Allentown: The Stoned Crab (January 2016)

My spouse and I dined at the Stoned Crab on a Sunday afternoon in mid-January 2016. The Stoned Crab is open for lunch on weekdays and for dinner daily (beginning at 4:00 pm). The restaurant accepts reservations by telephone or via the Open Table reservation system.

The Stoned Crab is officially located in Macungie, although it is located very close to the Wescosville area, just a little over a mile from Hamilton Boulevard. This location has housed a restaurant for decades; years ago it hosted an establishment called Le Due Sorrell, and in the late 1970s, it hosted another (although unrelated) iteration of the Stoned Crab. This version of the Stoned Crab opened in April of 2005, and we have dined there many many times since then.

The restaurant offers two areas for dining: the more casual street level, which features huge wooden booths (with slight nautical elements) as well as a U-shaped bar that hosts a very lively local crowd during happy hour (however, the patrons are older rather than younger), when it features drink and appetizer specials. A more formal and beautiful dining space occupies the second floor, with high ceilings, rustic wooden beams, interesting paint colors, and coordinating fabric valances on the windows (similar valances are on the downstairs windows). Restrooms are available on both levels; however, you reach the second floor via a steep long staircase (no elevator is available for the mobility impaired).

The Stoned Crab serves steaks and seafood, but it also offers a nice selection of appetizers, burgers, and salads as well. We rarely order anything but the burgers because they are so tasty. The restaurant used to order their hamburger rolls from Le Bus in Manayunk, and they were phenomenal, although on two recent visits, the restaurant appears to be using a different bread purveyor (but the burgers are still pretty darn good!). The restaurant serves its burgers with skin-on steak fries, or you can substitute another side like the chef’s starch du jour (usually some kind of flavored mashed potatoes) or a tiny side salad. For dessert, we recommend either the peanut butter pie or the bourbon pecan pie (served warm and topped with vanilla ice cream). Despite the restaurant’s name, we have never (seasonally in fall/winter/spring) seen “stone crabs” on their menu.

We really enjoy going to the Stoned Crab for a burger on a Friday evening after work, or for a very late lunch/early dinner on the weekends. 

 

Bethlehem: Corked Wine Bar (January 2016)

My spouse and I dined at Corked Wine Bar for dinner on a Saturday night in mid-January 2016. Corked is openfor dinner daily (beginning at 4:30 pm). The restaurant accepts reservations by telephone or via the Open Table reservation system. Corked shares the same owners as Roma Ristorante and Taste of Italy, both located off Airport Road in Hanover Township/Bethlehem, but Corked provides a more fine dining experience than either of those two restaurants.

Corked is located in Downtown Bethlehem on Main Street, in a building occupied by the Morning Call newspaper until 2008 and then vacant for the next five years. The location has been completely transformed into a chic restaurant and nightclub. Since Corked opened in summer of 2013, it has undergone a few interior changes, most for the better in our opinion. Upon entering the restaurant through a double set of doors, you encounter an attractive small wall of water prior to the hostess stand. Dining is available in several areas: at tables towards the front of the restaurant (which features a really unique “wavy wall” on one side that continues through the bar back to the rear of the restaurant space), at the long bar, in a lounge-type area towards the rear of the restaurant, or in the main dining area that offers a choice of regular booths, rounded booths, and tables. Sidewalk dining is available in warmer weather. The kitchen area used to be open to the dining room, but it has since been closed (walled) off; another welcome touch was the addition of sheer curtains between the main (booth) dining area and the bar that provide additional privacy. After 10:00 pm on weekend nights, Corked takes on a club/lounge vibe, with DJs (reportedly from Las Vegas, NYC, Philadelphia, and the Lehigh Valley), dancing, a VIP guest list, and velvet ropes. The restaurant’s VIBE dining area offers a late night menu until 1:00 am. Corked offers valet parking on weekends after 5:00 pm, or you can find metered street parking or space in a nearby surface lot or garage.

Corked serves upscale American food. Originally designed as a steakhouse, the menu has undergone several iterations before reaching its present offerings. A nice selection of appetizers, salads, pizzas, entrees, and steaks are available at various price points. Our current favorite appetizers are the “crispy mix” (a fried sampling of calamari, shrimp, artichokes, and caper berries), and the antipasti board (assorted meats, cheeses, pickled vegetables, and olives). We also enjoy the flatbread pizzas at Corked (the short rib and Gouda as well as the chicken and fig), the beef tip risotto, and the braised short rib entrees. Desserts, other than the Moravian sugar cake bread pudding, are fairly standard (carrot cake, tiramisu, chocolate-peanut butter cake). Corked also offers a huge selection of wines, over 20 draft beers (and more by the bottle), and cocktails. In fact, wine is available in four sizes (a 2.5 oz-sample, 5-oz glass, 10-oz glass, and by the bottle), which we have not seen at other Valley restaurants.

We wish that Corked were open for lunch (it used to be!) because it better fits our plans, but if we are looking to dine in Downtown Bethlehem during their regular business hours, we always consider Corked.

Bethlehem: The Bayou (January 2016)

My spouse and I dined at The Bayou for lunch on a Sunday afternoon in mid-January 2016. (We have dined at The Bayou several times previously in the years since it opened in March of 2014.) The Bayou is open daily for lunch and dinner. The restaurant accepts reservations by telephone or via the Open Table reservation system. Parking is available in their own large parking lot just across the street from the restaurant. The proprietors of this restaurant, nicknamed the “Bayou Boys” also own Grain in Downtown Allentown, as well as a carry-out bottle shop called Cork and Cage that is located adjacent to Grain.

The Bayou is located off Broad Street near (but not in) Downtown Bethlehem, in a location that previously housed the Hawthorne House for years (until 2009 when it experienced a suspicious fire). The building has been completely renovated, with dining in the old front porch area at low tables, near the bar at high-top tables, and in the main dining area at low tables (which are placed a bit too closely for our preference. The U-shaped bar can probably seat at least 20 people, and provides a nice view of the action. The restaurant features lots of wood (floors, tables, painted wainscoting) along with brick walls (above the wainscoting), with some Cajun/Creole wall décor (e.g., fleur de lis, Spanish moss). In the main dining area, a large TV is covered by small sliding wooden barn-type doors when not in use. An outdoor (enclosed) courtyard provides al fresco dining in the warmer months, and the restaurant also features a few tables on the sidewalk across from the parking lot for additional outdoor dining.

The Bayou serves upscale Southern comfort food. On our most recent visit, we shared the cornbread to start (baked in a buttery skilled and then served warm with a tomato butter) and the pork belly as appetizers. (The pork belly included three very generous chunks of meat served atop of vinegary jicama/carrot slaw.) For “entrees”, we ordered from the sandwich menu, and chose one burger (topped with bacon, pulled pork, and cole slaw), and one fried chicken sandwich (thigh meat and pickles between a brioche roll). The sandwiches/burgers come with a side of French fries, which are delicious (and this is said by two diners who are not generally “fry” people); however, we substituted one order of fries for a side of red beans and rice (very tasty). The chicken sandwich was most delicious, as we had hoped it would be because we have previously enjoyed the fried chicken entrée here. For dessert, we shared the banana-golden raisin bread pudding, which was not sweet enough for our taste, although it was topped with a tiny scoop of coconut ice cream (delicious) and surrounded by a banana puree and crumbs. On past visits, we have sampled nearly the entire menu: the flash-fried black-eyed peas, hush puppies, curried cauliflower, mashed sweet potatoes, charred shrimp, macaroni and cheese, smoked pork ribs, johnny cakes, braised oxtail, the fried chicken, and po boys. Their peanut butter dessert is really fantastic – peanut butter mousse layered with dark chocolate “soil” (cookie crumbs), housemade whipped cream, and peanut brittle, and served in a glass ball jar accompanied by long spoons to reach all the goodness; the beignets are also yummy, served with a crème anglaise. We think that the food is quite tasty, although it is a bit monochromatic in color when placed on the plate.

Service was very good on our last visit. The only issue that we encountered was when we tried to pay our bill using a Visa gift card that we received for Christmas. Although the restaurant accepted our card, they could only charge a portion of our bill; the waitress told us that we did not have the $50 on the card as it stated; instead, she told us that we only had $41.67 (which we knew wasn’t true because we had just received the $50 card). After calling the Visa card company, they told us that the restaurant allowed for an 18% tip on the card, even though we paid the balance (and the full tip) with another method of payment. No real harm done, except that were left with a Visa card for only a $8.33 balance.

We will definitely return to The Bayou! In addition to liking their food, we love their operating hours – open continuously from lunch through dinner until late night.

 

November 2019:

Bethlehem: The Mint (January 2016)

My spouse and I dined at The Mint for dinner on a Saturday evening in mid-January 2016. (We have dined at The Mint several times previously in the years since it opened in June of 2011.) The Mint is open for lunch on weekdays and dinner Mondays through Saturdays (closed Sundays). We would visit more often if it were open for lunch on weekends. (Years ago, the hours were more expansive, but they must not have been profitable for the restaurant.) The Mint accepts reservations by telephone or via the Open Table reservation system, and we recommend reservations on weekend evenings because the restaurant gets very busy. The Mint is owned by the Lombardo family, who also own the Stefano’s restaurants in Bethlehem and Northampton, but The Mint does not focus on Italian food as the Stefano’s restaurants do.

The Mint is located on Broad Street several blocks from where it intersects with Eighth Avenue (so it is in West Bethlehem rather than in Downtown Bethlehem). The restaurant is located in an old bank building, and the vault remains as a private dining area. The décor is modern, with interesting contemporary lighting, purple walls and gray walls, metal chairs with purple upholstery, and greenish tile. Bright aqua doors (now with doorknockers) lead to the restrooms, although there are no signs, so unless you ask staff or see others going through the door, it is not immediately apparent. The Mint has its own parking lot, but additional street parking is available. In nice weather, you can dine on the front porch/patio, and there is also an outdoor covered lounge area in the rear of the building. The bar area is separated from the main dining area by one step (with the bar area being higher in elevation). The old vault is located off of the bar area, which also has some seats for lounging. In a nod to its original purpose as a bank building, The Mint supplies generous cloth napkins wrapped in money bands.

The Mint serves upscale American comfort food with a twist. The restaurant has changed their menu several times since it opened, so we always look forward to returning to try something new. On our most recent visit, we shared the housemade potato chips (served with an aioli dipping sauce) listed on the snacks menu, followed by the chili and doughnuts, then the BBQ duck macaroni and cheese (which also included crunchy tater tots atop the shells and below the duck) and the Seoul bowl (ramen with beef, 60-minute egg, shiitake mushrooms, bok choy, and kimchi). The Mint serves about six different types of macaroni and cheese, and our BBQ duck version was truly tasty. The ramen bowl was also good; however, it was a bit difficult to eat because although it arrived with fancy chopsticks, the restaurant provided no Asian spoon to go with them. The restaurant offered four desserts on the night that we dined, and we chose the “crack” pie, which arrived warm and topped with whipped cream. It had the taste of a pecan pie but without the nuts, and was absolutely yummy! (The portion size may seem small – a tiny pie in a size similar to a cupcake – but it is just the perfect size because of the sweetness and richness of the ingredients.

Service was very good at our last visit. The only issue that we encountered was when we tried to pay our bill using a Visa gift card that we received for Christmas, only to be told that the restaurant does not accept Visa gift cards because it “messes up their system”.

We really enjoy the atmosphere and food at The Mint; we only wish that they were open for weekend lunch hours, which better suit our needs.

 

February 2018:

Poutine and Squash and Brussels