Ever been to a restaurant that serves up more than 600 kinds of greens? Bird’s Nest Bar & Grille in New Hope offers food, drink, and the opportunity to (virtually) play a round on your choice of nearly 600 world class golf courses.
Bird’s Nest opened its doors on October 12 on York Road in New Hope, in the space formerly occupied by the Jamie Hollander gourmet food emporium. The space at the front has been transformed into a welcoming bar and dining venue, decked out in white oak and ebony finishes and featuring a dramatic black granite topped bar along one wall seating 18 patrons.
How would General Manager Dan Hanrahan describe Bird’s Nest? “An upscale sports bar,” he says. “We feature seven TVs in an effort to get every game people want to watch on them. There are three state-of-the-art golf simulators in the back. In short, we’ve created a handsome place with great food, an excellent chef who’s nailed some classic sports bar fare like great cheese steaks, great wings, and a great wine and spirits list, an expanding Bourbon collection, and rotating beers on tap. We’ll work to keep it interesting”
The well-stocked bar does indeed feature a changing selection of tap, bottled, and canned beer, as well as a growing selection of premium bourbon, “Signature Cocktails” like the Birdie Breeze (Malibu Coconut Rum, specialty cream liqueur RumChata, and orange juice), “Classic Cocktails with a Twist” like the Espresso Martini (Absolut Vanilla, Kahlua, and cold brew coffee), and a selection of seasonal cocktails (pumpkin and apple are the star ingredients for fall) and mocktails.
Wine lovers are sure to find something to their liking as well. Offered by the glass or bottle, reds range from a Dona Paula Malbec from Argentina ($39/bottle) to Chapellet Mountain Cuvée Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($95/bottle). Whites begin at $14 for a split of Terra Di Rai Posecco and top out at $56 for a Sonoma County Matanzas Creek Sauvignon Blanc.
At the helm of the grille side of the dining room is Chef Bela Durst, a well-regarded veteran of the Philadelphia culinary scene and elsewhere. Durst has crafted a fairly priced menu befitting the sporting bar and grille theme. Menu categories include “Wings and Things” (wings, deviled eggs, onion rings, mozzarella sticks), “Loaded Fries” (house fries, crab fries, nacho fries) and “Salads” (chopped, arugula, Caesar).
“Mains” range from the $13 Bird Dog (jumbo hot dog, relish, mustard, Stockton Market brioche, fries) to $26 for Steak Frites or Verlasso Salmon (a sustainably farmed salmon from Chile). A selection of desserts is available ($12), and a children’s menu is offered as well, a nice touch.
On Saturday mornings beginning at 10 a.m., Bird’s Nest offers a “Premiere League Breakfast” — a traditional full English Breakfast ($20) consisting of fried eggs, baked beans, bangers (sausages), back bacon (aka Canadian bacon), roasted tomato, mushrooms, and toast.
Of course (pun intended), what sets Bird’s Nest Bar & Grille apart from other area eateries is the three state-of-the-art Trackman (trackman.com) indoor golf simulator bays that await at the rear of the dining area. Accommodating up to four players per bay in comfort, the simulators offer a surprisingly realistic, immersive experience that simply must be experienced to be believed.
I got a taste of what that experience was like on my visit to Bird’s Nest from a demo by Dan Hanrahan. Dialing up Ireland’s venerable Adare Manor Golf Club on the Trackman’s console (the first of more than 600 courses from which to choose) displayed a remarkably realistic view from the first tee.
Selecting his club (a three wood, I believe), Hanrahan hit a very respectable tee shot toward the pin. The Trackman’s sensors and calculation software immediately went to work, simultaneously tracking the flight of the ball and displaying its lie on the screen, while on-screen readouts displayed the ball’s speed, carry, height, launch angle, distance from the pin, and other metrics aimed at helping improve one’s game.
“Unbelievable!” Hanrahan exclaimed. “That’s the best shot I’ve ever made.”
In addition to the stunningly realistic graphics and audio, players may choose the time of day to begin their round to evoke weather conditions, dynamic patterns of sunlight and shadow, shifting cloud cover, crashing waves, rippling streams, and other effects appropriate to the course they’ve chosen to play.
When not taking a turn teeing off or playing their lie, other golfers in party may avail themselves of the comfy seating and access to full bar service provided in each bay. And the Trackman console also serves as a video game console, just in case players wish to take a break from their round. An assortment of fun video games for children — including virtual mini-golf — are available as well.
Like the bar and grille, the golf simulators are available for use by the general public. A variety of leagues, tournaments, lessons from resident pro P.J. Solley, and other options will soon be available. The full list of offerings is still under development; visit the Bird’s Nest website for the latest details and rates.
Bird’s Nest Bar & Grille is available for private catered events of all kinds; corporate gatherings, birthday parties for kids and adults, bachelor and bachelorette parties, and fundraisers.
Bird’s Nest Bar & Grille, 415 York Road, New Hope, Pennsylvania. Hours, subject to change, are: Sundays through Fridays, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. 267-740-7913 or birdsnestgrille.com.
