Chester NJ August 2009

The best Sunday Brunch in the known universe was to be had at the old Publick House. You specify the breakfast item made to order then you wander up to a table where they cut you a slice of extraordinary roast beef or you help yourself to a bowl of beef burgundy (or whatever they have made that day, freshly made pastries such as cherry turnovers and you sit at your table, eating and eating by the warmth of working fireplaces (in season). The Publick House had closed down a year or so ago and I decided to check it out to see what was going on with it. It appears that it had shut for major construction adding to the facility. Hopefully it will open up again soon. After you eat, you can amble down the street looking in at the many quaint shops. The last time I was here a young Polish woman had opened up a shop where she sold her homemade jewelry and other items made of amber. I didn't see it this time but maybe she moved to another location. Larison's Turkey Farm closed several years ago. It re-opened as Larison's Steak House but closed again two weeks ago. We never ate there because the Publick House always seemed by far the superior draw. When the children were young, the Phillipses used to join us in taking our children to pick your own apple orchards in the vicinity. It always seemed to degenerate into a brawl as the kids tried to bop apples off each others heads. Ah, memories.

Chester NJ Aug 2009