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| Wildflowers restaurant in New Hope, PA (Photo: Charlie Sahner) |
By Charlie Sahner
New Hope's Wildflowers restaurant has been sold to Nick Gialias,
formerly of the Logan Inn, by owner Bob Madrick, the parties confirmed
Thursday. Gialias plans to rename the establishment and convert it into
an "upscale, comfortable and casual bar."
Wildflowers has been
popular with New Hope visitors for more than three decades because it
offered an affordable, eclectic menu and intimate back garden
overlooking Ingham Creek and South Main Street. Co-owner Grant Waldman
passed away three years ago, and partner Bob Madrick has said that he
wants to move on.
Madrick and Waldman purchased the building at 8 W. Mechanic St. during a period of rapid growth in New Hope,
and began selling cookies. Waldman also wrote and produced local plays and ran a canine rescue facility in Thailand. The cookie shop evolved into a cafe featuring Thai, Mexican and other cuisine, and ultimately obtained a liquor license.
It's
that license that is pivotal to the purchase by Gialias, a member of
the family that owns New Hope’s famed Logan Inn. Gialias confirmed in
January that he had
left that business to strike out on his own. Gialias, 35, is also a Republican member of New Hope Borough Council.
A
resident of Riverwoods with a wife and daughter, Gialias has a
background in biomedical engineering and is a wine expert, among other
talents. And therein lies the apparent astuteness of the business move:
while Wildflowers sports both extremely limited property space and
structural issues, it will make an excellent wine/beer/spirits bar
offering specially "paired" menu items (an approach Gialias honed in his
Nikolas restaurant at the Logan Inn).
"We're still working on a
new name, but there will always be some element of Wildflowers there,"
said Gialias. "We're trying to revamp, restore, and renovate, so we want
to make clear it's a new phase for this location.
"We hope to bring a new, fresh perspective, energy and drive to do something special there," he added. "It's about actually
tasting what you're drinking,
tasting what you're eating,
tasting how they come together, and making that more accessible, fun, and approachable for everyone."
To
that end, Gialias' new wine/beer/spirits bar will feature a food menu
in which each item is tailored to a specific beverage, along with
interesting sandwiches and salads to help entice the lunchtime crowd.
"I
love the artisanal energy of New Hope and West Mechanic Street, so I'm
looking to incorporate artisanal quality in cheese, charcuterie, and
small plates," he said. "I also have a passion for wine and beer -- we
had 22 drafts at the Logan Inn's outside bar -- along with scotch, rye
and bourbon."
In terms of pricing, Gialias is direct: "We want
people to have access to a real gourmet experience. They're looking for
higher quality products without breaking the bank. We want to get them
in and out for less than $20."
Added Gialias, "Wildflowers is a
quirky old New Hope place, and we're looking to maintain that charm
while spinning it around into a clean and modern combination of old and
new."
The value of the sale was not disclosed, but Gialias is
targeting the first week of June for opening. Needless to say, merchants
on the block with knowledge of the deal are highly enthusiastic.
