Bolete,
which in Latin means “wild mushroom”, opened in 2007 in the space previously
occupied by the Inn of the Falcon. Chef Lee Chizmar and his wife Erin own the
restaurant. Chizmar was a 2015 James Beard Award semifinalist; he graduated
from the Culinary Institute of America and worked for renowned chefs in San Francisco
and Boston before opening this Lehigh Valley restaurant. Bolete is housed in a
200-year old building (a former stagecoach inn) located between Fountain Hill
and Allentown in Salisbury Township. The restaurant has two areas in which to
dine: the main dining room, with tables of various shapes and sizes, and the
tavern/bar room, with both tables and bar seating. On the night that we dined, patrons
occupied every table and every spot at the bar, which created a bustling
atmosphere. The bar is original to the building, and it features brass railings
and footrests that are accented by an antique back bar. Bolete is semi-handicap
accessible – a ramp to the front door exists, but because it is a centuries-old
property, the restrooms are incredibly tiny and could not accommodate a
wheelchair. White walls with wide light wood floors, white tablecloths, intentionally
mismatched chairs, interesting chandeliers, wall art of mirrors and framed silhouettes,
and twig/branch bundles studded with tiny faux butterflies blends well with the
rustic setting. The chef and his family live upstairs from the restaurant, so
pride of ownership is evident inside and out. Al fresco dining is available in
the rear garden in appropriate weather.
Bolete
serves upscale American farm-to-table cuisine. The restaurant uses local
ingredients whenever possible, and the staff makes all their own stocks,
sauces, and pastas, as well as butcher their own meat and fish. The menu offers
unique and interesting dishes, components, and ingredients. As appetizers, we
ordered the smoked salmon and the asparagus salad. The smoked salmon dish
included blinis and roe, whereas the asparagus salad featured greens, bacon
pieces, and a poached egg; the chef presented both dishes beautifully. As
entrees, we ordered the scallops (which included greens, spring peas, and
gnocchi), and the rabbit (which included a mushroom fricassee, greens, and
dumplings). The scallops were nicely presented on a regular rectangular white plate,
but the rabbit arrived in a two-handled skillet, which was an unusual touch.
The delicious yeasty rolls du jour contained spring onion and sea salt; they
were so tasty that when our server inquired whether we wanted more, we quickly
said “Yes!”. For dessert, we shared the deconstructed banana split, which included
a brownie triangle, caramelized bananas, tiny scoops of both chocolate and
vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, pistachio brittle/crumbles, and a cherry. It was
a great way to end our meal!
Our only
criticism with Bolete is that we find the service to be a bit odd. The staff is
attentive and available (Bolete is not a restaurant that skimps on its wait staff),
but every time that we have dined there, whoever waits on us does this strange
thing where they readjust our silverware and other items on our table after
they place the first course in front of us. The silverware is already on the
table, but the staff takes great care to arrange it precisely on either side of
the plate as they have been trained, as well as to minutely adjust anything
else (salt cellar, flower vase) that we might have moved from where they feel
its precise and rightful place. It just feels like a slap on our hands every
time we encounter it – if we choose to move our fork one millimeter too high,
no one but us needs to move it back that one millimeter to their liking. On
every visit, it makes us feel as if we have done something wrong by touching
the items on our table. We have never encountered this service oddity anywhere
notable that we have dined (not at The French Laundry or Per Se or Alinea or Daniel
or Jean-George or Le Bernardin), so why does Bolete feel the need to tweak our
place settings every single time that we have dined there?
Nevertheless,
we will return to Bolete, because it is one of the best restaurants that the
Lehigh Valley has to offer – excellent quality food in terms of creativity,
ingredients, and presentation in an historic setting.
Update February 2017:
October 2018:
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