Bethlehem: Molinaris (February 2016)


My spouse and I dined for an early dinner at Molinari’s on a Saturday evening in late February 2016. Molinari’s is open for dinner only on Mondays through Saturdays (closed on Sundays). They accept reservations via telephone or on their own website. We have dined at Molinari’s several times since it opened in fall of 2011, usually as a couple but also once in a group. Complimentary parking is available in the lot across the street from the restaurant. (During the day, the parking lot is reserved for St Luke’s Southside Medical Center patients, so it is utilized by Molinari’s patrons in the evenings.) Metered street parking is also available.

This Southside restaurant space previously housed the Lucky Duck Diner and the Steel Mill Bar and Grill, but the third time (owner) is a charm for Molinari’s. The restaurant is located in the corner space of a small retail-type building, with two or three storefronts alongside it, and St Luke’s space above it on the second floor. The restaurant is located directly across East Third Street from the Charter School for the Arts, and within close proximity to the ArtsQuest venue (in case you plan to see a movie or show before or after dining). The restaurant space features extremely high ceilings, and two main areas for dining on either side of the front door. You can also dine at the bar, which is where we sat on the busy night that we dined because we arrived without a reservation. (Although we do not usually choose to dine at a bar, all tables were reserved; our bartender/server Jesse was incredibly adept at his job and provided terrific service with a smile.) Mostly table seating is available, with one row of booths along the inner wall of the restaurant (the other wall features large windows). Patio dining is available in the warmer weather. In the winter, the restaurant hangs heavy curtains around their door to protect guests from the chilly breeze when the doors open (a great idea that we often see in NYC but not in the Lehigh Valley). Creatively, the restaurant has placed high-backed black wooden benches just beyond those curtains to give waiting patrons a place to sit, as well as to define the two main dining areas a bit.

The food at Molinari’s is amazing, and their menu changes often based on seasonality and ingredient availability. (Local products are used whenever possible.) They serve authentic Italian food (their tag-line is “Save on the Airfare” [to Italy]), great appetizers, house-made pastas, Neopolitan pizzas, a few (just four) traditional meat/fish entrees, and homemade gelato and sorbets, as well as Italian wines and beers. On our most recent visit, we ordered the roasted beet salad, basil spaghetti (topped with braised rabbit, Italian meat, mushrooms, and cheese), and the smoked paprika fettuccine (accented by brussel sprouts, speck [ham], and sliced fingerling potatoes topped with grated cheese and sesame seeds). The beet “salad” was most unusual because it contained no lettuce. (Usually when we order a beet salad, the amount of beets is miniscule, but not so with this dish!) It was beautifully presented, with three dollops in the center of the plate divided by rye crackers. (One dollop was mashed red beets, one was mashed golden beets, and the third was whipped ricotta cheese.) Arranged around the edge of the plate were roasted carrot and squash chunks, sprinkled with crumbled pistachio nuts. The beet dish was beautiful, delicious, and creative! Both pasta dishes were amazing, and we cleaned our plates. (Pastas are available in smaller portions, although not priced as such on the menu.) The dessert menu leaves a bit to be desired in our opinion, serving affogato, chocolate budino (pudding/custard), and many types of sorbets and gelatos. (We are fans of cake-like desserts; however, in the past, we have tried some of Molinari’s amazingly flavored sweet and savory gelatos such as corn, honey cinnamon, and brown butter, and they are fantastic!) The privo basil cosmos (non-alcoholic) were so delicious, made with cranberry and grapefruit coulis, basil syrup, and fresh lime and orange, that I drank three of them! House-made focaccia bread (arranged on a plate in “Jenga-like” fashion) is served to all tables, along with the olive oil du jour (supplied by Seasons Oil & Vinegar Taproom in Downtown Bethlehem). Do not expect to order Italian favorites like lasagna or veal parmesan at Molinari’s – their cuisine is completely different (in a good way!) than any other Italian restaurant in the Lehigh Valley.

Service is always excellent, and this time was no exception. (See my earlier mention about our terrific bartender.) The owners of Molinari’s have taken the time to train their staff properly, and management seems to encourage staff try all the dishes so that they can offer patrons their actual opinions. Silverware is replaced with each course, whether or not it was utilized (it is our pet peeve when restaurants ask you to keep your used silverware to use for the next course!).

No other Italian restaurant in this area can produce food of the quality of Molinari’s, with unique ingredients, attractive presentation, and great service. We just wish that they were open for lunch on a Saturday, because we would visit more often.









March 2018:





June 2018:




 

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