Hellertown: 1774 Tap and Grill

1774 Grille and Tap - Upscale Pub Food; Want to Try Fine-Dining Menu Options Next Time

My spouse and I visited the 1774 Grille and Tap for an early dinner/late lunch on a Saturday afternoon in late-November 2017. Although we arrived without a reservation, you can book a spot using the online Open Table reservation system. The 1774 Grille is open for lunch, dinner, and drinks (until at least 10:00 pm, and later on some nights) from Wednesdays through Mondays (closed Tuesdays).

The 1774 Grille and Tap is located on Main Street in Hellertown, in the former space of Ricardo’s Original Tavern House. Opened in March 2017, the restaurant occupies an historic stone corner building that dates back to 1774, hence the restaurant’s name. Inside, more original stonework is visible on the walls in the bar area, which offers high-top table seating in addition to 15+ seats at the wooden bar itself. You can also sit in the main (larger) dining room, or in a (smaller) more private dining area. In appropriate weather, you can also dine al fresco on a side covered porch. Décor is minimalist, with the most unique feature a series of framed drawings by a Pennsylvania artist that feature Trappist monks. Limited complimentary parking is available in an attached lot, or you can park on the street.

The 1774 Grille serves American cuisine. We sampled the bacon macaroni and cheese and the blue cheese-grit sticks as starters, followed by the cheeseburger. The mac and cheese had a pleasant truffle taste, and although we liked the originality of the grit sticks, we would prefer to have them paired with a lighter, fruity dipping sauce rather than the accompanying heavy onion barbecue sauce. The cheeseburger (served with your choice of fries or side salad) was the highlight of our meal, with a buttered/toasted ciabatta roll and beef patty expertly prepared medium rare (as we requested) and topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, and sweet bacon jam  – it was really the best burger that we have eaten in recent times. For dessert, we ordered the seasonal bread pudding, which had just switched over from pumpkin-flavored to walnut. Served hot and accompanied by maple ice cream, it was a great ending to our meal. We also sampled one of their craft beers and a seasonal pumpkin cocktail.

We enjoyed our meal at the 1774 Grille and Tap, and we will return again to try some of the pricier, more formal menu items. Our sampling of the smaller plates was a success!

 

Bath: Point Phillips Hotel Tavern and Smokehouse (November 2017)

Point Phillips Hotel Tavern and Smokehouse - Had Different Expectations from a “Smokehouse”

My spouse and I dined with two family members at the Point Phillips Hotel Tavern and Smokehouse for dinner on a Friday evening in late November 2017. The tavern is open daily for lunch and dinner. We telephoned in advance to make a reservation, although the restaurant considers itself primarily a walk-in, first-come, first-served establishment.

The Point Phillips Hotel is located in the countryside in Bath (Moore Township). Because of its remote location, it was approximately a 20-minute drive from Bethlehem on Route 22 (then via 512 or 191) or Route 33. A building has occupied the land on which the restaurant sits since the early 1800s, when Philip Gross owned the land and opened the first tavern/public house in the area. He gave his name to the region: Point Phillips, which was sometimes also called Philipsburg (spelled with one “l” and is therefore not associated with the city in New Jersey). The old bar/hotel space (on the north side of the original building) was constructed in the late 1850s, and during a subsequent restoration, beneath layers of plasterboard, a wall was discovered that featured old dismantled shipping crates with writing that said, “Stephen Trach, Point Philips, PA”. A late 19^th century sketch of the hotel shows the addition of a general store. When owner Stephen Trach died, the establishment passed to his children, whose signatures are visible on the wall of the former general store. Fast-forward to the 21^st century, when the current owner of the tavern can trace his ancestry back to several previous owners (Philip Gross was the great-grandfather of his great grandaunt). Today, you can dine in the bar area at the bar or at tables adjacent to it. You can also sit in one of two dining rooms sparingly decorated with Americana memorabilia.

The Point Phillips Hotel serves American cuisine, including barbecue. As a starter, we ordered the cornbread to share. (As huge fans of cornbread, this version was rather forgettable.) Next, three of us chose a side dinner salad as one of the two sides that accompany most entrees, and the salads were huge and fresh; sadly, they were the best part of our meal. I ordered the restaurant’s famous “burnt ends” as my entrée. The menu states that they restaurant often runs out of the dish, so I felt fortunate that it was available; however, when my entrée arrived, it was composed of many large chunks of beef roast meat (larger than the cubes that would compose a beef stew) that were covered in barbecue sauce; there was no delicious fatty, smoky, crispy bark or crust as I had anticipated. (I have sampled burnt ends at other establishments, and Point Philips version was unfortunately unlike any I have eaten before.) My spouse had a sampler meat platter, with sides of macaroni and cheese and warm German potato salad; both sides were underwhelming as was the meat. The restaurant supposedly smokes its own meat in its own smokehouse (the previous summer kitchen), but we were disappointed that we didn’t actually smell the aromas even when we walked by its open door (perhaps they don’t smoke every day?). Our dinner companions seemed satisfied with their respective entrees of meatloaf and ribs. I sampled a coconut almond joy martini, which was tasty although a bit disappointing when it arrived as a perfectly clear liquid in a martini glass; I had expected a creamy drink with perhaps some small garnish such as a chocolate rim or flaked coconut as I have had elsewhere.

Although we might return to the Point Phillips Hotel if we are ever in the area, we would definitely try something other than their barbecued/smoked meat dishes.

 

Concert: Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) at PPL Center (November 2017)

Trans Siberian Orchestra - Great Special Effects, but Needs an Update

My spouse and I attended the Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert at the PPL Center on a Saturday afternoon in mid-November 2017. We purchased our tickets online via the PPL Center website. We have attended many events at PPL Center, but this one was disastrous in terms of attendee admission, with security to enter the building taking so much time that many patrons missed half the show while they stood outdoors in ridiculously long lines in the rain and cold. One good thing that we noticed during our wait: the sheer number of tractor-trailers parked on Seventh Street to transport the equipment – there must have been at least 10 full-size trucks! (In actuality, for the two TSO show companies (East and West) that operate concurrently, statistics for the show include 40 (FORTY!) trucks, 20 tour buses, 240 touring personnel, 276 local stagehands, 256 rigging points hung from the ceiling, 256 one-ton motors, 10 custom elevators built into the stage that go 25 feet in the air, a 200-foot catwalk that lifts four stories over the audience, 20 snow machines, 32 fog/haze machines, 28,000 feet of aluminum and steel trussing, half a football field worth of video panels, 15,000 pyrotechnic effects, and nearly 600 flame/fire modules.) We liked that the (darkened) string section was made up of local musicians who supported the TSO professional musicians.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) is an American progressive rock band founded in 1996 and began touring in 1999. TSO has sold more than 10 million concert tickets and over 10 million albums. The band has released a series of rock operas and is known for its elaborate concerts, which include a string section, a light show, lasers, "enough pyro to be seen from the International Space Station”, moving trusses, video screens, and effects synchronized to music. TSO is the first major rock band to go straight to theaters and arenas, never playing at clubs, never having an opening act, and never being an opening act.

Paul O'Neill, the group’s founder who passed away in 2017, was a composer and lyricist who managed and produced rock bands including Aerosmith, Humble Pie, AC/DC, Joan Jett, and the Scorpions. In 1996, he started TSO with music inspired by artists like Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Queen, Yes, The Who, and Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, The Temptations, and The Four Tops. In the 1980s, O’Neill visited Siberia Russia, realizing that it is a beautiful but harsh place; however, one thing that runs across it in relative safety is the Trans-Siberian Railway. He compares this to life, which can also be beautiful but also harsh and unforgiving, and the one thing that offers safety is music; hence, the name of the group. His original concept was to create six rock operas, a trilogy about Christmas, and one or two regular albums.

Well-known TSO songs include the instrumental "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24" and "Christmas Canon," (a take on Johann Pachelbel's Canon in D Major). “The Ghosts of Christmas Eve” story, also performed in 2015 and 2016, is the story once again for the 2017 tour, due to the deaths of two band members and the injury of another. 

Since Trans-Siberian Orchestra began touring, the band has donated over $10 million to local and national charities. At every tour stop, the group donates one dollar from each ticket sold to a local charity, particularly to those that protect and help children. In 2010, O'Neill voiced the band's philosophy, "We are all in this together. We must look out for the well-being of each other, most of all the young. For the young are the architects of the future and we are the architects of the young. We cannot tell those yet to be born that we did our best." He constantly stated that the fans own the band, "TSO's goal is to make the best albums and concerts we possibly can, sparing no amount of time or expense and then charge the lowest possible price. No musician or singer is on the TSO flight deck for the money. We do it because we love the energy from the crowd, especially the kids. Also in Trans-Siberian Orchestra, the crew are as much a member of the band as anyone on the flight deck. They actually have the hardest jobs. They are the first ones in and the last ones out. Watching them at work is like watching a well-choreographed ballet or military operation. TSO could not be TSO without them and we know it”. A member said, "No one in TSO is paid to be on the stage, that we do for free. The money is to stay out of trouble on our off time." Over the years, O'Neill consistently thanks the audience, referring to them as the “second half of Trans-Siberian Orchestra and that without them TSO would just be notes and words echoing in an empty arena. The fans' enthusiasm and energy power the stage show as much, if not more, than any local electric company.”

We are glad that we finally saw TSO, but we would not go again. The lead male musicians resembled a greasy 1980s long-haired band, and the accompanying female singers were a bit slutty and stripperish. But what we loved was the special effect: the snowflakes, fires, fireworks, moving catwalks, and lasers – those parts were incredible!


TSO setlist

http://www.mcall.com/entertainment/lehigh-valley-music/mc-review-trans-siberian-orchestra-at-allentown-s-ppl-center-puts-on-a-big-show-of-course-20161118-story.html

The Ghosts of Christmas Eve Tour

1. Time and Distance (The Dash)
 2. Winter Palace
 3. The Lost Christmas Eve
 4. O Come All Ye Faithful / O Holy Night
 5. Good King Joy
 6. Christmas Dreams
 7. Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24)
 8. Christmas Canon Rock
 9. What Child Is This?
 10. Music Box Blues
 11. First Snow
 12. Promises to Keep
 13. This Christmas Day
 14. Wizards in Winter
 15. A Mad Russian’s Christmas
 16. For the Sake of Our Brother
 17. Christmas Jam
 18. Madness of Men
 19. Forget About the Blame
 20. Not the Same
 21. The Night Conceives
 22. The Mountain
 23. Find Our Way Home
 24. Requiem (The Fifth)
 25. Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24) (Reprise)