SnackTime With Jen— New Hope Nosh, July 9th

Sitting proudly across the pedestrian friendly bridge in Lambertville, New Jersey is historic New Hope, PA. Considered one of America’s most beautiful small towns, New Hope is an incredible waterside enclave that sprawls along a narrow stretch of the Delaware River. She’s brimming with antique shops, Pride filled bars, local artisans, vintage stores, coffee shops and a few quaint hotels. And the restaurant scene is bomb.

After waiting since the opening to score an upstairs table, we finally managed a hot Saturday night ticket over the July 4th weekend at Stella, the restaurant run by famed chef José Garces. The weather was just perfect and after a stroll along the waterfront admiring the boats and checking out the speeding jet skiers from a comfy sit in those covetable red Adirondack chairs, we headed inside to enjoy dinner.

Stella is housed within the Ghost Light Inn and Carriage House, a boutique style hotel featuring just fifteen rooms and unparalleled riverfront views and next to the notable Bucks County Playhouse. We were perched at a prime windowed table to peruse the menu.

Everything sounded so appetizing! We settled on the Apple & Gouda Salad with thinly sliced Honeycrisp apples, shards of Beemster gouda, a pile of frisée & local arugula, and crunchy pecan bits all gently tossed in a warm cider vinaigrette. It was textural perfection.

For our mains, Michael had the crispy top Jail Island Salmon with lemon-parsley farro, tender asparagus spears, confit tomatoes, and Maitake mushrooms balanced atop a sweet corn velouté. It was sensational, especially the fresh picked taste of the corn soup.

I ordered the Roasted Local Chicken in a white miso & sake glaze, with forbidden black rice, pan roasted corn, garlicky broccolini, chili crisp oil, toasted cashews and flecks of fragrant cilantro. The chicken was juicy and I loved the combination of herbs and flavors. Total slay.

For dessert we shared the Stella Sundae with fudgy dark chocolate brownie strips, sweet brown ale & malt ice cream, and ribbons of salted caramel sitting in a melty pool of vanilla bean crème anglaise and the giant Macaron filled with orange Chantilly cream cheese fluff, passionfruit gelée, and dotted with plump fresh raspberries. Delish! It was so worth the wait to experience Stella AND we had another great reservation in New Hope a few days later…

To formally celebrate our anniversary, Michael picked Ferry + Main at Logan Inn, located inside the heart of New Hope’s bustling center. “Established in 1727, Logan Inn serves as one of America’s longest continuously running inns boasting thirty-eight guest rooms each uniquely appointed.” Impressive already! Considering themselves on the colorful side of luxury, we were excited to dine there post their recent glowup.

We learned that Ferry + Main uses locally sourced ingredients to create bold flavors and reimagine old favorites. And they even gave us special printed menus to mark our anniversary and complementary glasses of champagne! Awwwww. Michael ordered a Bourbon cocktail with a twist and I tried a mocktail with ginger beer, lemon and lavender and then we got right down to business…

We started with the Grilled Octopus & Mango that had romesco, a diced faro herb salad and blistered tomatoes and the Strawberry Salad with toasted candied almonds, feta and a tangy lemon poppy seed dressing. The Octo was so tender and the chopped mango faro compote was to die. The Strawberry Salad was huge and the berries were juicy and perfectly offset the dressing and cheese.

For dinner I had the delicate Sea Bass with ripe cherry tomatoes, tender roasted fingerling potatoes, clam beurre blanc and broken rösti. Michael ordered the savory Prime Pork Chop with glazed pee wee potatoes, sautéed green beans, and a mustard velouté. I absolutely loved mine and he savored his.

We also shared a side of the Crispy Brussel Sprouts with almonds and parmesan covered in a sticky addictive balsamic glaze. Hey, it was a party.

We of course saved a little celebratory room for dessert so we couldn’t pass up the Flourless Chocolate Torte whose base was made from a Sweet Chic & Savory meringue cookie. The lux Torte was topped with three kinds of berries, whip, and drizzled with a decadent chocolate sauce. This dessert was spectacular with a warm, runny chocolate center. What a way to end a fabulous weekend and spend a great Anniversary dinner!

New Hope is an interesting town filled with fun things to do by day and amazing restaurants to enjoy by day and by night. Jen’s Little Black Book just loves a destination filled with culinary treasures and these two boutique lodges have really taken the hotel dining scene in New Hope to New heights.

Everyone I know just loooves a little snack. Especially me.