Enjoy a cheery brunch at Yardley Inn
By Carl LaVo, Courier Times

One of our favorite restaurants in Lower Bucks is the Yardley Inn.

Like the Energizer bunny, the inn keeps coming back better than ever as a place where fine dining, professional service and a relaxed ambiance come together in an historic setting.

Twice in the past 15 months, the popular restaurant has been swamped by Delaware River floodwaters, only to reopen within weeks due to Herculean cleanup and restoration efforts.

In this holiday season, the circa-1832 inn is especially cheering to those who enjoy Sunday brunch. The spacious restaurant is tastefully decorated with holiday flourishes throughout, thanks to the artistry of Yardley interior decorator Susan Taylor, who operates nearby Black-Eyed Susan.

Brunch is served a la carte from a menu that is quite varied and fulfills most appetites.

Gourmet starters include soup and chowder, salads, shrimp and crab cocktails, smoke salmon terrine and ahi tuna tartar - 15 suggestions in the $6-$12 range. About 20 entrees are offered, all in the $9-$15 range. Choices include Angus filet eggs Benedict, quiche, lemon ricotta pancakes - you get the idea. But also on the menu are Belgian waffles, seafood penne pasta, grilled chicken breast, Yardley burgers with oven-dried tomato and Boursin cheese on a brioche bun, and oven-roasted turkey sandwiches on rye.

There's also an omelet station set up in the restaurant's bar where you can select a wide variety of ingredients, complemented by country sausage, bacon, home fries, fresh fruit and an assortment of bagels and breads ($12). Second servings are welcome.

A couple of special entrees, plus a dessert tray round out the brunch experience.

A Sterling silver basket filled with complimentary warm rolls and muffins and large fan of seasoned flatbread as a backdrop is the setup for brunch.

Mary Anne and I give high marks to the inn's enormous Bloody Mary lump crab appetizer, easily serving two. The carefully selected crabmeat is piled high from the deep well of a fluted cocktail glass. Splashed with tomato juice and vodka with a squeeze of fresh lemon, the crab is nestled on a bed of tiny ice cubes and baby spinach.

Afterwards, Mary Anne headed for the omelet station where she ordered a two-egg serving with mushroom, ham and cheese. The ingredients were saut‚ed until hot and tender and then blended with the egg whip, grated cheddar tossed in at the finish. Four thin slices each of muskmelon and cantaloupe and a plump strawberry and fresh raspberry made for a very attractive and tasty dish.

I chose the gourmet lobster omelet, prepared in the kitchen by Chef Dominick Zirilli.

What arrived was an outstanding presentation: A three-egg omelet filled with lobster, flavored with caramelized leek and nested against twin crispy potato pancakes. Bearnaise sauce drizzled over the pancakes and the eggs made for a wonderful medley of flavor.

The decor in the enclosed porch area where we were seated is remarkable. Armless tan leather chairs and tables set with white linens and fine white china overlook the river from windows shaded by the slats of Venetian blinds. It reminded me somewhat of the Pullman railroad cars I remember as a child on the Southern Pacific line. Enlarged black and white photographs of metropolitan row homes and cobblestone streets plus a working fireplace at one end of the porch enhance the inn's cozy setting.

Michelle Mohollen, the restaurant manager, stopped by. Asked how long the prints had been on display, she studied them and announced with a smile that they're the "second flood prints."

Indeed. In September of 2004, a hurricane-spawned flood swamped the inn, destroying its wine cellar and various equipment in the cellar as well as damaging the porch areas of the restaurant. It took about a month to reopen. Then in April of this year, an even worse flood completely inundated the ground floor of the restaurant to a depth of about four feet.

Again, employees and contractors went to work, this time remaking much of the downstairs.

Today, Mohollen and owner Bob Freed keep a nervous eye on water levels in the river and nearby Delaware Canal.

"A couple of weeks ago, Bob and I got a call that the river was rising. We thought, 'Oh, my God, it's happening again.' Bob ran down to the river to measure it and I ran to the canal to do the same. But it was a false alarm," said Mohollen.

She confided that Freed is considering raising the restaurant eight feet to prevent future flood damage; negotiations are underway.

Our leisurely brunch concluded with selections from a dessert tray. The pumpkin cheesecake pie and a dreamy, fluffy tiramisu were outstanding.

The Yardley Inn Restaurant & Bar
East Afton & Delaware Avenue (River Road), Yardley
215-493-3800 www.yardleyinn.com

Lunch, Mon-Sat 11:30-2:30 p.m.; light lunch after 2:30. Dinner, Mon-Thu 5:15-10 p.m., Fri-Sat 5:15-10:30 p.m.; Sun, 4:30-8:30 p.m. Sunday brunch, 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m
New American menu; lunch entrees $8-$15, dinner $19-$29.
Reservations recommended
Extensive wine list, by glass and bottle, and cocktails.
Disability access