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620BUCKS COUNTY COURIER TIMES PENNSYLVANIAFRIDAY, APRIL30, 1976Bicentennial visitBristugh will eat wellJIM KINGSTON Courier Times Special WriterHe may not eat wisely, but the Bristol Borough visitor mostassuredly will eat well’Travelers from near and far have enjoyed the hospitality of Bristol's not-too-numerous eateries for nearly' 300 years In fact, one of Bristol's foremost inns boasts a history as old as Bristol itself: The King GeorgenToday, the King George II. still looking much like a grand country inn in the finest English tradition, offers a menu that could satisfy the appetite of George II and ev en Henry VIII Steaks, chops, and seafood are the order of the day for dinner, and at prices that would embar-ass most Philadelphia-area restaurants For example, broiledlobster tail and filet mignon are the two highest pnced items at $7 95.On the low end is boneless breast of chicken a la George for $3 95 I ve seen higher prices at run-of the-mill diners In keeping with the English tradition, the King George II sports such Anglophile dishes as Cottage Pie and English Trifle Cottage Pie consists of choppedsirloin with onions green peppers and mushrooms, bakedunder a crust of mashed potatoes.That, on the luncheon menu, goes for $2 40 The English Trifle. a dessert item that is, by any measure, no ‘‘trifle, is made with cake, raspberry jam. and ice cream With lunch the Trifle is 95 cents; at dinner it's aft.The King George II has a capacity ol up to 240 persons in its four dining rooms and thetavern.Bristol HouseDirectlv across the street from the King George II is another historic landmark, The Bristol House Originally named the “King of Prussia,” American troops cheered the mn’sname as they shot the sign fromthe King George II The Bristol House has been a most popular spot since Bristol lt;then called Buckingham* was the capital of the county (1702-1726). That popularity carries into today as the Bristol House draws lovers of pizza, pasta ~nd hoagiesHowever Itahan-American dishes are not the limit.The menu, like other Bristoleating places, carries moderate prices. For example a vealAutomobile show%to feature testsThe Heart of Bucks Automobile Show will feature an event that is seldom seen in the area The show will be held at War Memorial Field in Dovlestown on June 26Wand 27. and is sponsored jointly by the Jaycees and Lions Gub of the Central Bucks County community.The new event is described as an antique gymkhana and wall feature automobiles made prior to1930 in a series of contests that are designed to test the driver 's skillsDif'erent types of antique cars wall be competeing on each day of the event.We know of no other show in the Delaware Valley that has the facilities for this type of an event'. Roger Conduit, the show s director pointed out “It will give the spectators an opportunity to ee the old cars performing and that is always interesting.Good field Initial response from area restorers and antique car owners has been favorable and the organizers are looking forward to a good field of entrants.Although it is only the first year for the Heart of Bucks show, it features judging in 14 separate divisions over the weekendOn Saturday, June 26’ the show will host owners of Antique, Au-bums-Cords-Duesenbergs, Bugat-ti Jaguars, Lincoln Continentals. Milestone, Sports Cars and Thun-derburdsOn the second day, June 27. Commercial Antiques, Antique motorcycles. Gassic Cars. Vintage Chevrolets, Corvettes. Model A Fords. Packards and Rolls-Royces will be judgedGymkhana activities will be opened to Model A Fords as well as Chevrolets and Plymouths ol the same era on the opening day while antiques made prior to 1925 will compete on Sunday. Events will include cranking contests, balloon breaking races and other similarly interesting driving testsIn describing the facilities. Conduit said, “War Memorial Field is an ideal setting for an automobile show The grounds are well kept lawns that encircle a stadium with a seating capacity of 4 000 This is the only show that I know of where that many people can sit and relax while watching the awards ceremonyWar Memorial Field is located on the outskirts of the Central Bucks community on Route 202 and is within walking distance of a Reading Railroad station and bus lines from Philadelphia A newly completed by-pass will enable visitors to the show to avoid traffic congestion.Proceeds from the Heart of Zucks Automobile Show will be used by the Doylestown Jaycees and Lions for their communityservice Droiectsparmegiana is only $4 95 and aT-bone $5,50.Spaghetti, ravioli, and lasag-na range from $1 75 to $2 65, tops! You can get at least seven varieties of pizza from as little as $2 for a small plain to $3 30 for a large pepperoni.For the uninitiated, like me. there's an item on the menu called “pencil points” which turns out to be mostaciolli, a hollow pasta cut on an angle and resembling an early quill pen point The plate of pencil points with meat balls they served me could have been shared with one or two others and all would have had enough It was “molto bene”! Be prepared to wait a reasonable time for pasta dishes at the Bristol House because they don't cook pasta in advance as many restaurants are prone to do On the contrary, they cook it to order and that can take a good 10minutesOwned for the past 20 years by the Man family (that’s Italian!). the Bristol House Hotel has a small (50-seat), informal dining room and caters to pretty much to family groups .. both for dinner and as pizza stopJoe Man Jr (the third generation) showed me a bit of history in the basement There is a bnck sidewalk, shuttered outside windows, and doors — all inside the walls of the present basement.Stnctly a family affair. JoeMan, senior and junior, work the kitchen; a sister-in-law waits tables, and another brother tends the bar.Charlie Karp's PubAcross town is Charlie Karp's Pub, at 1800 Farragut Avenue, well off the beaten path from the downtown area But the tnp will be worth it Charlie Karp s is open only for dinner, and then, only on Thursday, Fnday, Saturday and Sunday Chances are, if you eat everything Charlie serves you on Thursday night, it could well carry you through the weekend . he's that generousWe ordered the breaded shrimp platter which, on the menu, adds the words “12 pieces Well, it doesn't really mean “pieces' — means 12 whole shrimp! That number of shrimp, together with a salad bowl, a whole baked Idaho with butter or sour cream, rolls and butter, a parfait and coffee should satisfy even the better-than-average appetite . . and for only $4 95' If you're really hungry. Charlie serves up a huge lobster tail — with the same amenities as the shnmp — for $7 95 Or. if your famished, two lobster tails for $12 95!Because Charlie Karp, who happens to be a retail grocer most of the week (in addition to being a restaurateur and chef!, serves these oversize meals, two or more persons began to share■v'VKING GEORGE U HEAD CHEF TOM M AHR READS ORDERS DURING BUSY DINNER TIME... tbe restaurant looks much like a grand country inn in the finest English traditionone between them So. Charlie had to put a little footnote on his menu: “Sharing charge per person — $2”, to compensate for the extra plates and silverwareThe decor here is modem and attractive — as are the waitresses in their short, black and white costomes with ruffled petticoats In the six years Charlie Karo has owned the restaurant. he has doubled its size by adding a dining room as large as the whole original bar and restaurant area Now it seats 144Keystone Inn The fourth major restaurant m Bnstol is the Keystone Inn, another downtown, historic place Like the King George II and the Bnstol House Hotel, it is also more than 200 years old The Keystone specializes in*Richboro groupsslate concertThe Richboro Intermediate School Orchestra and Choruseswill present its annual pring cofbcert on Wednesday. May 5 at 8pmThe a cappella choir under the direction of Thomas Doyle, will sing a program of early Amencanselections The orchestra, conducted by Jan Kalny will perform a varied concert including “Dialogue and Fugue,” T S O P ” and “Sing and Shenandoah.” Doyle's chorus will conclude the program with several popular song*, including a medley of Tony Orlando and Dawn's hitsRichboro Intermediate will be the scene of a Bicentennial Festival on Thursday, May 13 The festival will begin at 7 pm with a “dessert hour' featuring colonial desserts provided by parentsAt 7:30 p m. there will be several interesting Bicentennial exhibits to visit. These include a showcase of early American tools and kitchen utensils and projects by students from social studies classes.At 8 p m in the gym the B-Band conducted by Don Ketterer will present a concert Following the B-Band s presentation the ABand and Jazz Band under the direction of Jan Kalny will perform numbers including, “Overture in C Minor,” You, You re the One,” and “Concerto for Faculty and BandItalian-Amencan foods, as well as seafoods . . cooked to orderThe most outstanding menu item is their “Gourmet Specialty of the House.” which could make Ripleys Believe-it-or-Not' It's a dinner for four and costs $12 For that, you get; Lobster tail, shnmp scampi, clams casino, an individual order of rigatom, boneless sirloin steak broiled with french fned onions, dessert and beverage. Another specialty on the menu was a great vanety of veal dishes such as veal parmesan. veal marsala, and veal cordorv bleu In the seafood category were uch tempting items as lobster fra diavolo and flounder stuffed with crabmeatThe Keystone once wasknown as the Closson House and was onginally a canal hotel stop At the time of our visit a few weeks ago, it was owned by partners Sam Lite and Jack Segan; however, because of illness. Lite indicated a possible sale of the property. Assumingany new owners would continuethe tradition of the current menu, the Keystone would be a well recommended stop for any party of four who would like the challenge of the Gourmet Specialty dr anyone eLse with a fondness for Italian style or seafoodAside from t^se four principal eateries, Bnstol has a few minor spots for the sandwich and coffee corwd. at least one other pizzeria and a dairv bar.Corner Tiroes photos by b larne^ PitrooeBRISTOL HOUSE ORGAN PLAYER... he s Eddie Ostrowski, who also lives there
Newspaper Details
Bucks County Courier Times
Levittown, Pennsylvania, US
Fri, Apr 30, 1976
Page 20
Full Page
Clipped by
Margaret R.
PA, USA 02 Jun 2021
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