September tidbits: Openings, closings, and bring-your-own

The Fancy Fig Cafe

We’ve been collecting these “tidbits” all summer for you. Here’s what’s happening on the restaurant scene in Bucks County and nearby Hunterdon County.

Openings

Rosie Tangtrakul and Tom Kulnis, The Milford House

Oysters still on the menu! The Milford Oyster House became The Milford House this past August, and while new owners Rosie Tangtrakul and Tom Kulnis have changed a few things, they want the ambiance similar to what customers knew and loved. Tom’s experience comes from years of being the chef at the Oyster House, and he continues to deliver excellent seafood dishes and a fresh, raw selection of oysters and more. Rosie brings her warm hospitality from her years of service at Siam, a local favorite in Lambertville.

The Milford House has plenty of beers on tap and changing dinner and dessert specials each night. Stop by for a date night, prepared oysters, or classic American dishes.

Speaking of Siam, the well-known and loved Lambertville Thai restaurant run by Rosie’s father Suthep Tangtrakul recently closed for retirement.

More Than Q

Love BBQ? Well, there’s good news and bad news. Bad news is that More Than Q BBQ has left the Stockton Market. Good news is they are opening soon in Lambertville.

Owner Matt Martin graduated from Council Rock High School in 1994, and lives in Washington Crossing with his wife Beth and two children. Besides being a family man, he loves keeping his cuts of meat simple, dry-rubbing them with seasoning and smoking them over wood. If you’ve had his BBQ, you know it is worth trekking to Lambertville.

The new location is at 13 Klines Court, right in-between DiNapoli’s and Brian’s. Opening is hopefully mid-to-late October. Watch their Facebook page for information.

The Fancy Fig Cafe

fancy-fig_fish-taco_photo-lynne-goldmanIt’s time to come back to Penns Park. The Fancy Fig Café opened in mid-August in Penns Park (Wrightstown Township) at the Gathering in the space where the Summer Kitchen used to be. Lisa Brymer, who has run a successful catering business in Bucks for ten years, is serving breakfast and lunch, Wednesday through Saturday, and brunch on Sunday. The grand opening of the cafe was September 18, and guests sampled the menu and relaxed in the cozy atmosphere. Stop by this little gem and try out the freshly made salads, sandwiches, and baked goods.

Local Foodie News

Chive Cafe

New BYOB. Chive Café & Catering in Lahaska is now BYOB. Bring your favorite bottle of wine and relax in their dining room, on the sun porch or outside on the patio. The café is open until 7 pm Tuesdays through Fridays, 6 pm on Saturday, and 4 pm on Sunday. The Chive Café recently won a Bucks Happening “Best Kept Secret” award for 2016.


LiquorNot since Prohibition! The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board is seeking bids for 40 expired restaurant licenses, including two licenses in Bucks County. This is the first time since Prohibition that a new population of licenses exceeding the exiting quota has been made in Pennsylvania, reports Bucks Local News. Bids for these licenses are due on Thursday, October 27, and winners will be determined the week of October 31.

Max Hansen Kitchen, Cheese
Che-ee-ese anyone? Max Hansen Carversville Grocery Store likes to search for the best products, especially for its “Cheese World” section of the store. This is where you can try the best local cheese as well as cheeses from all over the US and Europe. Each cheese is very different, with different textures and milk content.

Some of the new cheeses this month include Brillat-Savarin—a triple cream dessert cheese; Willoughby—a semi-soft cheese with a buttery texture; an eight week old creamy and crumbly Blue Stilton; a Beemster Extra Aged Gouda—a Dutch cow’s milk cheese; the tangy Italian Ballarini Gorgonzola; from England, a Cotswold with chopped onions and chives; from France, a delicious Comte; and the Danish Blue—a mild blue cheese with a crumbly texture (even people who think they don’t like blue cheese will like it.)

Photo courtesy of Empanada Mama
Photo courtesy of Empanada Mama

Seasonal empanadas at Empanada Mama’s. You don’t have to travel to South America to get authentic empanadas. Kendall Bajek, aka “mama,” started the Doylestown eatery, making authentic AND non-traditional empanadas. Try out the seasonal flavors like the Sweet Potato & Black Bean and the Caramel Pumpkin Pie empanada. Recently, Empanada Mama was named “Best Lunch Spot” on the 2016 Bucks Happening List.

Read more about these delicious empanadas and how Kendall Bajek became an overnight success in Doylestown in our previous post, Empanada Mama.

Farewells

Chef AJ, Karlton Cafe

On September 3, 2016, AJ Buehrer, chef and owner of the Karlton Cafe in Quakertown, passed away in his home. The community suffered a great loss, as well as the entire Karlton Cafe family. It was evident that AJ had a passion for cooking and serving the community, and you could taste it in the food he prepared for his customers. His wife, Amanda Buehrer, will honor AJ and his passion by continuing to serve the delicious food that he created, in the restaurant that he loved so much. You can stop the café daily from 8 am – 2 pm.

Read more about the Karlton Café’s delicious food and warm atmosphere in guest blogger Rich Baringer’s great article here.

The Big Q BBQ in Levittown opened up in July 2015 as a quick-serve food establishment serving up Midwest-style BBQ. However, it closed this September due to “outgrowing this location,” said owner Drew Abruzzese. He added that they will search for a new location in Philadelphia and surrounding suburbs in 2017.

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2 COMMENTS

  1. Thanks for this useful update. So sorry to see Siam close, as we enjoyed many meals there in its early days. Wishing the owner a happy retirement.

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