TOWN TOPICS, PRINCETON, N.J., WEDNESDAY, march 7, 2018 • 14
Hopewell-Pennington Area Life Area Happenings: Restaurant Week, New Theater, Arts Events, Local Shopping
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he Hopewell-Pennington area has long been known for its abundant farmland and open spaces, but it is also home to a growing dining culture, creative arts scene, new entertainment options, and a wide variety of local businesses that focus on putting their customers first. March has just begun, but there are many exciting happenings in the Hopewell-Pennington area to check out now and throughout this spring. Restaurant Week Sponsored by the Hopewell Borough Restaurant Association, Winter Restaurant Week is now in full swing in Hopewell through Sunday, March 11. For the fourth year in a row, borough eateries are serving up special menus for all to enjoy all week long. Par ticipating restaurants include Antimo’s Italian Kitchen, The Blue Bottle Café, The Brothers Moon, Brick Farm Tavern, The Peasant Grill, Boro Bean, Entrata, Hopewell Valley Bistro & Inn, Nomad Pizza, Thana Thai Kitchen, and Brick Farm Market. Called “the most delicious week in Hopewell,” diners
can partake in creative culinary pleasures throughout tow n including a three course $45 prix fixe dinner at The Blue Bottle with appetizer selections including Shrimp Bisque and Classic Greek Salad, along with entrees such as Roasted Angus N.Y. Strip with crispy parmesan potatoes and Sautéed Skate with brown butter and cauliflower puree. Desserts include a Hazelnut Banana Financier with caramelized bananas and vanilla ice cream. There is also a prix fixe lunch for $21.08, with selections including Chicken Liver Mousse, Seafood Burger, and Housemade Quiche with smoked ham and gruyere cheese. Over at Brick Farm Tavern, the three-course prix fixe dinner, also $45, features selections such as Meringue Roasted Beet Caprese, Swedish Berkshire Pork Meatballs, Freedom Ranger Chicken, and S’mores Sundae. Boro Bean, a popular meeting spot among locals, just celebrated its 10 th anniversary and is offering daily specials for Restaurant Week. Hopewell Valley Bistro &
Inn features a local, farmcentric Restaurant Week menu with appetizers such as Fried Green Tomatoes and Beet Salad, along with entrees including Ricotta Gnocchi, Sheperd’s Pie, and Boneless Short Rib. They are also featuring Hopewellbased Sourland Mountain Spirits and homemade fruity sangria. The bistro also hosts many live music events, including its weekly Jazz on Broad on Thursdays from 6 to 9 p.m. featuring “well-know n and wor thknowing” jazz performers. The Akiko Tsuruga Trio is on tap for this Thursday, March 8. Hopewell Valley Bistro & Inn also hosts a series of rotating art exhibits to support local artists. For more about Hopewell Winter Restaurant Week, visit the website at www. eatinhopewell.com. Hopewell Theater Hopewell Theater, located on South Greenwood Avenue in the space formerly occupied by the Off-Broadstreet Theatre, reopened last year after an extensive renovation. Now a 176-seat theater with state-of-the-art projection, lighting, and sound, it offers
a wide range of cultural experiences including independent movies, live music, and guest speakers, along with special Supper Club Nights. Artists can also rent the theater to practice, develop work, perform, or show their work on the big screen. Upcoming events at Hopewell Theater include a showing of Farmers for America on Thursday, March 8, with a special farm-totable dinner at 6 p.m. and panel discussion after the screening with the film’s director, Graham Meriwether. There will also be showings of In the Fade starring Diane Kruger on Saturday, March 10 at 4:30 p.m., Sunday, March 11 at 7 p.m., and Tuesday, March 13 at 7 p.m. The Royal Shakespeare Company’s Twelfth Night will be shown on March 10 at 7 p.m., March 11 at 3:35 p.m., and March 14 at 7 p.m. St. Patrick’s Day will be celebrated at Hopewell Theater on March 17 at 7 p.m. with Best Irish Short Films, curated by the Irish Film Board. The evening will include a diverse array of new film talent from filmmakers working in animation and live action, in both the comedy and drama genres. A dinein Irish supper of corned beef and cabbage and Irish soda bread, prepared by The
Peasant Grill, will be available for purchase at the concession stand to be enjoyed before or during the films. For more about Hopewell Theater events, visit www. hopewelltheater.com. Arts in the Valley The arts are thriving in the Hopewell Township region, in large part due to the efforts of the Hopewell Valley Arts Council, a nonprofit organization dedicated to “celebrating art in the everyday.” By cultivating creative exploration and expression, HV Arts Council seeks to engage the greater Hopewell Valley community to increase awareness and appreciation of, and participation in, visual, culinary, literary, performing, and horticultural arts. Through its partnerships and collaborations, HV Arts Council helps to highlight the talent of artists in the greater Hopewell Valley area, as well as enrich the cultural and creative lives of the community with artistic events and major initiatives. In conjunction with Capital Health, HV Arts Council is now presenting “A is for ART, T is for TEAM,” an exhibition of works by the Trenton Community A-TEAM, a nonprofit with a deep-rooted history at the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, where soup kitchen
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IRISH EARS ARE SMILING, TOO.
St. Patrick's Weekend at Hopewell Theater
patrons meet weekly to create artwork. The 51 works, on display through May 21 at the Art & Healing Gallery at Capital Health Medical Center — Hopewell at One Capital Way in Pennington, provide the public with an opportunity to “see colorful and meaningful art created with a variety of media including acrylic, oils, marker, crayon, pastels, watercolor, and mixed media,” according to HV Art Council. The HV Arts Council will also present “Spring: The Music of Open Windows,” a cabaret-style celebration of all things spring, at the Hopewell Theater on April 21 from 7 to 9:30 p.m. The evening will feature entertainment by lyric coloratura soprano Elizabeth Sutton, who is also a professor of voice at Westminster Choir College and Pennington resident. Critically acclaimed for her singing and stage presence, Sutton has debuted with opera companies and festivals throughout the United States, Italy, and Austria including the Caramoor International Music Festival, New Jersey Opera, Opera Cleveland, Skylight Opera Theater, American International Music School, and Lucca Opera Theater, Italy. At “Spring: The Music Continued on Page 16
OUR Screen +
Opens 3/10+saturday
in the fade
OPENs 3/10+saturday
Royal Shakespeare Company: Twelfth Night 3/24+Saturday+6/8pm
SUPPER CLUB + BLOOD ROAD FILM (In partnership with Sourland Cycles)
Opens 3/29+thursday
big sonia
Opens 4/1+sunday
Discover Arts: Hitler Vs Picasso
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OUR STAGE +
3/7+wednesday+7:30pm 3/16+ friday+ 7:30pm
Jameson's Revenge
Singer Songwriters Night + Open Mic 3/9+friday+8pm
Birds of chicago 3/23+friday+8pm
luke elliot
3/31+saturday+8pm
phoebe hunt & the gatherers 4/5+thursday+8pm
Betsayda Machado & Parranda El Clavo
Multi Media Events
3/17+ saturday+ 7pm
best of Irish short film Curated by the Irish Film Board
RESERVE TICKETS: HOPEWELLTHEATER.COM • box office (609) 466-1964
5 SOUTH GREENWOOD AVE. • HOPEWELL, NJ 08525
5 SOUTH GREENWOOD AVE. • HOPEWELL, NJ 08525