Alice’s on Lake Hopatcong is a destination worth the trip. Former New Yorker Alice Szigethy opened her restaurant in 2009 with the mission to provide good food and comfortable drinks in a pleasing setting on the lake. With a beautiful view, a very credible menu and a well selected wine, beer and cocktail list we think she has done quite well.
The Wine: Willm Sparkling Blanc de Blanc from Alsace, France and a Malbec, Agua de Piedra, from Mendoza, Argentina $$
The Food: A very nice American lunch
The Place: Alice’s on the eastern shore of Lake Hopatcong, NJ.
We walked into a bright inviting room. It was a quiet winter Sunday, the sun was bright. I am told the Alice’s gets very busy in the summer. While we scanned the menu we were offered a choice of still or sparkling water, a nice touch, and enjoyed the view.
I decided to start my “comfortable drinking” with one of two sparkling wines on the wine list, a Cremant, which is a name for French sparkling wines the are not made in Champagne. Always a good choice early in the day. It was a Blanc de Blanc by the highly regard Alsace wine family Willm. Cremant is just as good and usually a better value. Willm was founded in 1896 and was the first winemakers in Alsace to export their wines to the US back in the 30’s. Their popularity have never waiver. Blanc de Blanc means it is made of only Chardonnay grapes generally resulting in a better quality wine that can be enjoyed young but will also improve with age.
A perfect companion to this pear and arugula salad with queso fresco, toasted pecans, scallion, olive oil, and pear jam.
And this chicken liver pate with cranberry jam and rosemary crostini. We thought this was more of a mousse than a pate it was so smooth and creamy.
For our second course two beef sandwiches caught or eye. For this I picked a Malbec from Agua de Piedra, "water stone", a collaboration called of Mendoza vineyards and famous flying winemaker Hugh Ryman. As the story goes “European settlers were fascinated by the beauty of Argentina but stymied by the arid conditions. How did they source water? The only water available was from heating and cooling stones to capture the condensation, hence the name of the wine - Agua de Piedra.” Icon Wines
The Alice's Burger, fine ground beef, lettuce, red onions, house made mayonnaise, toasted potato bun, pickles, shoestring fries.
Pan roasted hanger steak sandwich on a toasted baguette with caramelized onions, melted Swiss, arugula, and a rosemary mayonnaise. Both were exceptional.
My daughter Nell, who I was with, enjoyed a very good Bloody Mary.
4 Nolan’s Point Park Road, Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey 07849
Accessible by car or boat
973.663.9600
Things to do, places to see, with food and booze
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