Celeb chef David Burke to run new restaurants in NJ

I live in a town that has a ton of old buildings and historic sites. In fact, I once read Flemington in Hunterdon County has over 60% of its buildings considered historic. The house I currently live in was built just after the Civil War.

Flemington’s biggest claim to fame is the old courthouse on Main Street where the “trial of the century” took place. (No, not the OJ trial. The other trial of the century.)

The Lindbergh baby case. Famous aviator Charles Lindbergh lived in Hunterdon County when his 20-month-old son was kidnapped and eventually found dead. Bruno Richard Hauptmann was put on trial in the county seat of Flemington and eventually found guilty.

Reporters from around the world covering the trial stayed right across the street from the courthouse at the historic Union Hotel. The hotel has sat deserted and dormant since 2008 and is now being refurbished and brought back to life.

And guess who has big plans there?

Celebrity chef David Burke.

The Courthouse Square development will feature apartments, a new boutique hotel, retail space and two restaurants. It’s been announced David Burke will be running both.

One will be a fine dining steakhouse called Union Steak on the new hotel’s first floor. Burke says it will have Old-World charm with fine woodwork and it “will be one of the better-looking restaurants in the state. People will drive to see this. This will make an impact."

With more reasonable prices than some of David Burke’s other upscale places they’ll feature fare like chicken, bison, lamb, duck and Burke’s own patented pink Himalayan salt dry-aged prime beef. Plus it will have great pastries.

A pizzeria is going in at an adjacent building and will be called GOAT pizza, recognizing Burke’s THE GOAT restaurant in Union Beach. A saloon-type tavern offering simple food like burgers and wings will be attached.

Will the overall development mean more good things for Flemington? Burke tells mycentraljersey.com,

If you look at Jersey City or Asbury Park, once you start something it becomes contagious. The pioneer goes in and sometimes it catches fire. In Flemington, the land is there, the infrastructure is there and the geography is there. This is good for investors, good for the township and good for New Jersey.

Burke's Flemington restaurants are expected to be opening sometime in 2025.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

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