lambertville, NJ.

That name probably sounds familiar because last week I wrote glowingly about Chef Brian Held’s new place, NoLa, in Stockton, NJ. After having such a great meal there, and spending some time with Brian himself, Evy and I decided we had to head over to Brian’s eponymous restaurant in Lambertville.

Before going, we checked out some other reviews of the place. In particular, this review in the New York Times caught my eye. When the first line of a review talks about setting out for Lambertville, in the rain, for a fondly remembered dish, you have to take notice. In this case, the dish was sweetbreads Milanese, something I normally would not eat. But tonight, I made an exception… Continue reading →

El Tule Mexican and Peruvian

19 Wednesday Aug 2015

Posted by in BYOB, dinner, Ethnic, Hidden gem, restaurants, specials

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The Lambertville area has become a true foodie destination with many excellent restaurants representing cuisines from around the world. El Tule continues this tradition, embodying the diverse cultures of Mexico and Peru.

Evy and I have been huge fans of this family run restaurant ever since it opened in 2011. And we’re not the only ones. In its first year, El Tule Mexican & Peruvian Restaurant rose to the top of Yelp and TripAdvisor ratings and remains among the highest rated restaurants in the region. In 2014, the New York Times visited, and posted this flattering review.

What is it that makes El Tule, and its sister restaurant, Quinoa (in Doylestown, PA), so special? In a word – passion.

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Hidden right in the heart of Lambertville – Dish at Lambertville House

01 Wednesday Jul 2015

Posted by in dinner, dog friendly, food, Hidden gem, Monday, Poorly Kept Secret, restaurants, review

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Lambertville House Hotel has long been a favorite place to stay. Ultra-conveniently located right on Bridge Street in Lambertville, the Inn has received numerous accolades including the prestigious AAA Four-diamond award. Their streetside-patio is a great place to grab a drink and dine on a summer night. Inside, you’ll find their classic bar, replete with comfy seating and decor that takes you bake to a time when things seemed more relaxed.

Evy struts by Lambertville House during the Parade. Are we having fun yet?

Evy struts by Lambertville House during the Parade. Are we having fun yet?

While Lambertville House is well known, the source of their food hasn’t received the attention it deserves. Their collaboration with Dish Catering and owner Michele Pulaski was true genius. Pulaski has been bringing outstanding catering to our area with her company, Dish Catering, since 2002. Everybody who has had the good fortune of dining with Dish knows that Pulaski delivers delicious food of outstanding quality.

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Mother’s Day – Last Minute Dining Ideas

09 Saturday May 2015

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If you haven’t made Mother’s Day plans yet, you may be scrambling, trying to find a decent place to go that has last minute reservations available. Here’s some possible places to try.

Siam Cuisine – Buckingham, 215-794-7209

Why you want to go:

Siam Cuisine is a quiet Thai restaurant located in the little shopping strip in Buckingham, right on Rt. 202. There’s plenty of parking and it’s easy to get to. Ethnic restaurants, in general, are less likely to be fully booked on holidays, so there’s a good chance that you can still get a table.

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Friday again!

08 Friday May 2015

Posted by in Friday, Happy hour, lists, restaurants, specials

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Photo credit: Kevin York Photography

Photo credit: Kevin York Photography

Wow, another Friday snuck up on me. I must be getting old because last Friday feels like only a couple days ago. Where’d the week go?

If you’re wondering what to do tonight, here’s a list of some of the places in the area that serve alcohol and those that have happy hour or Friday night specials:

Bell’s Tavern – Everybody know about Bell’s. Bar. TV’s. Food.
Buttonwood Grill 4-6pm Happy hour drink specials
Carversville Inn Prime rib $26.50
Continental Tavern Mon – half-price burgers, Happy hour app and drink specials
Deanna’s – Happy hour 4:30-6:30 raw bar. $1 clams, oysters, shrimp
Erini in Titusville – I hear rumors that their tiki-bar is now open!
Fran’s Pub – come hang out with the Harley-riding crowd
Giusseppe’s – something a bit more laid back. Grab a pizza or past and a pitcher
Inn of the Hawke – South end of Lambertville. Burgers and Brews on the patio.
John & Peter’s – check out the Hidden Gem post on the blog
Karla’s – Come for one of Ricki’s killer martini’s
Lambertville Station – If you like overpriced food and service with an attitude
Landing – The most beautiful setting for a bar in the area
Mojito Cuba Caribe M-F 5-7 Happy hour
Pineville Tavern – happy hour at bar from 5-7. $5 specialty drinks, $5 apps and pub fare, $4 house wines, $2 bottles, $3 drafts
Porterhouse Pub
Raven / Poe
Siam Cuisine – Great local Thai food and bar drinks served up by the wonderfully friendly owner, Mr. Long.
Square One Pub – Prix fixe specials and happy hour. The happening new place in the area.
Swan Hotel – Haven’t been there enough to make any snarky comments
Triumph Brewing Co. – Patio by the track. Micro-brews. Bar food.
Washington Crossing Inn
Yardley Inn – Dine early, pay less 4:30-6:15 every day, 3 courses $21.95. Say hi to Big Mike for me.

Link

The Pizza Page is Live!

05 Tuesday May 2015

Posted by in dinner, food, Foodie resources, lists, restaurants

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There’s no better way to start a comment-war than by posting about pizza. Everybody has an opinion about “America’s favorite food.” But people from few places actually deserve to have those opinions as much as the residents of the Delaware Valley. Or more specifically, people living in the area centered around Trenton, NJ.

Whether you live along the Delaware or are just visiting and want a great slice of “pie,” the new pizza page will get you pointed in the right direction. Be sure to vote in the poll at the end of the page and submit your favorite pizzas and restaurants. I’m sure there’s lots of research to be done. It’s a tough job, but I’ll make the sacrifice and commit to it. Mmm, pizza…

Any time you want to go to the pizza page, just click on the “pizza, pizza!” link in the menu bar at the top of the page. Or, bookmark the pizza page, linked to here.

P.s. I admit that the page is *ugly*, looking like something a slow 12 year old would have put together in the 1990’s. Maybe some day I’ll develop some modern web skills and sense of aesthetics, but for now, as Joe Friday would say, “it’s just the facts, ma’me”

liberty hall pizza logoSpeaking of Pizza, don’t miss tonight at Liberty Hall Pizza for another in their series of guest Guest Pizzaiolo featuring Chefs Douglas Piccinnini & Robin Hollis of Poor Farm Food.

Two special pies are featured tonight (Tuesday, May 5)

Spring Pie: Braised Local Lamb Shoulder, Dandelion and Almond Pesto, Preserved Meyer Lemon & Parmesan

Pea and Ricotta Pizza: Spring Peas, Whipped Ricotta, Pea Greens & Roasted Spring Onion

Correction – no reservations – walk in only

The Master Document and a list of local bars

29 Wednesday Apr 2015

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Sushi Dinner

It’s going to take a while to get the site fleshed out, but the master spreadsheet is largely complete. Rather than wait, here’s a link so you can get an idea of what’s available in the area.

To simplify working with the spreadsheet, I’ve set up some specialized “filter views” – these provide simplified views of the data that answer common questions, like “what restaurants have bars” or “what places are open on Mondays.”

To use the filter views, just click on the down-arrow to the right of the funnel icon at the top right of the sheet. That will show you your options. Then select the option you want.

Here’s the spreadsheet

Now that Spring weather has hit, here’s a direct link to show just the places with patios 🙂

And here’s a screen-grab showing places with bars, because some nights, we could all use a drink:

Screen capture from spreadsheet showing local places with bars

Screen capture from spreadsheet showing local places with bars

Why Dining Along the Delaware?

29 Wednesday Apr 2015

Posted by in food

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2013-11-06 18.32.20

If you’re lucky enough to live in the area around New Hope, PA or Lambertville, NJ, you know that the area is filled with amazing restaurants. So many in fact that deciding where to eat next can be a daunting task. Oh the problems we have!

I started Dining Along the Delaware to help friends, neighbors and visitors navigate their way through the culinary world along the Delaware River, focused primarily on restaurants near the Delaware River from Yardley, PA up to Milford, NJ.

To start, we’ll be keeping track of the local specials – those bargain, 3-course, prix fixe gems that many of the finest restaurants along the river offer. You can come Dining Along the Delaware to get inspired: whether you’re looking for that next great meal or just feeling a bit peckish, we’ll help you figure out where to eat.

But I need your help to keep Dining accurate and up-to-date. Leave your comments as you discover new places you’d like to share or when you discover an amazing new dish. Together, we’ll all be enjoying Dining Along the Delaware even more.