June came and went--not a minute to put pen to paper. Even now, as I look back at the incredible pace of last month, I am in awe of our General Manager, Marlon Aranha. He is so loved by our friends in the community; they see his integrity, his honesty, and his immense capacity to make everyone feel welcome at The National Hotel. Whether it's busy at our Restaurant and Bar, or multiple guests arrive to check-in for their overnight stay--all at the same time--Marlon always manages to make sure everyone is well attended. His warm smile and graciousness know no end. As we approach our 6th anniversary of being a part of this historic establishment, we feel blessed beyond words to have been able to enlist Marlon's help from day one and to continue to rely on him to ensure our patrons return time and again.
Photo courtesy of frenchtownnj.org
With Bastille Day (a.k.a. Paris a la Frenchtown) taking place today, Marlon will surely be busy--but it's what he likes. That's when you know you're in the right profession, when you are truly passionate about what you do. When I spoke to Marlon last night, we talked about how lucky we are that the weather reports are saying that it'll be a beautiful day for our visitors and Frenchtown residents alike to walk around town and soak in the town's festivities. Those who stay late will be able to enjoy a "movie under the stars" or can come to The National Hotel to listen to Jeremy, who will perform live in The Rathskeller Pub (a.k.a. The Rat) from 9 - 11 pm tonight. Truly, today is going to be a magnificent day!
We'll be ready to welcome our overnight guests who will be checking in this afternoon too, as well as our Restaurant and Bar patrons, who will be treated to our weekend Additions to the Menu, specially created using the freshest seasonal ingredients:
DRINK
STRAWBERRY BASIL MOJITO
Casa Brava Rum, Muddled Basil & Strawberries, Agave Nectar $9
GREENS
HEIRLOOM TOMATO
Mixed Varieties of Heirloom Tomatoes, Spring Mix, Balsamic Vinaigrette, Burrata Cheese, Basil Sorbet $13
SMALL PLATES
OYSTERS
Malpeque Oysters, Prince Edward Island, Canada – Medium Brine, Light Bodied, Clean finish
Day Boat Blue Point, Long Island – 2” -3” cup, High Salinity, Classic finish
$2.5 each, 6/$13, 12/$25
FRENCH DIP
Slow Roasted Top Round, Thinly Sliced, Horseradish Crème, Served on long roll & Side of Au Jus, Signature House Cut Fries $13
PLATES
FISH
Pan Seared Monk Fish, Served over a Beluga Lentil & Roasted Vegetable Salad (served Cold), Hoison Glaze $20
Spaghetti with Grilled Chicken, Roasted Wild Mushrooms, Sweet Green Peas, Wild Mushroom Crème Sauce $18
DESSERTS
Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake
ASK YOUR SERVER FOR ADDITIONAL DESSERT OPTIONS
Not only will you enjoy these dishes, but if you return to Frenchtown tomorrow, you'll be treated to a return live music performance by Waterfront:Blue, 5 - 7 pm in our main Restaurant and Bar.
And of course, thank you to so many of you who continue to join us every week for our weekly activities, including:
Open Mic Night every Thursday
Karaoke every Wednesday
Trivia Night every other Tuesday
Saturday Night Live Music in The Rat
We're incredibly grateful also to those of you who have stopped by on Monday nights now that The Rat is open from 5 pm - midnight (drinks only). It's great to have a little time to catch up with friends in a low-stress atmosphere that allows everyone to decompress after the 1st day of the work week has begun: Monday Madness at its best! (And Happy Hour from 5 - 7 pm doesn't hurt either!!)
Please continue to send us your comments via email or on this blog. We look forward to seeing you soon at The National Hotel. Thank you for your continued patronage.
Is it possible that 2011 is actually coming to an end? Is it possible that in just 13 days, we'll be saying "good-bye" to a tumultuous year? It's been a year where locally we shared so many good moments, warm toasty nights in our cellar pub, The Rathskeller Pub (a.k.a., The Rat), listening to night after night of great music, where we were entertained by wonderful musicians who perform during our weekly Sunday musical afternoon series, including our most recent performer, Carol Thompson, who played the harp and wowed everyone present, and absolutely got us all into the holiday spirit early in December. What a treat to know that when she has time, she has even made a surprise appearance during our weekly Thursday Open Mic Night, packing in the local residents as well as as our hotel overnight guests.
And there's so much more in store. Today there was People's Poetry in The Rat, where local poets and those who like to listen to poetry, came out to support each other and enjoy an afternoon away from the hustle and bustle of holiday shopping or weekend catch-up agendas. Next Friday we'll feature Mike Pfeiffer's monthly theme music nights, where he'll kick off the night after 9 p.m. performing Christmas songs that will help us all unwind and get us in the right frame of mind to welcome in the holidays. And this will follow (and coincide with) the celebration of Hanukkah, where we'll light the candles and rejoice during these 8 days and Festival of Lights beginning on the even of the 20th. Our Frenchtown community is always so supportive of our programs and always help us come up with new ideas. We even started a bi-weekly Friday night dance series, where our wonderful Rathskeller bartender, Donna Jane Sampler, has created terrific dance tracks for all to enjoy. And don't forget about our bi-weekly Tuesday Trivia too. That night never disappoints, thanks to Russ Coen and our General Manager, Marlon Aranha's continued dedication to coming up with incredible questions that truly challenge and entertain us.
We hope you'll make the time to enjoy these days with us. We've even come up with a special Christmas Eve menu for the weekend, where we'll have items such as Seven Fish dinner for two, Lobster Risotto, and more. Check our menu page for the Additions to the Menu later this week to see the full menu.
2011 has been a year where worldwide events brought us closer to neighbors thousands of miles away; where we learned of the passing of icons such as Steve Jobs, who helped make music more accessible and instantaneously attainable for millions; where we witnessed the attempted assassination of
Photo by U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' office via Getty Images
Congresswoman Giffords; where we learned about the last day of Osama Bin Laden's life; where we witnessed in real time the protests in the Middle East and the awakening of the Arab Spring; where we learned that our troops would soon come home (and in fact, early this Sunday morning we saw that the last American convoy left Iraq) and made its way down the highway in what the Army called its last "tactical road march" according to CNN;
Courtesy of CNN
Photo courtesy bbc.co.uk
where we mourned the death of hundreds that quickly rose to the thousands with so many missing, in Japan after the March tsunami and 8.9-magnitude earthquake; where we saw the suffering through piercing images in the media after the earthquake in Turkey; where our hearts poured out for all of our neighbors in the Southern states that suffered through the devastating tornadoes;
Photo courtesy of abcnews.go.com
where we celebrated the fairytale marriage of a Prince and a commoner--and couldn't stop watching the ceremony that went off without one hiccup...even the rain held off for the open horse carriage to deliver the newlywed royal couple to Buckingham Palace; and let's not forget, it's the year where thousands of fans of reality TV watched glued to the television the marriage that was to outdo the royal wedding: Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries marriage that lasted only 72 days. Will we ever recover?
But as close as we felt to these moments of suffering, of sadness, of joy, of pure comic relief, we also experienced similar moments right here in our own backyard. Let's not forget that Hunterdon County, NJ and Bucks County, PA suffered through the flooding and loss of power following Hurricane Irene's short visit to the US. And, in recent memory is the snow and ice storm of October 29th, that in one night forced residents to stay home, make alternate Halloween plans (or cancel them altogether), try to stay warm with the loss of electricity, and forced neighbors out of their homes to take refuge with friends and family. Many were without power for more than a week. But from this tragedy, and from that from across the globe, we've seen proof of our capacity to help those around us, we've seen true humanity coming out without asking.
Non-profits from around the world have done what they could to help those most affected. Those on the ground already in place, have been the most effective, but there are those "random acts of kindness" that I have personally seen that have impressed me more than any other year. I've seen strangers helping others--I've even seen a New York City parking officer NOT give out a ticket to a taxi driver who had gotten out of his cab to get a street cup of coffee. He explained what happened & the officer put away the pad and walked on. Amazing! Pete and I also saw the creation of a fantastic new park that preserves land forever, right here in our own backyard. 300+ acres were officially preserved this year, abutting 200 acres of preserved open space to the south and 300+ acres of preserved farmland and open space to the north, ensuring green space for generations to come, with some of the best vistas of the Delaware River, nature, and wildlife. It took years to create, but boy, is it worth it! Thank you to the people involved with the Hunterdon Land Trust Association for all their hard work. I've also seen community get together and plan on the best way to create a dog park in Frenchtown, rallying support, raising funds, and motivating neighbors to get involved.
How appropriate to continue to learn of stories like these during this holiday time. As we approach the holidays, whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanza, or other holidays, we wish you much happiness, health, and prosperity, along with much joy during the approaching start of 2012. As you plan ahead for the month of December, please remember that although the hotel is open for overnight accommodations, the Restaurant & Bar and the Rat are closed on Christmas Day. Do continue to emailus your comments and feedback...they are truly helpful...or just leave a comment on this page. Stay up-to-date with everything being planned, by:
You've made such a tremendous difference in our lives, and from all of us at The National Hotel, Pete and I want to extend to you our most sincere wishes for many days of happiness and wonderful experiences that will create many memories for years to come.
Although we've been feeling as though we got a little short-changed with the last few weeks of summer, now that the calendar has marked the official arrival of fall on Friday, we are absolutely looking forward to all that autumn makes possible in this scenic part of the U.S. October is less than a week away, and Frenchtown is getting ready for a month-long celebration throughout the town.
The Frenchtown Business and Professional Association (FBPA) has organized a terrific array of events with over 50 businesses in Frenchtown participating to make this an unforgettable month. The streets will be lined with more than 25 scarecrows created by the Frenchtown Elementary School. The FBPA's website says it best:
"The event kicks off on Friday, Oct. 1 with”First Fridays In Frenchtown” where shops and galleries have extended hours. There will be special events, demonstrations, refreshments, sales and discounts as well as street musicians and artists. Throughout weekends in October there will be fun activities for everyone, including Kayak Races, Pumpkin Decorating, Pet Photos, Pie Baking Contest, Jack-O-Lantern Glow, Parade, Trick or Treating, Live Music and much, much more."
We'll do our part too, launching a new fall menu that will feature seasonal dishes that take advantage of the best ingredients from the area, and as always, supporting our local and sustainable farmers. The National Hotel is committed to delivering the very best dining experience for our patrons, marrying a tradition of excellence with a contemporary aesthetic. Our fall menu is a true extension of what Pete and I envisioned when we decided to "reach for the stars" and embark down the path of renovating and relaunching The National Hotel. We've listened to the feedback that you've given us, and have developed a menu that we are certain will please many different tastes. Here's just a little sampling of what's to come:
BRAISED SHORT RIBS
Rittenhouse-Style Braised Short Ribs over Creamy Bacon & Onion Potato Risotto
Fish Marinated in Indian Spices over Tamarind, Mustard Seed, Basmati Rice in a Sweet Spice Sauce
And there's so much more! It's super exciting for us to be able to feature different dishes that beautifully merge traditional American fare with Indian and Spanish ingredients that complement each other, all the while taking advantage of the wonderful local harvests that are abundant in our area. We hope you'll join us to try our fall menu in the next few weeks. When you're done enjoying your meal, don't forget to join us for some of our music and arts programming that we feature regularly:
Weekly Thursday Open Mic Night, 9 p.m. - closing
Weekly Saturday Night Live Music series, 9 p.m. - 11 p.m.
3rd Sunday of the Month Poetry Open Mic (People's Poetry), 2 p.m. - 4 p.m.
On October 8th you'll be welcomed into Frenchtown by musicians performing throughout the town, in honor of the season's last Second Saturday night, where the shops remain open later than usual. It's such a vibrant and unique town, that we hope you'll make the time to visit us. It would be wonderful to have you plan an overnight trip and spend a little more time in our little corner of the world. We've had such fantastic feedback from our overnight guests, who have raved about the comfortable beds, the luxurious and inviting linens and pillows, and of course, the exceptional attention to detail that our staff has provided, that they'll "surely be back," and that they "enjoyed every minute of our stay," in their own words. When you come to The National Hotel, be sure to open our guest book that sits at the concierge desk, which has these comments in our hotel guests' own words and handwriting. No matter how long our day has been, reading these comments puts a smile on all our faces each and every time. We invite you to come by and see them for yourself.
While the weather is still good, make sure you stop by for a meal or even a fabulous drink that our bartender will fix for you. Why not have it on our front porch, where you can sit right at the crossroads of 3 county routes? The beautiful antique cars, high-end luxury sports cars, and numerous cyclists that traverse these roads are just delightful eye-candy.
Or head downstairs to our cellar pub, The Rathskeller (a.k.a. The Rat), where everyone feels the warmth of The National Hotel and is swept up in the many conversations that arise, some patrons dishing out some of the best nuggets of advice for those seeking a learned opinion, while the area's best drinks are served and thoroughly enjoyed. You'll feel swept away into another time, another place, full of warmth, good conversation, and terrific food.
Do join us! And don't forget to contact our knowledgeable staff with any questions, at 908.996.3200. Please continue to email us your comments and feedback...they are truly helpful...or just leave a comment on this page. Stay up-to-date with everything being planned, by:
Just a few more days before we celebrate our nation's birthday! All around Frenchtown there will be Independence Day actitivies--and we are lucky to have one of the country's most famous historic sites just a short drive down Route 29 from Frenchtown itself: Washington Crossing State Park!!!
"On December 25, 1776, the icy waters of the Delaware River provided the setting for one of the pivotal events of the American Revolution. The Continental Army had little to celebrate that Christmas and seemed beat by hunger and cold. After crossing the rough winter river at night, General George Washington and the Continental Army landed at Johnson’s Ferry, at the site now known as Washington Crossing State Park. At 4 am, they began their march to Trenton where they defeated the Hessian troops in an unexpected attack."
Happy July Fourth!HappyIndependenceDay!
I hope you'll be able to visit our quaint little corner of the world over the weekend or make plans to come another weekend during the summer. Frenchtown, NJ has so much to offer our visitors, from adventure sports such as cycling (the Cycle Corner) and kayaking (Paddle Creek), to relaxing activities from one of the area's best-known spas, Euphoria Studio, to family activities such as bicycling down the D&R Canal Path that runs parallel to the Delaware River and has beautiful and scenic vistas of Bucks County, PA, or renting a tube from Delaware River Tubing and float down the river for a few hours surrounded by nature, or how about some good old-fashioned family fun of going to the local roller skating rink, the Frenchtown Roller Rink! We have included much of this information and activities on the NJ side as well as the PA side of the Delaware River listed on our website. Just click on the Concierge tab for more listings of things to do. But we are also fortunate to have publications such as Skylands Magazine (online and print) providing information on new events and activities that are taking place in our area. They just did an incredibly nice write-up on The National Hotel in their print and online publication:
Lisa Frederick and Zack Rovner
It was a wonderful treat to have this publication focus on our establishment. They always have a lot of information about area activities, and are very supportive of local businesses and events. On our end, we also try to be supportive of our local shops, vendors, and community events. Being part of the Frenchtown Business and Professional Association (FBPA) definitely helps all of us know what we're planning, how we can support each other, and moreover, how we can provide a wonderful experience for out-of-towners who make the time to visit Frenchtown, while always maintaining high standards of service and products available to our local residents. On a micro level, The National Hotel also makes a point to support local sustainable farmers, and we are very lucky to reside in an area of the nation that allows us to turn these fresh ingredients into flavorful and delightful dishes. Having Lisa Frederick leading this area of the business has brought us many accolades from our dining guests, and she continues to push herself and the kitchen staff to always exceed expectations.
And then there's the Second Saturdays planned (thanks again to our FBPA) with live outdoor music filling the streets of Frenchtown throughout the summer months, as well as Frenchtown's own 13th Annual Bastille Day Fete, July 16th, noon to 6 p.m., featuring street performers, clowns, a puppet show, live music, and more. Mark your calendars for this special day!
What an extraordinary month July is going to be. If you're planning to make a day trip, there's plenty to do in Frenchtown and in the surrounding scenic areas, on the NJ side, and the PA side. If you're making plans to stay a little longer, then feel free to contact our General Manager, Marlon Aranha, who will help you make your stay memorable and customized to your needs. Ask him about our Summer Celebration special, where you'll receive a special discount to be used in the Restaurant during your weekend stay. But there are other special packages too, that you'll find on our Hotel page of our website. Just scroll down to find one that will enhance your stay in Frenchtown, or speak with Marlon and he'll create a special program for you.
And after our 2nd annual National Palooza II, we feel completely energized to continue to provide community programming that is fun for everyone, whether you are a local resident or coming to our little town from far away. From our weekly Thursday Open Mic Night, to our Saturday Night Live Music series, to our Sunday Musical Afternoons, to our bi-weekly Tuesday Trivia, and our monthly 3rd Sunday People's Poetry (poetry open mic), we have activities the whole family (or just the adults) will enjoy. And we've just added a bi-weekly Wednesday Scrabble Night to our menu of activities, so there's now another night of easy and relaxing fun to enjoy in Frenchtown. We wrote about much of this on our last e-newsletter. Did you catch our very own bartender EXTRAORDINAIRE, Donna Jane Sampler, doing a fire-breathing act? OMG!!! Fantastic! And then she went right back downstairs to our wonderful cellar pub, The Rathskeller (a.k.a. The Rat), and continued to chat up clients and get to know newcomers to our town. Donna is a fantastic bartender, always caring, always attentive, and always making everyone feel welcome. I see her, and I feel the need to hug her! She's just one of my absolute faves.
Lisa Frederick, left & Kasey Goyette, right
But I'm just echoing what our patrons tell us time and again. And they compliment Donna just as they compliment the other members of The National Hotel family. You know I've written about Lisa before (and today--because she absolutely deserves praise in so many ways--from choosing a fabulous menu, to how she interacts with her staff and everyone who enters The National Hotel--just gracious, welcoming, always warm!!), and about Kasey Goyette too...but I just wanted to share just a few extra kudos for Kasey just now...SHE IS A FANTASTIC WOMAN!!! She not only served up some fabulous libations during The National Palooza II, as she always does every night of the week she works, but she also helped in so many ways--went out of her way, in fact, during our June 4th event--that she deserves a medal. And of course, we are grateful to our wonderful friend, Kristine Marinelli and Jodi McGill, for volunteering and stepping in to be our fun cheeleaders, all-around guest welcomers, and "fun girls." Thank you!!!
Kristine Marinelli & Lisa Frederick
And if you want a few glimpses at what happened, visit our youtube channel for some of the webclips, such as:
As we approach the day that honors the birth of this great country, Pete and I feel its significance more than ever this year. Yes, it's a time when families get together, picnic blankets hit the ground, and people light up their grills to have some summer fun. Yes, it's a time when people get in their cars and take a little vacation taking advantage of the three-day weekend. Yes, it's a time when many towns put on their Fourth of July "best" and some even feature fireworks, parades, or concerts. But for us, having delved deep into the history of The National Hotel, studied the area's revolutionary past that predates even the creation of Frenchtown, NJ itself, it is a date that grants us the opportunity to remember the conviction and determination of those who came before us and took a stand to create a nation that would give new life to so many generations that followed, and invite people from all over the world to set roots in this wonderful land. We honor this country's birthday, a unique place in the world, where one can truly become a citizen of the nation, equal in every way to his/her fellow citizens. We are blessed to be here, to be citizens, to be a part of this great nation, contributing to its growth--even in our own miniscule way--but creating our own legacy for our daughters just the same.
I invite you to leave a comment here (or as you seem to prefer, to email me directly at marie@thenationalhotelnj.com), visit our facebook fan page, follow us on twitter, visit our youtube page, or continue to read our blog. Thank you for your patronage, and here's to a fantastic summer ahead for all of us!!!
Last night was so much fun! Super Bowl Sunday party at The National Hotel!!! The day had started like any other Sunday and perhaps a little slower than most, because the weather was probably more conducive to people staying at home than venturing out. However, just at around 6 p.m., friends, neighbors, and people we’d yet to meet, started arriving. At one point we had several groups of 15 people coming in at the same time! My husband, Pete, and Marlon, our General Manager, were there to greet everyone and take care of everything. Boy, what would we do without Marlon! He works hand-in-hand with Pete to make sure that nothing is overlooked and that our customers receive the absolute best service possible.
This weekend follows a terrific month of January, where Hunterdon Life Magazine did a feature story about The National Hotel in their January issue, even doing a story about Super Bowl Sunday dishes where our executive chef, Ron Rittenhouse, was one of the featured chefs. They captured him “in action” creating his delicious signature empanadasin our kitchen, and took photos of The National Hotel and of Pete too.
I didn't blog for a few weeks at the end of 2009, for many reasons. Mainly, we were so busy with the end-of-year activities, that all our energy was directed towards making sure we exceeded our customers' expectations and on updating our e-presence. Add to that being a parent, that blogging took a backseat for a few weeks. But having blogged recently, it felt cathartic! So here I go again.
We've shared with you on another occasion that we discovered beautifully preserved pumpkin pine floors in our lobby area and in other areas of our establishment. Well, on New Year's Eve, I had several--not just one or two--guests, ask me if they could go to the lobby area to see the floors. Well of course! Why not, we want to share every little piece of The National Hotelwith everyone.
Anyone who has asked to see a room, to see the ones with the large jacuzzi tubs, to see the porches or the very private and separate Rm. 207 Loft Suite, we've gladly accommodated.
The pumpkin pine floors have become a definite draw--we don't know whether it's the story of how we found them under two layers of wood flooring and a dilapidated wall-to-wall carpeting that needed to be changed--but people keep asking, and we're thrilled to share!
Even the other day, we had the pleasure of having an interesting conversation with someone from Flemington who asked us, "You did a great job restoring this great old building, but I'm from Flemington. Why didn't you save our Union Hotel?" She walked around our lobby area, admiring the pumpkin pine floors. We told her that those floors were a real discovery for us.
After pulling up a corner of the carpet, we didn't find anything but plywood and we were incredibly disappointed. But then, when the day came to replace the carpeting, one layer came up, then another layer, and still a third--and that's when Pete sent me a text with a photo attached of the beautiful and well-preserved floors that he'd uncovered! Wow!!!
Thanks Pete for persevering and not just dropping new carpeting on top of the plywood. Another bit of "news" is that just a couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting one of the people responsible for doing the renovations after the 1984 accident when a truck lost its brakes and came crashing through the front of the building. He confirmed that he did not do any work on the pumpkin pine floors at all. The front door had to be renovated as did other areas of the building, but not the lobby, which confirms our assertion that the floors are the original deal!
Does anyone have any knowledge as to whether the lobby area was always carpeted or somehow had the floors preserved? It looks like no one ever really set foot on them. We are so fortunate...I say that a lot, don't I???
The National Hotel is located in the scenic and historic town of Frenchtown, NJ. It has a colorful past and offers 10 rooms, each with its own private bath and many with jacuzzi tubs. The National Hotel also boasts a restaurant, a bar, and a tavern (the Rathskellar) bar.
