The Washington Crossing Inn

Savor the best tastes of the season.
By Karen Appold

It’s an exciting time of year to visit The Washington Crossing Inn in Upper Makefield Township. The historic landmark just introduced a high-noon tea service and its highly-anticipated fall dinner menu will soon debut. And, what could be more enticing on a damp, chilly afternoon than its new three-course “Lunch by the Fireplace”?

The tea service, which started October 1st, “offers something special and different to try,” says Executive Chef Jessica Campbell. “It is served with as much elegance and class as a five-course meal, but without the longer wait time.” Reservations for tea time, held from 2:00 to 4:30 p.m. daily (except Mondays, when the inn is closed) are preferred to ensure attentive service.

Guests are served tier-style, and can choose from an assortment of teas or fresh-pressed coffee. Pastries and small cakes, baked by Award Winning Executive Pastry Chef Benjamin Estep, are served along with tea sandwiches. Apple walnut chicken salad and smoked salmon are among the selections. Sandwiches have varying accompaniments. Lastly, guests can indulge in a decadent dessert and an assortment of homemade chocolates and truffles from Naked Chocolate Café, one of the inn’s corporate partners. The delicious treats are also available for purchase onsite. Parties of 10 or more are served family style and receive a 10 percent discount.

With the change of seasons also comes an updated menu. “When I came here a little over a year ago, I revamped the entire menu with great response,” Chef Campbell says. “Favorites that I started last September will remain, there will be some new additions and the menu will be slightly larger.”

For instance, in addition to its dinner pasta selection, vegetarians can choose from ratatouille casserole, featuring eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, onions and peppers with Provencal herbs and ricotta cheese over jasmine rice, and homemade potato gnocchi, which includes sautéed spinach and toasted pine nuts in a sundried tomato pesto sauce. “I like to accommodate everyone,” Chef Campbell says.

With the arrival of autumn, Chef Campbell will now use seasonal ingredients such as squash and pomegranates. And, classic dishes will get an innovative twist. For instance, traditional wedge salad, which typically features iceberg lettuce, will now be served with baby Boston butter lettuce. Their twist to a traditional surf and turf is a homemade surf and turf ravioli duet, which features filet mignon and asparagus paired with a lobster and smoked tomato, with a classic Beurre Blanc.

Chef Campbell’s ideas for the new fall menu, debuting November 6th, have recently been offered as specials to determine guests’ favorites. “The most overwhelming response has been for an appetizer called lobster pot pie, which is served with fresh lump lobster meat, wild mushrooms and French beans in a lobster Américaine sauce in a puffed pastry vol-au-vent. Guests have insisted that it be included on the new menu,” she says.

Beginning October 15th and continuing through March (excluding December), the inn will feature “Lunch by the Fireplace,” a hearty three-course meal. For $11.99, guests will enjoy a soup or salad, entrée and dessert.

“New owners Dr. Eli Mordechai and Jerry Moradi gave us the tools to introduce a lot of new ideas into the restaurant,” Chef Campbell says.

While Chef Campbell’s creations will surely delight guests’ taste buds, their other senses are in for a treat as well when visiting the inn. Guests dine in an intimate, colonial atmosphere; cozy rooms contain just six to eight tables, notes General Manager Alex Bielanski. Seven working fireplaces enrich the ambiance.

The inn reflects an era gone by–when General George Washington and the Continental Army crossed the Delaware River on Christmas night 1776. Both the town and inn are named for this monumental occasion. A portion of the inn, originally built as a home for Bernard Taylor, a successful farmer who managed the McConkey Ferry from 1812 to 1823, dates back to 1817. The town was originally called Taylors Ferry and then Taylorsville after this family.

The inn’s site served as a ferry crossing from the late 1600s until 1834. In that year, the first covered bridge was constructed across the Delaware River (from then-called Taylorsville to New Jersey), thus ending the ferry’s necessity. In 1919, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania changed the name to Washington Crossing. In 1932 the parcel where the inn is located was bought by William Haven and his wife, who turned it into The Washington Crossing Inn. Since then, it changed ownership multiple times over the years. Most recently, it was purchased by brothers Mordechai and Moradi on May 18, 2009.

In addition to its restaurant service, The Washington Crossing Inn is an ideal place to host an event or meeting. The inn is located at the intersection of routes 532 and 32 in Washington Crossing. For more information call (877) 882-1776 or visit www.WashingtonCrossingInn.com.

Karen Appold is a Royersford-based freelance writer (www.WriteNowServices.com).