It wasn’t a pleasant day to be outside yesterday, with the air so hot and humid even the birds seemed oppressed. Lynne and I were out and about, gearing up for the six friends we were having over for dinner, to celebrate the first anniversary of our move to Wycombe. There was olive oil to buy at Pasqualina’s in Blooming Glen (where I also discovered their excellent pesto gouda cheese), and an order of pork to be picked up at Purely Farm in Pipersville. On the way home, we drove down to River Road to try out the Point Pleasant Village Store, which we’d heard was a great place to stop for a light, laid back lunch.
What we found is the kind of store you want when wandering around Bucks County’s back roads: a friendly establishment with an inexpensive, varied menu of sandwiches and salads, made to order from fresh ingredients, and with space to linger.
Lynne ordered the reuben sandwich, a healthy stack of pastrami (some may quibble at using “healthy” and “pastrami” in the same sentence, but I’m talking about the soul here), sauerkraut, and Russian dressing on two thick slices of pumpernickel. I had an Italian hoagie, a long sandwich of fresh cold cuts, crisp vegetables, oil and vinegar and a soft, fresh torpedo roll.
I said there was space to linger: You know how you go into a lot of places nowadays and their shelves are jammed so close together you have to squeeze by any other normal-sized adult in the aisle? Not here. Tables are in place throughout the store, and on the wide front porch, too, though we stayed in the air conditioning because of the heat.
While we ate, I admired the menu. It’s not that it was beautifully done (a neatly lettered whiteboard is what you get here), but it was imaginative. In addition to the hoagies and cold cut sandwiches you’d expect, the Village Store offers sandwiches like the Cubana, with pork and pickles, panini pressed. It also serves full breakfasts, from platters to sandwiches.
If you’re biking along the river, this is a good place to stop for a break – it’s got a case full of iced teas, sodas and other drinks to choose from. Me, I’m going back soon for a Cubana.
Point Pleasant Village Store
Route 32/River Road
Point Pleasant, PA 18950
215.297.8121
