The Landing: creative pub food with a view in Newburgh

NEWBURGH, Ind. — The Landing is the long-awaited restaurant that replaced the Edgewater Grille on Newburgh’s riverfront. It opened in August, and it looks like you’re going to have at least a little more pretty fall weather to enjoy the decks overlooking the Ohio River.

Owner Richie Patel and family spent months renovating the building and modernizing it. Notably, the turquoise elements have been replaced with sleek neutrals and charcoal grey coloring, and the booths have been replaced with Amish-made wood tables and chairs.

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Patel splits his time between the new restaurant and The Rooftop, his restaurant in Downtown Evansville.

Daily operations at The Landing are handled by general manager Sean Swank, an Evansville native who received a degree in hospitality management from Johnson and Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island.

“I left Evansville in 2003 thinking I wanted to be a chef,” Swank said. “My stepmom cooked big meals and catered, and I enjoyed helping her. It was at the time the Food Network was making everybody want to be a chef, and I read 'Kitchen Confidential' (by Anthony Bourdain) and thought ‘that’s for me!’”

Swank finished his associate degree in culinary arts but, after working in restaurants around the Boston area, found himself drawn to the front of the house; so, he finished with a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management.

In an interesting twist of fate, after Swank returned to Evansville in 2017, one of the first dates he went on with his now-fiancée was at the Edgewater.

“I looked around and thought ‘this place could be a goldmine,’” he said. “The views are so great, and there was so much potential. Then Richie found me and brought me on. It’s been an interesting time. Opening a restaurant during COVID has been a challenge and an adventure, but once we got open, it took off.”

Behind the scenes, kitchen manager Victor Perez runs The Landing’s culinary arm.

Perez has been working in the food industry for nearly two decades. He likes The Landing’s menu, which combines pub favorites with some upscale takes and scratch elements.

“We try to make food that is the highest quality,” he said. “I’m very passionate about cooking.”

On the menu, one of Perez’s favorite dishes is the brisket flatbread.

“It’s really good,” he said. “It has a honey barbecue base on it so it’s sweet and spicy and topped with brisket and cheese. We’ve been selling a lot of the brisket manhattans too, which is one of the signature dishes. That is on our jalapeño cornbread, which is really good, with homemade mashed potatoes on it, brisket and gravy.”

He also particularly enjoys the grilled salmon filet, which is generously seasoned and griddled until just done but still moist. It can be added to salads or served as an entrée with mashed potatoes and a creamy, buttery beurre blanc sauce.

Other entrees include a parmesan-crusted chicken breast also served with beurre blanc, fried catfish with jalapeño cornbread and sweet pepper slaw, and Chicken Marsala.

The menu is very different from that at The Rooftop, but one item has been brought over: the Fuji Apple Salad. Chopped romaine lettuce is topped generously with walnut halves, dried cranberries, dried apple slices and feta cheese with grilled chicken. We substituted for the moist grilled salmon and loved it with the sweet apple vinaigrette.

Fans of poutine will want to try The Landing’s version. It’s pretty straightforward with crispy fries and white cheddar cheese curds topped with the house brown gravy, but Patel’s lightly sweet fry seasoning gives it an unexpected twist.

Have the same fries loaded with the housemade ale beer cheese, bacon and ranch.

Perez’s favorite brisket can be found atop brisket nachos with beer cheese, tomatoes, crispy onions and barbecue sauce over fresh-fried house chips.

Flatbreads include a pesto chicken, a chicken-bacon-ranch and a Thai chicken in addition to the barbecue brisket.

Burgers are big and include the Newburgher with brisket, bacon, onion crisps and barbecue sauce and the Mac-N-Cheese Burger with bacon, mac-n-cheese and extra cheddar cheese with barbecue sauce.

A pasta section offers wild mushroom ravioli and chicken or shrimp alfredo.

Desserts and a kids’ menu are also available

The bar offers a whole list of seasonal creative house cocktails including The Tugboat, a creamy pumpkin spice martini with a graham cracker rim.

An upstairs loft area with comfortable sofa seating and a fireplace can be reserved for events and parties.

.“I want to give the feel of service of a fine dining restaurant,” Swank said. “We have a casual feel and enjoyment, but I want the guests to feel like everything’s taken care of.”

As fall progresses, heaters and wind blocks will be added to the outdoor seating areas.

If you go

The Landing is at 1 E. Water St., Newburgh

Phone: 812-518-1200

Hours:

Monday – Thursday 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m.

Friday 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

Saturday 10 a.m.-10 p.m.

Sunday 11 a.m.-3 p.m.