ordo "Haute Cuisine and Beanery Fare"

This small strip-mall restaurant had been well recommended to me, and I was impressed with the fact that I had to call a week in advance for a 7:00 pm Saturday dinner reservation. As is my custom with long-in-advance reservations, I called again on the designated Saturday morning to reconfirm. The party to whom I spoke, probably the owner, maintained that I didn’t have a reservation, but he might be able to accommodate us at 6:00 pm . . . no apology, not even concern, just nonchalant aplomb. I suspect that since the restaurant has a thriving business, and since this was to be my first visit, he might have given our table to one of his regulars. In any event, I instructed him as to what he might do with his accommodation, and hung up.

It should be noted that this restaurant is 45 minutes away from my home, and had I not called we would have driven all that distance to find ourselves with no alternative but to wait a couple of hours. It is my opinion that anyone planning to dine here should regard his or her reservation as non-binding.

Since I am a paraplegic, my choice of good restaurants is limited by wheelchair accessibility, and not so wide as is that of an able-bodied person. Fortunately, I was able to book a last minute reservation at Maria’s, in Roxborough, one of the best Italian restaurants in the area.

Robin’s Nest is a lovely little restaurant ensconced in an ancient house in Mount Holly, NJ. One of the dining rooms is an old, old décor that is quite charming. Another is a closed-in outdoor porch, and the third is a small bar and lounge with suitable low-level lighting.

The menu is always interesting, and although it leans toward heart-healthy food, there is never a lack of creative new dishes. On a recent luncheon visit, we enjoyed a cup of German Apple Onion Blue Cheese Soup and a bowl of Turkey Chile. The former was unlike anything I had ever tasted, but a definite winner. The Chile was quite spicy and served piping hot . . . really enjoyable, and accompanied by a side salad of mixed greens with a Champaign Vinaigrette dressing that was also new to me, and utterly delicious. Their menus are available at http://www.robinsnestmountholly.com/Menu.htm.

The bakery is in the front entrance-way, and presents a large glass showcase filled with a dazzling array of pastries. Samplings of these offerings over the many years that I have been patronizing this place convinces me that there should be a law protecting dieters from this sort of temptation.

This is a lovely restaurant . . . pleasant country inn ambiance, excellent food, and a very cheerful, efficient staff.

The dinner was paced beautifully, allowing us to fully savor each course without fear of something else approaching; also, our experience was heightened by a couple of “surprises” from the chef . . . first an interesting, tiny antipasto, and later an “intermezzo” of citrus sherbet.

The only problem I encountered, if you can call it that, was that the entree was such a generous portion that I had to take half of it home.

I can heartily recommend this place to anyone who seeks fine dining.