Our Wedding Anniversary Trip To Easton Pennsylvania
August 30, 2025
We’ve been to Easton a number of times. It reminds me of old cities that still have their architectural charm like Cincinnati and Wheeling West Virginia. Both cities are surrounded by hills and turn of the century buildings.
We’ve never stayed overnight before and usually just visit their marketplace, which I wrote about earlier on this blog.
My wife surprised me by booking us a suite at the Grand Eastonian Hotel. They’ve turned a 1927 hotel into condominiums and reservable rooms and suites. Our suite was gorgeous with a balcony looking over the city and also has a heated salt water pool that was amazing.
Home
Surprisingly, the restaurant we made reservations with was directly across the street called Kabinett, which is named after a German style of wine. The meal and service were great. They have an enormous wine list as well. We do suggest sticking with noshing on a variety of apps. My steak, which was $59, came out a bit under done and wasn’t hot. They quickly remedied it, but we liked our apps much more.
https://www.kabinettwinebar.com/
We had a cocktail at a lounge two doors up that played great 60’s r&b that featured some excellent cocktails called Presley’s.
I highly recommend Easton Pennsylvania. If you are seeking a city, feel like New York but want more accessibility and a slower pace, this is a great town to visit.
Bucks County Culinary Musings
May 28, 2023
We’ve lived in Bucks County for almost seven years. It’s the second longest stretch that we’ve occupied in the twenty-three years of being married. We’ve come from a city that was seven square miles and hosted over three thousand restaurants which is San Franciso. The borough we currently live in rural Pennsylvania has a population of about eight thousand people and has only fifty restaurants. Most are Italian. Most aren’t great which narrows down our choices on where we want to spend our hard-earned money. There are only so many times you can order red pepper hummus or pierogis before you desire to slowly walk into the deep end of a river. I get it. Pubs and taverns serve a purpose but when you want food that is elevated, you have to seek them out. We did.
I’m a chef at a tavern but I try to create cuisine that sets us apart from our competitors and we enjoy a loyal customer base and great reviews. My background as a chef for years has been working in scratch kitchens that focused on local products from sustainable butchers and farms. There are not too many eateries in Bucks that are dedicated to this type of discipline. It took us many years to eventually find places, but the ones we did stumble upon need to be mentioned. Not all are farm-to-table but their attention to detail, customer service, cocktail, beer, and wine selections made them stand out and are now favorites of ours.
There was no particular order in which we found these gems. Most were simply discovered because they were open on our days off. Most places around here are closed Mondays.
The first place we frequent the most is Heart of Oak Pub in the ground floor of Baci Restorante in Buckingham. The building is gorgeous, built in the 1700’s and has amazing character. Exposed beams, stone-built, and very cozy. The pub mixes its Italian menu with approachable pub fare. They have great pasta, amazing steaks, and a decent, affordable wine list. We never miss their amazing martinis. It is less than two miles from our home.
https://www.baciristorante.com/
Let’s move on to our next destination which is only ten minutes from our home. It’s the Black Bass Hotel. It’s a hundred-year-old hotel and restaurant in Lumberville PA that is nestled on the Delaware River which borders New Jersey. They feature a CIA-trained chef and a robust farm-to-table menu that features duck, lamb, and even great vegetarian salads and entrees. Their cocktail list is amazing and have an approachable wine list. They also have beautiful suites that overlook the river just upstairs from the restaurant. We’ve stayed in their rooms and they are great. Have a wonderful dinner, then head up to the balcony for wine and an amazing view of the Roebling pedestrian bridge and river.
https://www.blackbasshotel.com
Our next gem is literally up the hill from our home. Another Revolutionary War watering hole and former hotel, the Gardenville Hotel is the definition of a local tavern. They have a very robust working-class crowd and a gigantic food menu, a decent yet small beer list, and great service. We always choose the pub side vs the dining room because it’s lively and the locals are extremely entertaining. Add decent pub food and a great jukebox and it’s definitely a must but go early. It gets crowded fast.
The next venture is a trek up the Delaware River to The Riegelsville Inn in Reigelsville PA sitting again, on the Delaware River bordering New Jersey which hosts yet another Roebling-designed bridge. This is another Revolutionary War era building that used to be an inn but now is just a restaurant. Extremely innovative cuisine which features lobster mac-n-cheese, Asian duck breast, and one of the best pork chops we’ve ever had. They have ample outside seating and the bar is very beautiful and comfortable. The service is good. Patience is the key here and they have a lively local patron scene. F-bombs are provided free of charge!
Our next destination is across the Delaware to Lambertville New Jersey. This is about a twenty-minute trip from our home, through beautiful New Hope PA along the Delaware River. This very small eatery features homemade pasta, great salads and appetizers, and half-off bottled wine Tuesdays. We suggest you go early. The joint fills up quickly and the bar area is first come, first serve.
The last but not least new favorite of ours is the Sargenstvilles Inn in Sargentsville New Jersey. Another Revolutionary War Era building that housed many different businesses over three hundred years that was recently bought by a team of professionals with Michelin starred restaurant experience. This by far is the best place we’ve tried so far on our culinary excursions.
Whole animal butchering, hyper local products, a great, affordable wine list and they even have a wine shop connected to the restaurant. Their small plates are our favorite where you can create an entire experience with three to four choices
https://www.sergeantsvilleinn.com/contact/
We realized that you have to put forward an effort to find decent places to eat. Some are a haul, but the rewards are plenty. Carefully crafted cocktails, a well-designed menu that is presented in a casual setting that puts you at ease, and great service at every place we frequent. We can safely say we are regulars at every place I mentioned and all are highly recommended.
Tales From an Urban Chef 