Scenes from an Italian Restaurant

Tina sporting Italian glasses at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Torino, Italy

In closing our week-long Italian love fest on Bucks Happening, we decided to get a little personal and share some of our favorite memories from Italian restaurants in the area.

Tina: Growing up in Yardley, I have many fond memories of Carlucci’s Italian Grill.  Way back when, a good friend of mine lived across the street from the restaurant.  Almost weekly during the summers, we’d save up our allowance money and walk over to Carlucci’s to split the Pappardelle Alla Vodka, which came with their delicious complimentary bruschetta and amazing pasta fagioli.  While I’m sure having a couple of 13 year olds splitting a lunch entree was not Carlucci’s ideal customer, they never made us feel unwelcome.  The atmosphere is so warm and inviting (especially when we’re lucky enough to get the opera singing waiter) and the food is always outstanding. (more…)

Altomonte’s: The Italian-American Story

Maria Theresa Nappi, Altomonte's Deli

Day 4 of our Italian tour around Bucks County brings us to a local business that many know and love:  Altomonte’s Deli.  With locations in Doylestown and Warminster, Altomonte’s brings you delicious Italian delicacies that you can’t find elsewhere. We recently caught us with Maria Nappi, whose parents opened the store 40 years ago when they came from Southern Italy.

In Maria’s words:

Altomonte’s was started by my parents, Mike & Frances, in the early 70′s in Philadelphia. My parents had recently come to this country, bringing with them their skills. My dad is a butcher by trade, as his dad was before him.  My mom was (and is!) an excellent cook.  My parents named the store Altomonte’s, after the town of Altomonte in Calabria (Province of Cosenza, in Southern Italy), where my grandfather once owned his butcher shop. (more…)

Dip into Bucks County Biscotti

Chocolate dipped and traditional biscotti

While investigating topics for our Columbus Day Italian-themed week on Bucks Happening, we were thrilled to find out about Bucks County Biscotti. It all started out by having a small stand at the Doylestown Farmers Market back in 1990. Now it is a supplier to gourmet establishments in over four different states. Bucks County Biscotti was built from the ground up by husband and wife, Craig Silbert and Karen Riley. After living in multiple states on the east coast, they found themselves most happy when they moved to Doylestown. From there they lived in Pipersville and now in Hilltown.

They can remember back when they used a two rack household oven to bake, now they used a 40 rack industrial size oven. But everything is still old world style, using the finest ingredients and hand cutting the biscotti. They have seven flavors including the traditional anise almond, espresso chocolate chip, ginger cherry and even seasonal flavors such as pumpkin pecan. Luckily for me, I had the chance to not only sit down with Craig and Karen but I also got a tour of the bakery!

(more…)

A BH EXCLUSIVE!! Interview with Food Inc.’s Rob Kenner

Jon Stewart, CNN, and BH!

For loyal readers of Bucks Happening, you will know that we have often highlighted the local food movement that has swept not only Bucks County, but the nation and really the entire world; Farm to Table events, farmers’ markets and food co-ops abound.  We have often mentioned the Academy Award nominated film Food Inc., which, by the way, sold more DVDs on Amazon last year than any the movie.

But we had no idea that Food Inc. producer and director Rob Kenner had ties to Bucks County!!  And when we learned that we would have the distinct honor of interviewing him at his Alma Mater here in Bucks County, we were beyond thrilled!! (more…)

Tour the Flavors of Fall

With the crisp fall weather finally making it’s 2010 debut, we are more excited about fall than ever.  One of the best things about the season, especially in Bucks County, is celebrating the harvest.  The food is at it’s freshest and more delicious than ever. With so many options, where do you begin? We’d start with these:

The Washington House in Sellersville, PA will host a variety of yummy fall tastings including the Oktoberfest Buffet 10/13 – 10/14 and the Pumpkin Beer Tasting on 10/29. (more…)

Isaac’s Taps That: The Moylan Kilt Lifter Scotch Ale

Every Wednesday night, long-time Newtown borough-staple Isaac Newton’s hosts a beer tapping event, bringing in rare brews from around the world to share with local enthusiasts.  Last week, Bucks Happening and local beer brewer, Chris McGrath,  decided to head over to check it out.

Around 6:30pm, we easily found a couple of seats at the bar and set out to try last week’s special, the Moylan’s Kilt Lifter Scotch Ale – Apple Brandy/Port Barrel blend.  Our bartender, John, was both informative and friendly, chatting with several regulars at the bar throughout the night. Although we were disappointed that the manager blew off our meeting, John did his best to fill us in on what he could. (more…)

Tap into The Tubby Olive

The Tubby Olive, Newtown

I don’t know about you, but I love taste testing.  It turns the often uneventful task of food shopping into a culinary experience, not to mention helps you make an educated decision as a consumer.  While oils & vinegars are among the key ingrediants in a majority recipes, many shoppers fail to take advantage of the vast array of choices and flavors available. Luckily ,the The Tubby Olive, a one of a kind store packed with culinary treats, has arrived in Newtown. Located in the heart of town on State Street, the Tubby Olive opened its doors for the first time to the public on September 7th.   (more…)

A little French romance on the Delaware

Our wedding...Photo Credit: All that Glitters Photography

It’s been three years since my husband (then fiance) left New York City to become Bucks County residents.  Two months after we became official Bucks County homeowners, we got married.  We recently celebrated our third wedding anniversary.

We created a fun little tradition shortly after we got hitched:  my husband and I take turns planning our anniversary date.  It’s fun because ever other year I get to kick back and be surprised, and then I get to be the surprise-er (if that’s a word), which is really fun too.  This year happened to be my husband’s year.  For previous anniversaries, we had taken off for the weekend for little trips.  But this year marks our first “Bucks County celebrated” anniversary.

Well, my hubby did a great job.  We started with a pre-dinner cocktail at the Boat House.  We sat outside and enjoyed the scenery for a drink before heading on to dinner. I will give you a couple hints:  It’s a BYOB, it has been around since the 1700s (in its current reincarnation since the 70s), and is “très romantique.”  Did you guess?

(more…)

Love at first bite: Nomad Pizza

I honestly don’t know if I’ll be able to make it through writing this article without driving back to Hopewell, NJ to get another pizza pie at Nomad Pizza.  It’s THAT good (and staring at these pictures is not helping).

As I’ve written in the past, I take my pizza eating very seriously. I absolutely love that with pizza, you can get the best of the best in the world, and still spend under $50 for a dinner for two. In the past, I’ve made a point of visiting the top rated pizzerias in New York City each year and certainly ate my fair share of pies while living in Rome. Well, lucky for me (though not for my waistline), I won’t have to travel very far to get an exceptional pie anymore. (more…)

What’s Happening the last week of summer?

The Bucks Happening team is sad to say this will be the last what’s happening of summer! But of course we have pulled together all the events and activities going on this week. You can check out our special Labor Day Guide for all the holiday happenings this weekend.

(more…)