New Hope Gazette
December 30, 2004

The Bucks Group of Intercounty Newspapers was celebrating the season at Lambertville Station alongside the Delaware River in Lambertville, New Jersey right across the water from New Hope.

Ah, it’s holiday time and I am to review what 40 of my colleagues are eating? I also had only three entrees to choose from to comment on. Impossible? No problem!

Squeezed in at a long rectangular table, I could see all the other tables on the upper level of the restaurant. I had settled in with a mixture of old and new friends from The Advance of Bucks County and The Yardley News. With The New Hope Gazette employees at a table on my right hand and mixtures of Advance and Bristol Pilot, Doylestown Patriot, and Pennington Post staffs scattered around, I was ready.

It was a festive atmosphere with forest green walls topped with cream tops, candles, greens and wreaths decorated the windows. The windows overlooked Bridge Street traffic, the railroad tracks and the bridge leading to New Hope. Paneled windows with rounded balconies loom over the tables.

Ceiling fans, sconces on the walls with creamy shades and railroad paintings enhance the room. Talk about location, location, location! There is plenty of parking along the river and some at the rear of the restaurant, with some on street spaces.

The station opened in 1867 – Belvedere and Delaware Railroad. In 1981, the station was purchased by the present owners, Skip and Tony DiMarco, Rose DiMarco Carbonara, Mike Dougherty and Dan Whitaker, and it has been an exciting gathering place ever since.

Boasting an unusual selection of menus throughout the year, you can even get a wild game gift certificate. There is a schedule for the first three months in 2005 featuring Caribou, Kangaroo, Elk, Wild Boar, Alligator, Black Bear, and Antelope entrees and appetizers to name just a few offerings. All is available for perusing on their website, www.lambertvillestation.com.

As patrons enter the eatery, there is a large lounge and host station with steps leading to the upper level. Straight ahead is an enclosed porch dining area with picture windows. The cozy bar is on a lower level with a small serving bar area with a brass foot rail at the upper dining area.

As I looked across Bridge Street, I saw a sign for the Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park. The feeder is up at Bulls Island. As we waited for our lunches, George (husband of one of my colleagues) gave us a running history on the locks and feeders leading to Trenton.

Lambertville Station is a place where you need to leave time just to browse around. There is so much to see.

Since we are having a special meal for a crowd the tree choices were Chicken Napoleon, Chesapeake Crab Cake or Petit Filet Mignon. Most of my table chose crab or filet.

Jeff Werner (editor of Yardley News), Marge Meredith (former Advance employee) and Nancy Pickering (executive editor of ING) chose the pan seared 5 oz. filet. It came with a mushroom gravy and roasted garlic-mashed potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower and green beans.

None of the filets were overdone, but with some pink still showing. The grilled charcoal flavor came through along with their smiles. Jeff said he had never had a filet before and would now be spoiled with the one he had at Lambertville.

George and I chose the Chesapeake Crab Cake – good sized and a lot of crab rather than filling. It was a flash-fried jumbo crab cake served with “Old Bay” rémoulade, a wild rice pilaf and the above mentioned veggies. The entire entrée was super and a rival for Maryland Crab Cakes (Marge’s favorite).

The chicken ordered by Bob McCarron (advertising director for ING) at the other end of the table, was a grilled breast layered with grilled eggplant, portobello mushrooms, roasted peppers and melted provolone cheese, on arugula with a balsamic reduction. I might have chosen the Chicken Napoleon except for the eggplant, not my choice of vegetable and I avoid it.

Bob said it was great, especially with all the melted cheese running over the chicken. It looked attractive too.

The lunches began with a mixed green salad of baby field greens, radishes, shaved carrots, cubed cucumbers and cherry tomatoes and topped with a fresh oregano-red wine vinaigrette. The crispness combined with the fresh greens made for an appetizing starter.

And the grand finale? It was just that – a truly grand Ice Cream Truffle. Vanilla ice cream covered with a thick dark chocolate with whipped cream tufts and a plate swirled with chocolate syrup. Nancy’s comment said it all, “It’s way beyond a Klondike Bar”.

Any meal one can name or think of and they probably have it all at Lambertville Station – Brunch, lunch, sunset menu or dinner. Lunch begins at 11:30 a.m., dinners at 4 p.m.; and the sunset Monday-Friday from 4 to 6:30 p.m. The brunches run the gamut from soup and salad to all sorts of egg dishes, sandwiches, meatloaf, burritos – and alligator chili ($6.95) – salads such as Smoked Salmon ($9.95) and Chicken-Walnut ($8.95). All of these are available at lunch too.

They always offer French Onion Soup ($5.50) as well as the soup of the day. One of the lunch specialties is Grilled Ostrich ($11.95) or Seafood Crepe at $10.95. The Sunset Menu is $12.95 and includes the meatloaf and other aforementioned items and Fried Oysters, Melanzane and Chicken and Dumplings.

Dinner time brings some of the brunch, lunch, and sunset menus and adds more such as Roasted Rack of Lamb ($22.95), Veal and Crab ($20.95), Mediterranean Pork ($17.95) and Roasted Duck ($21.95). Eating at Lambertville Station is an adventure, one top be savored, not to be rushed.

Oh, did I mention there is a Sunday Casuals menu? Served from 4 to 6:30 p.m., it combines many of the other menus and adds a Cuban Sandwich ($8.45) and a Butcher’s Choice Burger ($7.95) where toppings can be added at $.50 each.

At the far end by the river is the Inn at Lambertville Station overlooking the Swan Creek with 45 antique filled rooms. There are several different plans, some overnight weekday, some Sundays only. Call 609.397.4400 or 800.524.1091. It also hosts The Riverside Conference Center for business conferences and meetings.

A winter getaway whether for overnight or select meals in the Inn is within easy driving distance from almost anywhere in the Delaware valley.

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