NEW HOPE, PA – Overlooking the Delaware River and the New Hope-Lambertville Bridge is The Landing, a popular restaurant in the bustling town of New Hope. The Landing offers in-door and out-door seating, but out-door seating is much preferred because of the beautiful view on to the Delaware River. The optimum time to dine at The Landing is during sunset, when an array of oranges, blues, and purples paint the sky and reflect down into the water, creating an other-worldly glow from beneath the surface.

Even more magical than the scenery is the food, a delectable variety of American dishes. Although The Landing has a short menu, all of the options are mouth-watering, especially one of their most popular items: pan seared scallops. Tender scallops rest atop a bed of mushroom risotto, sautéed spinach, and tomato coulis, a healthy and tasty dish –  a hard combination to come by.

Almost as delicious as the scallops are the fish tacos. Three small corn tacos are filled to the brim with blackened tilapia, tender rice, black beans, cabbage, mango Pico de Gallo, mozzarella cheese, and sour cream. Although the tilapia was cooked to perfection, the overall flavor of the dish revolved too much around the cabbage and not enough on the tilapia and mango Pico de Gallo.

A criminal aspect of many restaurants today is that they often serve huge portion sizes that tempt restaurant-goers to overeat. But The Landing doesn’t fall into this category; after a night out along the Delaware River, you will feel satisfied but not over-stuffed. Many restaurants are also known for overpricing their menus, but all of The Landing’s entrees are between ten and twenty six dollars, a reasonable price to pay for a quintessential American dining experience.

I give an overall rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars to The Landing because their food is truly unique and delicious, but some of the dishes have small imperfections. The atmosphere is peaceful but lively, due to the beautiful scenery and young crowd that attends the restaurant.