Christine’s Restaurant

You can wear your Burberry suit to Christine’s Restaurant. Or you can wear jeans! The atmosphere at Christine's doesn’t demand any particular getup. The food, though, is decidedly upscale. Christine’s isn’t Italian food heaped with cheese and meatballs calculated to appeal to middle-American tastes. It’s authentic Italian. You won’t find pizza or strombolis here. What you will find (right from the basket of bread that greets you when you sit down) are fresh, authentically Italian platters, like Tilapia Francaise sauteed in lemon and white wine with shitake mushrooms or lobster ravioli with sherry cream sauce. The salads are light and flavorful and the raspberry vinaigrette has converted many former raspberry vinaigrette adversaries. Christine’s Restaurant is a BYOB; the place definitely calls for bringing your own bottle — preferably an Italian red wine.

Christine’s Restaurant
385 Oxford Valley Road
Yardley, PA 19067
(215) 369-2930
christinesofyardley.com

Carlucci’s Grill: Italian Charm

With scrumptious food, friendly service and a convenient location, there’s a lot to like about Carlucci’s Grill. Their huge lunch and dinner menu has something to please just about any taste, with pizzas, calzones, sandwiches, and a wide variety of pasta dishes.  They also offer gluten-free pasta and pizza, which is a rarity in an Italian restaurant. Some of the wait-staff hail from the old country and will cheerfully serenade you with their favorite Italian tune. Wine drinkers, take note, Carlucci's doesn't have a liquor license, but you can bring your own bottle to accompany your meal. Carlucci's Grill is a romantic little Italian bistro! 

Carlucci's Grill
1633 Big Oak Road
Yardley, PA 19067
(215) 321-9010
www.carluccisitaliangrill.com

Newportville Inn: Brats and Beer

There are, at the Newportville Inn, crab cakes and strip steaks, but they’re only for those truly allergic to traditional German food! For those who aren’t, it doesn’t get much better in Bucks County for all things wurst, kraut, and schnitzel. And the Newportville Inn isn’t the place for Yuengling. Wash down that sauerbraten with an hearty beer stein of good German brew. Be on the lookout for Newportville Inn special events like pig roasts (that braten came from somewhere). If you come on a full stomach, you can walk away with a 2-liter beer growler—$12 for the good stuff, $8 for domestics like Miller. Go for the good stuff; somehow sipping Miller out of something with a wooden handle just doesn’t feel right.

Newportville Inn
4120 Lower Buck Road
Newportville, PA 19056
(215) 785-6090
www.newportvilleinn.net

Get a Taste of France in Rittenhouse Square at Parc

Take a trip to Paris’ bohemian Left Bank without leaving the city. Parc evokes the chic flair and relaxed joie de vivre of the best French cafes with a stylish café and traditional bistro. Settled right on Rittenhouse Square, the restaurant also honors the outdoor-oriented atmosphere of café culture with exterior seating and large windows. Open seven days a week, the restaurant has distinct menus for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, and, of course, dessert, so there’s always a reason to go. Classics like beefy onion soup, escargot, and home-made baguettes (served warm and crispy) are offset by uniquely prepared items such as trout amandine and beef bourguignon as well as an expansive wine and coffee selection. Whether you’re just in for a quick snack, a superbly prepared coffee, or you’re in the mood to linger over wine and conversation, Parc offers the full gamut of French culinary and cultural options.

Parc
227 S 18th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 545-2262
www.parc-restaurant.com

Albert’s Cafe: A Local Favorite

Albert’s Café is an all-around destination business. Serving a menu full of Italian, American, and seafood entrees and appetizers, there’s something to please every palate—from mozzarella sticks to buffalo chicken steaks, roast pork, and linguini with mussels—as well as a jovial atmosphere that attracts faithful locals and newcomers alike. The sports bar boasts four flat screen TVs and three additional viewing spots in the newly refurbished dining room bar. Daily drink and food specials keep up the enlivened atmosphere every night, while weekend music and dancing comes courtesy of DJs and a faithfully returning crowd.

Albert’s Café
3180 Grant Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19114
www.albertscafe.com

Vince’s Pizza & Restaurant: You’ll Love It As Much As Rosie Does

Vince’s Pizza & Restaurant has been around since 1977, but it wasn’t until the last decade that the pizzeria started racking up accolades. Vince's was nominated by Bucks County residents for “Best Pizza” in 2001 in the Bucks-County Courier Times and garnered another nomination for the top five cheesesteaks by Drive Magazine. Vince's even received a special order from the desk of one Rosie O’Donnell! Vince and family have had time over the past three decades to whip up a diverse menu. The white pizza with broccoli is a lighter alternative to the hedonistic buffalo chicken cheesesteak pizza. The vodka rigatoni, one of a selection of pasta dishes handled by Vince’s son Luigi, is a nice alternative if you decide against pizza altogether. If you order the mussels, beware that despite the low price, Luigi doesn’t hold back on throwing heaps of the seafood onto a bed of pasta.

 

Vince’s Pizza & Restaurant
25 South Main Street
Yardley, PA 19067
(215) 493-1985
www.vinces-pizza.com

Canal Street Grille

The range of many Greek eateries can seem less than expansive, restricted to the usual fare of gyro and baklava plus any dish with feta cheese. But Canal Street Grille in Yardley isn’t a pizza shop that just happens to be run by a Greek guy. It’s a family business that's serious about making your palate feel like it’s just a boat ride away from Cyprus. Canal Street Grille ranges widely across the spectrum of Greek food, serving up authentic favorites like moussaka, shrimp santorini, dolmades — and yes, gyros and baklava. More provincial eaters can still dine here, savoring Canal Street Grille’s non-ethnic dishes. The sweet potato crab cakes and pistachio Norwegian salmon are two favorites for the Greek-averse. Herbivores should stop by on Monday, when all the specials here are vegetarian.

The Freight House: Chic Dining with A Menu to Match

Big city-style dining is now available in the heart of historic Doylestown at The Freight House. Leather booths, high-end cocktails, an extensive wine list, and fusion cuisine highlight this converted (you guessed it) warehouse that now houses one of the hottest tickets in the Greater Philadelphia area. An outside patio area with couch style seating and a stone fire pit round out the full court press of elegant artillery.

A raw bar featuring sashimi, king crab claws, and Island creek oysters provides guests with a lite sampling to begin their evening before slipping into small plates of kobe sliders, Kentucky fried sweet breads, or a duck confit spring roll. Entrees are steakhouse inspired, anchored by The Freight House “Surf and Turf”— a petite filet mignon and South African lobster tail served with roasted fingerling potatoes, haricot vert, and Bearnaise sauce.

The Freight House
194 West Ashland Avenue
Doylestown, PA 18901
(215) 340-1003
www.thefreighthouse.net

Havana's Restaurant & Catering: a New Hope Haven for Great Food and Music!

Ever since Havana first opened in 1978 it quickly became New Hope, PA’s primary destination for great food, fun, and music. And after it bought the business next door in 2002 and remodeled the entire building, it now boasts seating space for up to 300 people, rough hewn beams, giraffe carpet, leather couches, a blue granite indoor bar, and an all-weather year-round outdoor bar. Chef Robert Hobbs and owner Jane Faraco join forces to create a vibrant explosion of contemporary and international cuisine, with dining specialties like miso wild salmon, Cuban panini, and tropical chicken tempura; and a drink menu that features expertly crafted (and delicious!) cocktails. During most nights at Havana visitors are welcomed by the sounds of blues, r&b, jazz, and funk—and make sure to join in the fun during Monday karaoke nights.

Havana Restaurant
105 S. Main Street
New Hope, PA 18938
(215) 862-9897
www.havananewhope.com

Triumph Brewing Company: New Hope's Destination for Expertly Crafted Beer and Fun

Triumph Brewing Company is a sophisticated restaurant & brewery featuring regional American cuisine & hand-crafted freshly brewed beer. Nestled between several eclectic shops & art galleries in Union Square, Triumph is the perfect spot for a night of dining and entertainment. As a brewery, beer is naturally the main attraction, and master craft brewers concoct beers that range from honey blonde and raspberry wheat to Irish dry stout and uber pilsner. Upscale bar food makes a great complement to your beer, with appetizers like rosemary shrimp and Buffalo chicken spring rolls to whet your appetite; sandwiches you can really sink your teeth into like the triumph burger and pulled pork sandwich; and entrees to savor like flank steak and poached salmon. Triumph also plays host to fun-filled events like open mic nights, Texas Hold’em poker, and Wii bowling; as well as several fun filled musical performances.

Triumph Brewing Company of New Hope
400 Union Square
New Hope, PA 18938
(215) 862-8300
www.triumphbrewing.com

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