Kindle Cafe

Update 4/1/13 - Kindle Cafe is not opening in this location. Hopefully we'll see it somewhere else soon. So sad.

I had the privilege of eating at the new Kindle Cafe last night, as part of preview weekend (they open to the public this week, on 2/28/13). Wow. This place is awesome!

I had previously enjoyed Vince's vittles at Soupcon Salon in Lambertville, NJ,  and was thrilled to hear his "pop up" business would have its own home, just across the Delaware River in New Hope, PA. The new restaurant is located in the former Martine's space, in an incredible historic stone building on Ferry St (in fact, this building was the very same ferry house that George Washington's Continental Army passed through on the way to their momentous Battle of Trenton on Christmas Day - talk about history!). There is a bar and a few high top tables downstairs (along with an awesome old couch and fireplace), and seating for about 30 people upstairs.

The menu is prix fixe, which I have to say, is brilliant. We had a four course gourmet vegetarian meal for a very, very reasonable price ($20). They don't have a liquor license (yet?), but we loved the BYO option and the complimentary mocktails they offered us. The service was excellent, as was the ambiance.

The food was incredible. I'm not a vegetarian, and typically would choose a meat dish over a vegetarian dish, if given the option. But this place is all vegetarian with a focus on locally sourced produce, and many items are also vegan. I'm no food expert so many of the ingredients were new to me, but I enjoyed everything I ate.

Our first course was a cream of broccoli soup (vegan, with cashew as the base), with a rich flavor and just the right amount of lemon. The second course was a green salad with smoked tofu, watermelon beets, cashews and some kind of fabulous mushrooms. The dressing was a Sriracha aioli with just a kick of hotness at the end (I thought Sriracha may be too dominating when they described it, but it was perfectly balanced). The third course was chickpea fritters with greens, carmelized mushrooms, some yummy mushrooms and a mild farmer-type cheese. The final course was avocado-chocolate ganache with sea salt, greek yogurt and roasted blueberries. Amazing. All the flavors complimented each other and every bite was heaven!

I can't wait to return and take friends there, and to be able to eat outside on the patio when the weather improves.

Oh yes, Vince is at it again.  Thank you Jesus.  Since Kindle Cafe is out of commission, Vince and his team use Manon Restaurant on most Mondays to host a healthy and music-filled salon with a communal beauty to it that is reminiscent of another time and place, Paris maybe?

Much of the food was picked that day and tasted like it.  Our meal: Polenta Piemontese (creamy polenta served with basil-cashew pesto, summer squash, and green beans) with a vanilla cake with strawberry sauce and chocolate chips for dessert.  The sauces are fantastic.  The focus is on fresh local organic vegetables, mostly gluten-free and no fake meats.  Vince himself is very accessible and kind and willing to talk about what is new with his ventures and philosophy and Lambertville.

This fills you perfectly without overfilling, and when you have reached the end of your meal (everyone gets the same), the music starts.  Seating is at long tables, so you will make friends with the mostly 20-somethings who come for the good food, whether they are vegetarian or not (according to our informal survey).  Yes, of course, it's BYOB.  Love the Van Gogh painting on the ceiling here.  Paper tablecloths and crayons add to the fun; you could tell there were plenty of artists in the room.

The music choices are always interesting and fresh.  We saw Arboretum, described as Billie Holiday-inspired but with a definite update that included Michael Jackson songs and an accordion.  It worked.  The young band members were very friendly and willing to chat.

Don't mess around with the start time of 7; 6:45 is safer.  Manon only seats about 40.  We missed it once due to our own idiotic dawdling and returned the next week to stalk the place until we were successful.  Bring cash, but it's only $20 pp which includes the tip for the servers.  You will need money to tip the entertainment.  There has been talk of starting a ticketing system.

We need to quit haranguing Vince about when he will get his own restaurant and just make sure we keep up with where he *is* cooking.

My sister and I signed up for Going Locavore, knowing only the intriguing vegetarian menus we'd read about at the Kindle Cafe supper clubs.  We'd never actually attended a meal, but the inventive menus included such incredible-sounding veg dishes, we just had to find out more.  As it turned out, we had a wonderful cooking and 'local-eating' lesson from Chef Vincent Peterson - 2 hours of instruction with in-season fruits and vegetables, useful tips that we'll employ immediately and great conversation.  Chef Vincent is knowledgeable, experienced (we had no idea of his amazing credentials, not having done our homework beforehand), engaging and approachable.  We felt like we could ask him anything and he shared an incredible amount of information, along with a delicious meal of local, seasonal dishes.  He even sent us home with the leftovers.  All in all, a wonderful experience and one I'd highly recommend to anyone looking for cooking tips, healthy eating info and ideas for eating in a more sustainable way.