My spouse and I
visited the Cask Tap House and Grill for lunch on a Sunday afternoon in early
December 2017. Cask is open daily from 11:00 until 10:00 pm (later until 11:00
pm on Fridays and Saturdays). You can make a reservation using the online Open
Table system, although we arrived without one on the afternoon that we dined.
Cask Tap House opened
in August 2017 in Palmer Township (Easton) near the 25th Street exit
of Route 22, adjacent to The Estonian banquet space for the Holiday Inn Express.
Cask occupies the space of the former Tilted Kilt (and prior to that, Don
Pablos), near free-standing buildings that house the Olive Garden and Tacos y
Tequila (formerly Lone Star Steakhouse). The owners of Cask still operate the
Tilted Kilt in Allentown.
The casual and
comfortable space offers several areas for its 200 guests to dine and drink.
The spacious high-ceilinged building is dominated by a 50-seat rectangular bar,
with seats around all edges and in view of the many televisions. Over 150+ beer
tap handles cover one wall, whiskey casks decorate another, and an offset keg
tower provides another focal point. Tan walls and faux brick wallpaper complete
the decor. At the front of the building in the bar area, windows above a bar
rail slide open to adjoin the outdoor patio space (which offers heaters to
extend al fresco dining time). A long high-top communal table separates the bar
area from the main dining space. A separate side dining area seats overflow
patrons and is intended to eventually provide private dining space.
With
a name like “Cask”, obviously beverages play an important role for the
restaurant. In fact, the restaurant name comes from the fact that a cask holds
liquid, particularly of the alcoholic variety. This Cask offers 26 draft beers,
with the potential to offer as many as 50 different beers at one time. The bar
offers over 50 varieties of bourbon, scotch, and whiskey, and tasting flights
are available. The bar also serves bottled beer, wine, and cocktails.
Cask serves upscale American cuisine. The chef graduated from The Culinary Institute of
America in Hyde Park, NY, and her pedigree shows in the food offerings. We
shared the chicken BBQ naan flatbread with corn, black beans, and cotija cheese
(which we hesitated to order because of our dislike for authentic Indian crispy
naan), but this version of the crust was more traditional flatbread, with a
softer chewier center and only crispy outer edges. Next, we ordered two
sandwiches, the amazingly hearty “jacked up” club (with pastrami, ham, bacon,
turkey, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and sriracha aioli between three pieces of grilled
Texas toast, and the prime dip (prime rib with caramelized onions and provolone
cheese on a baguette with sides of horseradish sauce and au jus). Sandwiches
are served on a metal tray lined with brown paper, and come with warm
house-made chips and a blue cheese dipping sauce, or you can upgrade to regular
fries, sweet potato fries, a side salad, or macaroni and cheese. For dessert,
we couldn’t resist the yummy home-made chocolate Stoudt cake, which arrived in
a surprising presentation: three double-muffin stacks, with buttercream
frosting between and on top.
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