Every year since 1986, the Contemporary has sponsored tours of Trenton which provide an uncommon view of the city. The tours are fun, and will show you parts of the city you might never otherwise see. I happen to know 3 of the 4 guides in 2010 tour, and all are incredibly well qualified to conduct them.
Across the street from the hotel, and around the corner from the Old Barracks is Executive Cuts. Debra Hoy is owner, chief floor sweeper, and Executive Cuts’ only hair stylist. She’s also very good, cutting hair with the precision and calm assurance of a real pro.
The last few winters have broken records for southern NJ snow fall. For the first time in years, conditions have been more than adequate for cross-country skiing. Where’s the best place to go near Trenton?
Just 45 minutes from Trenton, across the river in Bucks county, is a spectacularly-scenic ridge-hike along Tohickon Creek. This is a moderately strenuous walk… most of the climbing (a couple of hundred vertical feet) is in the beginning along a well-graded road. To truly enjoy the hike, explore the side trails along the valley. (Driving time about 50 minutes; Rated Intermediate to Experienced, depending on how adventurous you feel in exploring the side trails)
Most Indian restaurants have good food and indifferent decor. Few, today, are particularly expensive. But the Palace – despite being located in a strip mall off of Quakerbridge Rd – is absolutely gorgeous inside, reasonable for lunch, and a small fortune for dinner. Palace does a very nice buffet every afternoon. That’s probably the best way to get exposed to the restaurant and to decide if you’re ready to spring for the full dinner menu.
Five Guys serves an outstanding burger and fries. The fact that it’s a chain, and in Ewing, made me hesitate to add it to “Hidden Trenton”. Then, I ate my first sample. The burgers and fries are that good. I consider Five Guys a non-chain, chain (harkening to Watergate’s non-denial, denial): it’s thriving because the food is really good (if in this case, not good for you), not just fast or convenient.
Sneak away to the Blooming Grove Inn, especially on a summer’s evening sitting on the terrace, and you can feel for a moment like you’ve borrowed your friend’s country house, and are enjoying a weekend away from it all. With new management and an upscale, farm to table concept, we’ve yet to try the new menu. Will let you know.
With so much great tomato pie in Trenton, why does Dominick’s deserve a place on Hidden Trenton? A few reasons. First, the pies are genuinely good, made with fresh ingredients. While the tomato pie doesn’t quite match the sublime heights of Papa’s or DeLorenzo’s, it’s darn good. Second, it’s open when those other places aren’t. Want a pie for a Tuesday lunch? You’re out of luck with either of the classic Trenton establishments, which are basically open only for dinner.
Little known, but open to the public, is a lovely pond and woods on the campus of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, about a 20 minute drive north of Trenton. The pond supports solid populations of fish. It abuts the Institute Woods, which is transected by old woods roads which can be used as hiking trails (and cross-country skiing if there’s been a good snow fall) (Driving time is about 20 minutes; rated for Beginner hikers. Trails are flat and easy walking, though poorly marked. Be sure to bring a trail map).
Utterly beautiful. 12 miles of hiking trails with up to a 400 foot elevation gain. 20 minutes from downtown Trenton. Need I say more? This is the jewel of the Mercer County Park system, and one of the nicest small parks in all of NJ. (Driving time is about 20 minutes; Rated beginner to Experienced depending on where you go).
Mastoris is one of those places that doesn’t seem possible when you first go there. First of all, it’s impossibly huge… the website claims they serve up to 2,800 people per day, and certainly the facility is large enough. Second, when you sit down, your waitress will bring you a plate piled high with two loaves of sweet bread, one each of cinnamon and cheese. Don’t eat too much bread, though, since the portions on your order, when it arrives, will be huge.
Anthony Rabara is a long-time Trenton resident, a retired ballet dancer, and one of the top Pilates instructors in the world. At a time when every gym and workout joint claims to offer Pilates instruction, Rabara is the real deal, having started teaching in 1983.
Prices are incredibly reasonable. The food, including the tacos, tostadas, and several of the meat platters is very good. Note, this is a dive. Clean, friendly, but still a dive. English skills of your server are likely to not exist, so if you don’t speak Spanish (like me), be prepared to puzzle out the menu on your own, and order via sign language.
Let’s see….suprisingly good and varied Italian food. BYOB. Reasonably priced. It seems in our household, we end up going out to Villa Rosa as often as anyplace in the area.
“So where do you shop for food?” has been one of those haunting questions for us Trenton residents for many years. In truth, despite the good efforts of the Supreme Supermarket, for years there hasn’t been a store in town where you’d want to buy food for a dinner party. Until now. In June of 2008, the somewhat mercurial Bogopa Food Services Corp opened it’s 12th Food Bazaar Store in Trenton’s Roebling Market. At 67,000 SF, it’s 3x the size of any other food market within Trenton City limits.
Warren Street is the center of the revival area of downtown Trenton. Go there to check out Classic’s Bookstore, the Big Easy or the Hummingbird, or to have a wonderful Italian dinner around the corner at Settimo Cielo. And while you’re there, it’s worth checking out the “revolutionary art” on Warren. (Rated for Beginner walkers)
It still says “The Garden State” on our license plates, but in most parts of NJ it would really be more appropriate to say, “Suburban Sprawl State”. However, if you follow this ride, you may feel you’ve ridden through a time warp. While there is some recent development along the way, for the most part it looks like it did in 1960. And these roads touch on some of the most beautiful farmland and scenery you can imagine for Central NJ.
Hong Kong Restaurant, located where Hamilton and S. Clinton intersect is probably the best, true Chinese take-out in town. This is a family-run restaurant, with an extensive menu cooked in front of you while you wait.
Everyone has a yearning for simple, cheap Chinese food from time to time, and you don’t want to have to drive to get it. In a town where there are some truly dreadful take out Chinese joints….listing a few that are pretty good is a useful service. Kam Buffet is a post millenium buffet joint, with a large dining room and a huge array of steam tables. The food is good, and management takes better care to keep it fresh and turning over quickly than many establishments of this type.
From the outside, Lucy’s looks like many other downtown Trenton lunch joints. But the food isn’t what you’d expect. Lucy’s appeals to the alternative eating crowd. There are always has a bunch of specials…for example the other day salmon burgers were on the menu. You get a choice of grilled vegetables with most sandwiches or wraps, where you can select from a lovely platter of freshly parboiled veggies ready to be grilled to order, including broccoli, onions, carrots, zucchini, peppers, and more. Of course, you don’t HAVE to go veggie. You can get a pretty mean cheese steak with all the grease and none of the greens, if that’s what you want.
Knapp’s has been around since 1944, and the current owner, Pete Garnich, started working at the shop, for Mr. Knapp, in the late 1970’s. He bought it around 10 years ago. The shop is pleasant, with a good selection of bikes for kids and adults, mountain and racing. I’ve bought 6 bikes as an adult for myself, and 4 for members of my family. I’ve never experienced the care and expertise that Knapp’s brought to the table when I bought my current road bike.
A decent Pan-Asian restaurant across from the Dairy Queen in Morrisville? Believe it or not… And the food’s the thing. With an extensive menu serving up Chinese, Japanese, and Thai dishes, no one should go hungry or want for choice. There’s plenty of seafood and vegetarian dishes (which you’d expect), one of the best sushi bars in the area, and even several dishes that will satisfy the unrepentant carnivores in your party.
“It’s Nutts” is immediately adjacent to Washington Crossing State Park, and on the way to Baldpate Mountain. If you’re headed there, it’s a great place to pick up a well prepared, moderately priced meal (in an area that’s not known for bargains).
Sayah Anne Richardson, the proprietor of Sayah’s African Fashion Studio, immigrated to Trenton from Liberia about 30 years ago. Ever since, she’s been Trenton’s “go to” dressmaker, creating custom fashions, or expertly altering dresses for a diverse clientele.
Let’s face it, there’s not a lot of great breakfast in Trenton. Sure there are some diners and other assorted options, but finding a place that goes beyond the breakfast basics (eggs, pancakes, omelettes, bacon) is rare. That’s what makes Cafe 72 unique. Despite it’s casual luncheonette atmosphere and bargain prices, it is aiming to higher culinary heights (if not always achieving them). What are we talking about? Think Belgian waffles filled with sun-dried figs and topped with blueberry chutney and cannoli cream, “cajun” shrimp and grits with onions and an egg, or portobello mushroom towers with sliced tomato, poached eggs, provolone, and basil hollandaise (pictured here). The menu is supplemented by a variety of specials; on a recent visit we sampled the fresh ricotta donuts with blueberry chutney (and boy were they fresh).
Part of the Monmouth County Park System, Clayton Park is an easy 25-minute shot from Trenton (off I-195 Exit 11). It’s absolutely lovely, featuring 8 miles of trails through a mixed habitat of mature hardwood forest, wetlands, and fields. The topography is rolling hills…there’s no more than a hundred feet or so of elevation gain at any one climb, but you can string together a few of those climbs to improve the aerobic value. More popular as a MTB trail than as a hiking trail, but both activites are lovely. (Driving time is just about 30 minutes, Rated for Beginner to Intermediate cyclists or hikers depending on where you go).
Frankye’s is a bar on the edge of Chambersburg , with a clean, nearly-charming dining room serving first rate Guatemalan food. The dining room tables are covered by white table cloths, and the floor sparkles. They can char-broil a decent steak, and serve the best Carne Adobada in town.
From the outside, Szechuan House looks like a pretty standard suburban Chinese restauarant, and at first glance, so does the menu. All of the standard Americanized items can be found. But look a little closer, and you’ll see a number of items that you never see on a “standard ” menu. Some frankly, sound pretty disgusting…but my rule is that if you don’t find at least a half dozen things that sound disgusting on a Chinese menu, you’re going to the wrong restaurant. As it turns out, there’s plenty on the menu that’s both authentic and delicious.
Art is a no nonsense mechanic. He works only on Volvo’s and Saab’s. He does all the work himself. He’s smart as a whip, and diagnoses problems that stump most other mechanics. Plus he’s honest. The cost of repairing my Volvo fell about 75%. And it runs better now than when I took it to the dealer.
Lucky’s has been located on the same location at Division between Clinton and South Broad for more than 45 years. John is the second generation, having taken over from his dad. Obviously, they haven’t survived this long in an unforgiving Trenton location by overcharging their patrons.
Galicja is a pleasant, typical local bar with an eclectic clientèle that happens to serve draft pints of Pilsner Urquell, a really good Czech beer, for less than the price of domestic beer at most local bars. On Friday evenings, free with the purchase of a beer, the owner puts out an incredible buffet of home made food.
Mi Tierra is another of the many outstanding Guatemalan restaurants in the City of Trenton, serving its burgeoning Latino population. Mi Tierra stands apart because: 1) the food is well prepared, a notch better than typical and 2) the decor is better than most. While not fancy by any means, it’s a pleasant place to eat, and the service is friendly.
Arctic is a great place to buy ice cream if you’re stocking up for a party. The smallest container is a half gallon ($5), or you can get the 3 gallon tub ($24.64). It comes in (count ’em) 45 flavors (though not all flavors are available year round).
Water Ice is a Philly confection: a slush (like a slurpee) made from water, sugar, and flavorings. In Rita’s case, the flavorings are generally fruit (my favorites: mango, wild-cherry, and lemon) with chunks of fruit mixed-in. Rita’s is a chain started in a suburb of Philly in 1984, that has been aggressively expanding in the mid-Atlantic states with some 400 stores.
From the outside, Henry’s looks like an old-school luncheonette, which went out of fashion in the early 1960’s. However, peer through the window, and you see something’s up with the large, modern cooking area, and nicely stocked shelves. Then you realize all the packages have Polish labels, and you remember that you’re at the very epicenter of the Polish section of Trenton: European Bakery is next door, Cosmo Food Market is across the street, and Rozmaryn Restaurant is around the corner.
Brunswick Sports is an old-fashioned bait and tackle shop that offers a good selection of products combined with expert advice. Re-opened by 4 partners in April of 2006, it’s the perfect place to find out what’s happening on the local streams.
The European Bakery (“EB”) is the expanded successor to the Eagle Bakery (now closed), which used to operate two blocks down Olden Street. It offers a wonderful variety of authentic Polish-style baked goods – pastries, cakes, and breads – plus a well-stocked deli with cold cuts, sausages, and an assortment of grocery items.
Franca’s is clearly the best of the old-line Italian bakeries remaining in Trenton. It does some lovely, crusty peasant breads, a mean sfoliatella (a ridged, chewy, triangular pastry filled with a lemony ricotta filling), and a decent cheese cake. There may be other good items as well; I’ll confess to have sampled only a few.
Chiarello’s delivers greater-Trenton’s iconic hoagie sandwich (submarine to those of you from northern NJ; hero, if you’re from NYC; grinder if from Boston).
The society supports regular showings of movies during the year (usually at the Mill Hill Playhouse where Passage Theatre mounts its productions). The society also sponsors a number of film festivals: the Trenton Film Festival, the Not Quite Legal Festival (for teens), and a foreign festival.
