Bucks Restaurant Whips Up Special Menu For 'Eat, Drink And Be Merry'

BUCKS COUNTY, PA — One of New Hope's oldest family-owned restaurants is teaming up with the Kin Wellness Center in Buckingham for the first-ever "Eat, Drink and Be Merry Month" in Bucks County.

Karla's Restaurant & Bar, a favorite among the locals for more than 50 years, will be joining restaurants, eateries, and bars from throughout the county for the month-long fundraiser set to run from August 15 through September 15.

During the event, patrons will be able to order a designated appetizer, entrée, drink, or dessert from participating restaurants and bar partners while benefiting the Kin Wellness and Support Center, which provides free support to cancer patients and their caregivers.

"People can eat, drink and be merry while both supporting local businesses and our cancer community at Kin," said Kin founding member and executive director Keith Fenimore in announcing the summer fundraiser.

Karla's, once named one of "the grooviest places to dine," has been a part of the New Hope restaurant scene for more than 50 years serving American cuisine in a comfortable atmosphere at 5 West Mechanic Street.

First opened in 1978, the business was purchased in 1984 by Louis Zanias, who had immigrated to the United States from Belgian in 1974, put himself through school, and learned a trade. He started working at Karla's as a chef in 1981. Three years later, he purchased the business.

Today, 45 years later, Louis' daughter, Alexis Zanias, operates the restaurant with the continued help and support of her father. She is assisted by restaurant managers Cynthia Desmelyk and James Dugan.

The family also runs Zoubi, a restaurant serving American cuisine with a European touch at 7 West Mechanic Street and five locations of Nina's Waffles and Ice Cream.

"Everything is made from scratch in our kitchen. Everything is fresh," said Alexis, noting that its popular items include its seasonal fruit cocktails; its macaroni and cheese; and its fried chicken, which is served every Monday night during "Locals Night," a 40-year tradition at the restaurant.

Karla's Restaurant and Bar on West Mechanic Street in New Hope.

During "Eat, Drink and Be Merry Month," Karla's will be "marrying in" some of its most popular items into a special menu benefiting Kin, according to Alexis.

The menu will include a special strawberry lemon drop cocktail, which will be served throughout the month. The cocktail, said Alexis, is a play on one of Karla's most popular drinks - the lemon drop martini. "It will have a fresh strawberry puree in it," she said.

Its featured dinner items will change weekly during the month, beginning with a rigatoni pasta with a spicy pink sauce that's tossed with Karla's famous fried chicken breast, grilled corn, roasted tomatoes and sauteed spinach.

While the chef hasn't yet released the subsequent week's offerings, Alexis said there's little doubt one of those weeks will feature the restaurant's popular macaroni and cheese dish.

"The drink will stay the same but the food items are going to change throughout the month," said Alexis. "And we will be donating 50 percent of the proceeds from our special strawberry lemon drop cocktail and our special weekly food item to Kin.

"So come on out, enjoy an evening with the community, and support a good cause," said Alexis.

"Everybody has known somebody who has been affected by cancer," adds Alexis. "And Keith and Kristina (Fenimore) have been so generous to Kin and to our local cancer patients. This is the least we can do to help them out and to support Kin. It's also nice to be able to donate to someone that's local and we know where the money is going and what it's being used for. We want to help."

Throughout the month, Patch will be spotlighting "Eat, Drink and Be Merry" participants and letting patrons know where they can sit down and enjoy a delicious meal while supporting Kin Wellness.

The "Bucks County Eat, Drink and Be Merry Month" has a dedicated webpage at www.welcometokin.org where participating locations can be found with a logo and a hyper-link to
their business. As a visual indicator, all participating locations have received a partnership decal to display on the window of their business as well as branded table tents.

Participating restaurants include:

• Ardana Food and Drink (Newtown and Warrington)
• KC Prime (Warrington)
• Ardana Pizza Co. (Warrington)
• The Good Gyro (New Hope)
• The Hattery (Doylestown)
• Penn Taproom (Doylestown)
• Cafe With Soul (Doylestown)
• Nat’s Pizzeria (Doylestown)
• Quinoa (Doylestown)
• Karla’s Restaurant (New Hope)
• Coaches Steak and Hoagie House (Doylestown)
• Spuddy Buddy Fry Factory (New Hope)
• Vitality Fit Kitchen
• Plumstead Inn
• Heirloom (Doylestown)
• Jersey Mike's Subs
• Turning Point (Doylestown, Warrington and Newtown)
• Carlucci's Grill (Lower Makefield)
• Free Spirit (Buckingham)
• Judd's and Jackson's Restaurant (Ivyland)
• More Catering Co.
• Blue Olive (Warrington)
• TJ Smith's Restaurant and Bar (Warrington)
• The Farm House Tavern (Doylestown)
• Servis Events (Doylestown)
• Poco's (Doylestown)
• Casa Toro (Doylestown)

For those interested in getting their restaurant or bar involved, email keith@welcometokin.org or call 267-544-5981. For more information about Kin, visit www.welcometokin.org.

Kin is an all-inclusive 5,000-square-foot holistic retreat, offering support, fitness, therapy, and integrative services for cancer patients and their caregivers. The center was inspired by Bucks County resident Corinne Sikora, who battled both brain and breast cancer. The center is free to Bucks County residents battling cancer regardless of where they are receiving treatment and welcomes caregivers as well.

The nonprofit Kin Center, located in Buckingham, offers free programs in nutrition, yoga, fitness, one-on-one counseling, support groups, workshops, crafting, massage, reflexology, reiki, chiropractic, acupuncture, hypnotherapy and facials.

Kin is a unique center that looks to satisfy the emotional, social, and physical needs of cancer patients and caregivers. The success of Kin is made possible through generous donations from the local Bucks County community. Kin’s mission is to help people find calm and peace and center themselves in a restorative environment.

The non-profit strives to bring people to a place where they feel empowered to manage their diagnoses through treatment and recovery. Kin is run and operated through the non-profit Main St. Missions.