There is nothing more pleasing than when a long-established business gets sold and the space is re-imagined by other people from our community. For many years when I first moved here to Highland twenty-nine years ago, the Carriage House on Route 97 by the Shohola Bridge was one of the very few restaurants around. At that time, in front of the Carriage House right by the bridge, there was a giant (about thirty foot) statue of a lumberjack wearing a plaid shirt. It was the perfect landmark for weekend visitors- “take a right at the lumberjack.” It was there for years and then without any explanation it was gone! A few years later I saw the lumberjack laying in its side in a field in Bethel right next to route 17B. Back in those days there wasn’t the heavy need for deep inquiries to be made about these types of situations, so I never really learned what had happened, but I still look at the field when I pass by and wonder. 

The new restaurant at the former Carriage House location is now called The River’s Edge Restaurant, Bar and Motel, which is owned by Ian Brown whose family has deep roots in our community going back several generations. Mr. Brown and his team have completely renovated the restaurant and bar area, making it sleek and very comfortable, and upgraded and modernized the kitchen facilities as befits this classic beautiful space.  To be able to write honestly about the new venue, I grabbed my friend Margie and went there for dinner. As the dinner hour grew closer the restaurant got packed with diners which were local folks and families. The menu had many choices and the waitress described it as American fusion with Asian, Latino and one German offering schnitzel. The cocktail menu reflected fusion choices as well with eight selections including an Endless Summer, Moko Tiki and a Negroni Blanc. I can see spending some time this summer working away trying each of these cocktails. We both started with a coconut margarita which was so delightful. We hit the shared plate section and had deep fried zucchini with panko and a marinara sauce which was a huge portion and delicious. My dinner was selected from the nine entrée selections, and I got the pork chop which came with a wonderful white sweet potato mash and buttered leeks all of which was prepared perfectly. Margie had chicken schnitzel which she loved. By this point because the portion sizes were very generous, we had eaten a lot of food and needed several takeaway boxes for the leftovers. I had read online that the wait staff was very professional and pleasant, and this turned out to be quite true. I saw many local people I knew, and everyone seemed to be having a wonderful time. So, to be absolutely sure, the Delaware River towns have a new great hotspot with delicious reasonably priced food and excellent well-managed service. The Rivers Edge is located at 3351 Route 97 in Barryville and is open for lunch from 11-3pm and for dinner from 4-9pm and on weekends 4-10pm. For more information about the hours of operation and the menu please call 845-456-0179 or email info@riversedgeny.com.