The Narrows

by Frank D. Quattrone

The first thing you’ll notice about The Narrows, the charming restaurant located at the narrowest stretch of the Delaware River in Upper Black Eddy, is an abundance of enthusiasm. The warm greeting you receive at the hostess station. The servers scurrying from table to table with smiles on their faces. And then there’s Mari McCusker, the general manager.

The co-owner with her husband Mike of a horse farm up the road, she watched with excitement as the long-shuttered Indian Rock Inn was being rebuilt by the new owners. Having enjoyed working as a server and bartender in various restaurants since she was 14, she dreamed of tending bar for this new restaurant once it opened. 

She learned that the owners—James and Tamra Vipond and Anthony Capone, Brooklynites with close ties to Bucks County—were passionate foodies like her. The Viponds own Alma and Brooklyn Crab back home, and Capone partners with them at Alma. She said she felt she was “stalking” the place because of the positive vibes she was feeling and soon persuaded the owners that she’d be the right person to tend their bar. It turned out that she was such a force of nature that she quickly assumed her new position as general manager. 

That was four-and-a-half years ago, and The Narrows has come a long way since, even weathering a brief shutdown during the pandemic. Now, it has become, through the hopes of the owners and their efficient staff, both a destination restaurant and a hub for local families to enjoy any time of the week. 

Another key decision was the hiring of Mike Keating as executive chef. An incredibly talented culinary craftsman, he is as modest and unassuming as they come. Like Mari, the chef started out in the business when he was in high school, working his way up from serving to line chef to prep chef, watching carefully and learning as he grew. He refined his culinary skills at Brookdale Community College and soon found steady work at Cape May’s Blue Rose Inn and then at Salt Creek Grille in Rumson, N.J.

But it’s here at The Narrows where it all came together for Keating. Working closely with the owners, they developed what the chef calls a “New American menu, because it’s actually a fusion of so many cultures, like America itself.”

And the chef prides himself on the restaurant’s decision to make virtually everything in house “... from onions rings and bread to ice cream and pasta. And pasta is what I love best. I change up our pastas depending on the best available ingredients in season. People think it’s a lot of work, but I don’t feel it’s work because it’s what I love to do.”

We settled in for our meal as the restaurant and its popular front porch soon filled up with chattering guests. First, our appetizers.

The “New American” Pork Egg Rolls, served with a ginger soy reduction, with pickled ginger and ginger soy sauce on the side, would have been a worthy dish at any fine Chinese restaurant. But the House Baked Bread, recommended by the chef, the general manager, and our popular server, Tara Fiebig, was easily equal to its advanced billing—an aromatic mini-mound of moist bread laced with Gruyere, pecorino, and Romano cheeses and served with a side of whipped garlic butter—and a perfect complement to our entrées.  

The House Baked Bread happens to be one of the specialties of Sous Chef Angela Keating, the chef’s wife, also known as the “queen of brunch” and creator of The Narrow’s fine desserts (more on that later), as well as practically everything else in the kitchen.

Eve’s entrée was a perfectly prepared medium rare Prime New York Strip, coated with coffee and cocoa and served with creamed spinach, fried onion rings, and brandy cream—a classic American meal that Eve counted among the best steaks she’s ever tasted. And then came my personal favorite, the Carrot and Ricotta Ravioli, a work of textured art on a plate—steamed carrots and sugar snap peas crisscrossed atop ricotta ravioli kissed with almond basil pesto and topped with cherry tomatoes, capers, and toasted almonds! Simply incredible.

And we finished our wonderful meal sharing Angela’s now-famous Lemon Ricotta Doughnuts, coated in cinnamon sugar and served with a side of house made coffee cardamom ice cream on a bed of cinnamon sabayon. 

Other mainstays on the menu are the Narrows Burger, Fried Chicken, and Steak Frites. But there are also vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and elevated international offerings as well. And on Wednesdays, Kids Eat Free. Thursday is $1.00 Wing Night. Friday is $1.50 Oyster Night. So you can see that The Narrows has a broad range of possibilities to entice both locals and foodies from all parts virtually any time of the week.

The Narrows is located at 2206 River Road, Upper Black Eddy, PA 18972; 484-309-4449; www.thenarrowsrestaurantandbar.com. Open Wednesday to Saturday, 12 – 9 p.m.; Sunday Brunch, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.; Sunday Dinner, 3 – 8 p.m. Closed Monday & Tuesday. Reservations needed for brunch. Available for private parties in the Canal Room. Four private rooms available upstairs.