Restaurant Review: Martine’s Riverhouse Restaurant, 3 ½ Yums (New Hope, PA)

Reviews are based on a 5 Yum scale, 5 being must-go, 2 being save your money, 1 being call an ambulance.

Where: Martine’s Riverhouse Restaurant, New Hope, PA
Price: $$$
Fun new word: Riverhouse

So it is two words or one? Is the ‘H’ capitalized or not? I found it both ways on their website and their Facebook page. That can happen when you make up words – it’s tough to know which is catchier.

My husband Frank and I made it across the Delaware River to New Hope, Pennsylvania. We parked in Lambertville, New Jersey, and walked over the bridge, since New Hope decided several years ago there would be no free parking anywhere in town. It’s Delaware River Towns Restaurant Week and both communities are nestled on the river. It’s a spectacular place to live. Art and progressive politics are in the air, but there’s something for everyone. Last night that something was dinner at Martine’s.

Our terrific server Erica told us that Martine’s has been in its current location on Ferry Street for the past thirteen years, and had been on the nearby corner for over twenty. Martine is a real person and she made an appearance near the end of our meal, although we didn’t meet her.

You can see why this restaurant has endured so long in a come-and-go business. Martine’s is comfortable, with a fabulous river view. The atmosphere is cozy, the music low: you can have a conversation here and it can last as long as you’d like to stay. The windows look out on the Delaware River, as majestic as any river you’ll find. (You can take a picture of yourself straddling the New Jersey/Pennsylvania border halfway over the bridge where a stripe announcing each state separates the two). There’s a small bar filled with locals, giving the place its distinctive neighborhood feeling.

Now for the ratings, with a caveat: this was Restaurant Week. You can get an incredibly good deal at participating restaurants, but you may not get what’s offered on the regular menu. At the Black Bass Inn last year that didn’t matter – they served us an outstanding meal from appetizer to dessert for a prix fixe that was a huge savings on their regular prices. Martine’s chose to offer some things on their limited Restaurant Week menu that are not part of their usual offerings, and it cost them a little in the rating.

The prix fixe appetizers were local toast on Freedom Creek bread (Fulper Farms ricotta, balsamic roasted grapes, olive oil and sea salt); Applewood smoked deviled eggs with bacon and crispy Soppressata; and a Caesar salad.

We shared the local toast and the deviled eggs, and they were fabulous (4 yums, easily). The portions were big enough to split, and it led us to anticipate an entree of equal quality.

The entrees on the limited menu were Goat Hill Farms fried chicken, Ramen Bowl, LoRe Beet Rigatoni, and Bouillabaisse. I can only speak to what we ordered: the fried chicken.

Fun fact: I fry chicken for a living. It’s a long story. I’d sworn I’d never eat chicken again after handling raw chicken three days a week, and in fact we’re mostly non-meat eaters (I think of myself as a pescatarian for the most part). But it was a special occasion and server Erica assured us the chicken was fantastic. She was wrong.

The fried chicken was either not fried to order, over-fried, or prepared by someone not used to making it. I heard Erica tell another customer that it’s not part of their regular menu—they’d done it specifically for Restaurant Week. Chicken is cheap, frankly, so I can see why some restaurants would choose to create special menus when they’re giving you a deal. But I regretted not ordering the rigatoni. The chicken was very dry and, if chicken can be, pedestrian.

This is a restaurant we’ll probably go back to. The appetizers were excellent, and I imagine the desserts were, as well. They had two prices: $28 for two courses, and $35 for three (including dessert). We forwent dessert, so you’ll have to try one of them yourself. And I do recommend this restaurant. It’s been around forever. The owner is still alive and mingling with customers. The atmosphere and service are top-notch. But that chicken … oh well. Three and a half yums.

Mark McNease is the author of eight novels, two short story collections and miscellaneous fiction. He edits and publishes LGBTSr.org, a site “where age is embraced and life is celebrated.”. He co-hosts The Twist Podcast and can be heard interviewing fabulous guests on One Thing Or Another.