Taking it to the Streets: Zoubi This Week Unveils New Sandwich Lineup Named for Famed New Hope Highways and Byways

By Charlie Sahner

I'll take a Kiltie Drive, and go heavy on the humus please!

Zoubi, the famed West Mechanic Street culinary conglomerate comprised of restaurant, patisserie, and take-out elements, is evolving yet again, particularly in the Zoubi Food store at the corner of New Street.

With fans aplenty for its savory standbys like raucus rubbed ribs, irresistible iron grilled shrimp, heavenly pastries, and handmade ice cream, this take-out lover's paradise is boosting its lunch menu with new panini, salads and a sandwich menu inspired by New Hope's famed thoroughfares.

So now you can order a Bridge Street (pate compagne with cornichons, mustard, chutney, onion and greens on baguette), Riverwoods Drive (white tuna salad on croissant), or the outrageous New Street (peanut butter and bacon on white toast with fig jam).

Zoubi will also offer new hoagies, grinders and other lunch specialties, along with free local delivery with a minimum $20 order (a move that will extend their sales range to merchants and businesses at, for example, nearby Union Square and beyond)

Says head honcho and pastry chef extraordinaire Shawn "Cakes" Lawson, "We're always trying new things and adapting to meet the needs of the community."

At around $6.00 a pop, the new sandwich selection should deliver even more Zoubi bang for the buck.

But do the sandwiches match the personalities of their asphalt namesakes? You can decide.

Meanwhile, I'll have a Route 202 (old fashioned meatball sandwich).

New and W. Mechanic Streets, 215-862-1156.

Movie Makeup Artist to Unveil New Hope PA Locale

By Charlie Sahner

Now this could get interesting.

What I thought was going to be just another makeup/cosmetics/beauty store looks like it may become a unique phenomenon in the New Hope merchant biosphere.

First off: owner Delia De Cock has been a makeup artist for fashion, theater, TV, and has headed makeup departments for movies, which means she can retail regular cosmetics and offer beauty services to the general public with some authority.

What becomes intriguing is that she's also done special effects in films and is versed in permanent makeup, also known as "medical tattooing." That translates into tattooed, flawless looking eyeliner, lip liner and eyebrows that last for years, and also masking scars.

But De Cock can also make scars. Phony ones, thankfully, along with fantasy and aging makeup, facial and body hair simulation, prosthetics and a range of other exotic specialties borne of her special effects and character makeup training. And she'll offer all of these theatrical supplies and services to the public and professionals alike.

Being a block or two away from the Bucks County Playhouse and driving distance to other regional theaters should also boost De Cock's business prospects.

Although where De Cock might really rock is around Halloween time, and also doing drag.

A musician and fencer in her spare time, she turns out to have a friendly, flexible, down-to-earth personality, and has a cute family going, despite the edgy, fashion-savvy exterior.

Coming in a couple of weeks to 17 West Mechanic Street.

Any suggestions for a catchy name?

Lambertville Canal Creep Still at Large

By Charlie Sahner

Law enforcement officials continue to search for an unknown man that severely beat a Lambertville, N.J. woman 11 days ago as she jogged alongside the Delaware and Raritan Canal. She apparently fought back fiercely enough to send the attacker scurrying away down the towpath.

The July 1 attack took place just beyond Lambertville's border with West Amwell Township, and the motive remains unknown.

With police continuing to actively seek the assistance of the public and the suspect remaining at large, we asked the Hunterdon County Prosecutor's office whether the investigation was getting bogged down. Said spokesman Dan Hurley, "The investigation has not stalled. We continue to receive and track down numerous leads. The investigation remains active and being investigated on a daily basis.

"The New Jersey Park Police have stepped up patrols in the area," he added, "There is still considerable investigative work to complete and we continue to seek the assistance of the public as it is likely more than one person saw the suspect either prior to or after the crime."

Meanwhile, local towpath joggers seem to be taking extra precautions. Said one Lambertville woman, "I used to run early in the morning on the towpath, and I haven't been lately."

New Hope, P.A. Police Chief Mike Cummings confirmed that his department's increased foot patrols along the Delaware Canal towpath will continue indefinitely. While acknowledging that New Hope is fundamentally a "safe" town, Chief Cummings said the Department is staying vigilant and leaving no stone unturned in protecting the Borough's citizens. "Criminals don't have borders," he explained.

As if to underscore that point, Solebury Township, P.A. police on July 3 arrested Javier Aliel Lopez Marroquin, 26, of Hamilton, N.J., and charged him with indecent exposure and open lewdness.

Marroquin was observed exposing himself along the banks of the Delaware River near Route 32 and Aquetong Road at approximately 4:00 pm on July 3. Solebury Police had issued a warning just the day before that "over the past week incidents involving indecent exposure on the Pennsylvania side of the Towpath" had occurred. At least one of those incidents may have taken place well north of the arrest area, past the Bridge at Rabbit Run on Route 32 in Solebury, according to sources.

Said Dan Hurley of the jogger investigation, "We responded to the recent arrest on the PA side of the river and are looking at all past incidents looking for similarities. We have not ruled out anybody at this point in time as it relates to the potential suspects in this attack."

Readers with any information or tips on the jogger case can contact the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s office at 908-788-1129.

New Hope PA Sidetracks Art Gallery Presents "Moby Dick on the Delaware" Starting this Weekend

By Charlie Sahner

New Hope Sidetracks Art Gallery, inspired by the lost white beluga whale that traveled up the Delaware a few years ago, is bringing “Moby Dick on the Delaware” to New Hope all summer long. Featured are the “Moby Dick Suite” of painter and print-maker Bert Yarborough of New Hampshire and Provincetown; the aluminum sculpture, paintings and ink drawings of Timothy Woodman of Provincetown; and one major color lithograph from “The Passion of Ahab” by Benton Spruance, the mid-20th-century American lithographer. Also featured are works by 18 Sidetracks Gallery artists, many local.

The show opens Saturday July 10, with a public reception from 6:00 to 9:00 PM. Yarborough's work is particularly impressive and demonstrates the classic Sidetracks aesthetic.

New Hope Sidetracks Art Gallery neighbors the New Hope Arts Center at 2A Stockton Avenue, where Bridge Street meets the railroad tracks. 215-862-4586 for more info.

Sounds like a whale of a time! ;-)

Bitter Bob Dishes Up a Sweet Deal

Back in March, we interviewed Bitter Bob about his new barbecue style restaurant, so we recently decided to sneak in for a lunchtime sampling of his cooking.

Bottom line: Bitter Bob's didn't disappoint.

The meat selections all had an excellent texture and the right smokey flavor. Sauces can be served on the side; one a mildly spicy vinegar based Carolina style sauce, the other, a classic red BBQ slather with some subtlety. The sampler platter lets you try most of the best entrees.

The sides were glorious: sweet potato fries were a standout, as were the zesty 5-bean BBQ beans, and exceptionally fresh corn bread. Slaw slightly unispired. Decor: sparse. Service: first-rate.

All in all, if our boy Bob can keep prices at this level, he will have a hit on his hands and have no further cause for bitterness in his world. :-)

110 South Main Street in New Hope PA.

First New Hope PA - Lambertvile NJ Fireworks Show a Blast

New Painting Studio and Gallery in New Hope, PA

Le Kaloidis is an excellent abstract oil painter who recently opened a studio and gallery at 43 Bridge Street, in the back portion of the New Hope Arts Center building overlooking the Delaware Canal.

But what's particularly interesting and refreshing is that one can barely get the man to talk about himself; instead he'll shift the conversation to how great the Arts Center's sculpture show is and how much he loves watching the wildlife in the nearly-dry canal. He didn't even mention that his work on paper is on display in the PNC Branch on N. Main Street in New Hope through the end of June.

It also takes a certain amount of chutzpah to be try to make and sell abstract art in a town better known for mixed media paintings of barns and black and white photos of local canal bridges in the fog. But the art he creates has a certain coherence, vibrancy and movement, and when you visit Lee he's clearly more interested in sharing ideas, good company, and promoting art in New Hope rather than selling you a painting.

And if New Hope continues to add working artist studio spaces at reasonable rates around the Art Center nucleus and beyond, then the town will solidify its reputation as a regional art powerhouse. "Art towns" are gauged, after all, not only by the presence of galleries, but on the number of artists living and producing quality work within their boundaries.

One wonders if the owner of the abandoned Zadar's building occupying much of New Hope's prime waterfront would consider the tax advantages of providing low-cost studio spaces for artists there; it would also go a long way to generating goodwill among the town's residents and leadership.

Meanwhile, you might want to check out Lee's place at 43 Bridge. He's an interesting guy and he's got good art. :-)

New Hope PA Pride Parade May 2010

Mechanic Street Micky, New Hope PA