Another one bites the dust

The dust has not nearly even settled on the spot where the Cartwheel once stood and now it looks like The Raven is now up for sale.

Per the Bucks County Courier Times article, "the owners Skolnich and Meck said “unfortunate life circumstances” prompted the “difficult decision to step away” from the business they bought four years ago.

I wonder what those unfortunate life circumstances were...

The article also said, "Should a buyer or leasee not come forward within the next two months, the e-mail said they will close The Raven by early summer."

That is most certainly going to change the town quite a bit as The Raven has an enormous number of visitors, especially on the weekends. The Raven has been a popular bar and restaurant in the gay and lesbian community since 1979.

Another one bites the dust.

Peddler's Village: Giggleberry Fair

Peddler's Village boasts a lot of wonderful unique shops and restaurants. When you are coming with the kids though, browsing through shop after shop might not be the most fun for them. My recommendation is to check out Giggleberry Fair. It is located in the back of Peddler's Village and is a big indoor play place. Mind you though, I have not always had the greatest experience there but all in all, I still think it is worth a try.

They have a carousel, arcade type games, a room called Giggleberry Mountain which is basically a big room where kids can climb through rope mazes and play with soft foam balls. I would really only recommend Giggleberry Mountain for kids 5+. My four year old basically got stuck in the maze that was pretty high up and there is nothing like being a full grown adult trying to navigate through those rope things to get your child. Another thing is, you may want to ask to peek inside first before purchasing entry to it because I have been there a couple times when it looked like there was a pound of dust in there. I am not sure how often they clean but if you have a child with allergies, that dust will surely get to them. Just take a peek behind the rope thingies on the side. By the way, if you go on a Wednesday or Thursday, they are running a promotion where it is free from 4-6pm.

The other area they have for play for the smaller kids is called Discovery Land. This is really a great place for kids 1-7. Again, peek in to be sure it is clean as unfortunately I have been there when the water in the fishy play area looked like a swamp. I am sure it is difficult to keep toys from being moved around but the water should be cleaned at least daily. I have also had to ask them to put a safety plug in the socket in that room.

As for eating there, again, you are taking your chances. Remember, it is all food totally geared to kids so expect hot dogs, chicken fingers and pizza. No healthy choices here. I think at one time they offered a salad bar but it appears they have stopped doing that. My only food recommendation of all the food choices would be the chicken fingers, the pizza and hot dog was horrible. The chicken fingers actually seemed worth the price. Note that they do not offer kid cups for juice, etc. so if you are not ordering a soda be sure to pack a sippy cup if your child needs one. All the juice and milk they sell comes in bottles (not juice boxes). I say either eat before going or take the kids to Subway or Villa Galleria which is on the other side of Peddlers.

Old Best Western now Harlans - The Nevermore

The New Hope Best Western is now called Harlans ~ The NeverMore. It was purchased by the same two guys who also own The Raven which is a local hoppin' gay bar/restaurant/hotel down the street. Obviously, ever since the Cartwheel burned down, patrons have utilized The Raven more often. Per their press release back in February, they say the hotel will continue to rent rooms during the construction. Hopefully they will bring the place up a bit as it had been looking shabby for a few years.

Their restaurant, called Plate and the cabaret also are open, with shortened hours.

Harlans - The Nevermore is at 6426 Lower York Rd., New Hope. For tickets or more information, call 215-862-5225 or visit www.harlanscabaret.com.

The reviews in the past have not good folks so to be on the safe side until you hear more you may want to stick to one of the nicer Bed and Breakfasts if you are staying in town. As for the restaurant and cabaret, we'll keep you posted as we are playing our first trip there soon.

The Cartwheel Bar and Restaurant

Residents of New Hope are now insanely happy because yesterday they finally, and I mean finally began demolition of the Cartwheel.

The Cartwheel was a fun little bar off Rt 202 that catered mostly to the gay crowd. It was destroyed by a fire back on April 12, 2005. Yes, that was 3 years ago. Sadly it has been an eyesore just sitting there damaged with broken fences surrounding it.

I am sure everyone is looking forward to what will be rebuilt there. I am not sure if the Cartwheel will be returning, although I believe the property was resold. Let's all just be thankful they are taking measures to make it look nicer!

Ota-Ya: Good for the Sushi

Ota-Ya Restaurant
21 Ferry St.
Lambertville, NJ 08530
(609) 397-9228
http://www.ota-ya.com/

NHY Rating: 8 of 10
Food: Japanese
Serves: dinner only
Price: reasonable
Ambiance: nothing fancy, kind of plain, a little tight.

Comments: Quite simply, it's all about the sushi. I will only give you one reason to visit Ota-Ya...GREAT sushi. That's it. There is nothing else to it folks. The place is BYOB, the wait staff is so-so. It is a popular joint, always crowded, you MUST have reservations but the food is what is bringing em. We had a wide variety of their rolls with our dinner guests, spider roll, spicy tuna, incredible roll, mango roll, shrimp and asparagus roll, along with wasabi shumai, and salad. It was all good. Fresh, neatly prepared, just all around good stuff. My only complaints would be the close quarters. I would have preferred my sushi place to be open and airy with green plants everywhere...okay, so I am being a bit picky, but it would have been nice. It was a little claustrophobic and a little hot, aside from that, we were happy campers.

To read other reviews, click here.

Marsha Browns: Singing Praise for Great Food

Marsha Brown's Restaurant
15 South Main St.
New Hope, PA 18938
(215) 862-7044
www.marshabrownrestaurant.com

NHY Rating: 8 of 10
Food: American, highlighting New Orleans creole and southern dishes
Serves: lunch and dinner
Price: expensive
Ambiance: upscale, unique, classy, beautiful decor within old church

Comments: Marsha Browns is a great place for a nice dinner. It is located within an old church and it really is a divine place to eat. They also have a raw bar if you have a taste for oysters and such. We tried their specialty appetizer of the night which was a crab and lobster dip in a cream sauce with a crusty topping. It could have been a little thicker but the taste was delicious. We also chose the Caesar salad which was perfect. For our meals, we chose the Pan Seared Scallops and Lobster Tail, the 10 ounce filet and onion rings. The food was out of this world. Everything was done to perfection. As avid steak eaters who have seen the inside of some of New York's finest, we were completely wow'd by the quality of the steak. Shortly after our meal was presented, the chef even came out to ask about the food. I highly regard a restaurant that will do this. I know there are times when they cannot do this but since it was a week night, it was greatly appreciated.

The staff appear very experienced in fine dining. The atmosphere is truly cool. This is a wonderful place for a business meeting or a romantic dinner. Sorry, the kids would not appreciate its' beauty and there are certainly no kids meals so I definitely put this on the not kid-friendly list and only for good reason.

Their desserts looked just as yummy even though we did not try one. This is our 3rd visit to Marsha's and I believe previously we tried the Fudge bottom pie. No complaints here.

My only quirk I had with Marsha's is that you check the bill carefully. The last two times I was there we were charged for an extra little something. When you bill gets beyond the $100 mark, it is easier for a charge to be hidden in there. There was only 2 of us though so very easy to keep track of our order. It could have been a very honest mistake but like I said, this was the second time.

Special note: Marsha Brown's offers valet parking on the weekends. If you can make it in during the week, be sure to take advantage of their $25 gift certificate on Restaurant.com that you can purchase for $10 or less.

To read other reviews about Marsha Brown's, click here and here.

Giuseppi's: Great place for the family

Giuseppi's Pizza
473 Lower York Rd.
New Hope, PA
(215) 862-1740

NHY Rating: 6 of 10
Food: Italian
Serves: lunch and dinner
Price: reasonable
Ambiance: Family-friendly, clean, large, basic restaurant

Comments: Giuseppi's is a great choice for a family dinner in New Hope. The prices are very reasonable. No need to constantly shush your little ones. here. This is also a great choice for those on a budget. If you are in the area, and don't want to be paying for a $15-20 meal then Giuseppi's is a good option.

The food menu is quite large. They certainly have more than just pizza and steak sandwiches. I would recommend being careful what you order though, remembering though no matter how fancy the dish sounds, they are still really pizzeria-quality. I usually stick to the old favorites such as pizza, hoagies, calmari, chicken fingers rather than the Salmon Giuseppi. They do not have a bar but they do serve beer and wine.

The service has always been fair. Many times they have seemed a bit understaffed but I can't say that we've had any real terrible experience that would cause us not to go back.

Also during the nicer weather, they have a great sized gazebo outside. They also offer a good place for hosting a party. In addition to the gazebo, they also have a nice large separate room inside.

Special note: This restaurant is not on main drag of New Hope but located off of Rt 202 near the Logan Square shopping center.