This Hungarian gastropub inside a Hunterdon landmark is keeping a music legacy alive
For nearly half a century, the Landslide Saloon, and, later, American Spirits Roadhouse kept the beers flowing, the line dancers moving and a “yeehaw” roaring at 1090 Route 173 in Bethlehem.
That came to a screeching halt when American Spirits Roadhouse shut the doors on its wood-paneled façade for the final time last April.
But now, the legacy of its live music and pub grub is back — with a Hungarian twist.
Muddy Waters Gastropub opened in November, thanks to a $752,000 Unity Bank Small Business Administration loan and restaurateur and Hungarian native Attila Geczi’s 30-year dream to be the sole owner of his own restaurant.
This month, more than 150 people attended Muddy Waters Gastropub's first music festival, which had three bands. The restaurant was named as the best live music venue in Hunterdon County by Hunterdon Happening.
Geczi and his wife, Eniko, have updated the former restaurant’s kitchen, cleaned up the dining space, and repaired and painted the exterior. The 4,000-square-foot restaurant has 110 seats and is set on six acres.
They are elevating simple European peasant food with refined techniques, Geczi said.
“I can’t serve the regular pub fare — it’s just not me," he said. "I don’t like to eat it, I don’t like to serve it. I like to serve what I really believe in.”
The menu includes chicken paprikash with a paprika crème sauce and homemade spaetzle; bratwurst with sauerkraut, mashed potatoes and spicy mustard; and Grandma’s ragout, Geczi’s grandmother’s recipe of pork shoulder with bacon, peas and fries.
Everything is made from scratch except the flatbread and puff pastry, said Geczi, and ingredients are sourced from local farms, such as Great Meadow Farm in Lawrenceville and Westerby Farms in Marlton.
“I was petrified in the beginning that this menu wouldn’t fly here,” Geczi said. “I was thinking, ‘I took away their pool table and daily hangout, they’re going to crucify me.’ There were some people that were absolutely pissed. Then, the first two reviews we got were one-star, and I thought, ‘There goes my savings.’ “
But that scene, and the reviews, soon turned around. People curious about the cuisine started visiting Muddy Waters, said Geczi. Geczi is eager to introduce them to it.
“If my waiter goes to a six-top and comes back with an order for six burgers, then I know that they didn’t do their job because they didn’t explain what the other dishes are all about,” Geczi said. “I like to approach a table by saying, ‘What are you in the mood for?’ and then offer suggestions from our menu.”
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Geczi didn’t grow up with such creative freedom. In 1989, after graduating high school, he fled Hungary to escape communism. He moved to the United States in 1994, took a college course to learn English, then began working in restaurants in New York, including Sparks Steak House, Gia and Paola's Italian Restaurant.
Working with food and wine was in Geczi’s genes. His family has been professional winemakers for generations, and he started working in the family vineyard in Hungary when he was just eight years old.
As any past patron of American Spirits Roadhouse or the Landslide Saloon knows, however, food is just one aspect of 1090 Route 173. With a huge property apt for music festivals and other events, as well as an indoor stage and dance floor, music is in its foundation.
Geczi is continuing that legacy. He and his wife built a stage and acquired a professional sound system and a drum kit for musicians to use when Muddy Waters offers live music. They also removed nearly 50 dead trees from the property and have been working on the landscaping.
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Each week, Muddy Waters Gastropub hosts line dancing on Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m., open mic on Thursdays at 8 p.m., live bands on Saturdays at 8:30 p.m., and swing dancing on the second Sunday of each month starting Sept. 17 at 6 p.m. They are also planning on hosting a blues festival on a Sunday in early September, although a date has not been solidified yet.
“Good food, good drinks, good ambiance and good music go together,” said Geczi. “I would like to represent every single genre on this stage.”
Go: 1090 Route 173, Bethlehem; 908-713-1090, muddywatersnj.com.
Contact: JIntersimone@MyCentralJersey.com
Jenna Intersimone has been a staff member at the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey since 2014, after becoming a blogger-turned-reporter following the creation of her award-winning travel blog. To get unlimited access to her stories about food, drink and fun, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. You can also follow her on Instagram at @seejennaeat and on Twitter at @JIntersimone.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Muddy Waters Gastropub, a Hungarian restaurant, continues music legacy
