My spouse and I dined at Top
Cut for an early dinner on a Saturday evening in mid-August 2019, then again in
late November 2019. Top Cut is open for dinner only on Mondays through
Saturdays (closed on Sundays and Mondays). Diners can reserve a spot using the online Open Table
reservation system; however, we arrived as walk-ins and sat at the bar (which
became quite crowded as the nights progressed, with many diners eating full
meals there, which created a bit of gridlock for guests who arrived early for
their reservations and hoped to enjoy a drink at the bar).
Top Cut opened in August 2016
in the Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley on the third floor of the building that
houses Melt restaurant on the two floors below (the Top Cut space is accessible
by elevator). Top Cut occupies the space that was previously home to Level 3
nightclub/lounge, although it has had extensive renovations since that time.
Top Cut is operated by the Paxos restaurant group, which also operates downstairs
property Melt, across-the-street neighbor Torre, Blue Grillhouse in Bethlehem
Township, and Firepoint Grill in Newtown Square.
Because Top Cut enjoys a
corner location, two sides of the space offer floor-to-ceiling windows (the
view is mostly of parking lot and shops, but guests can catch a peek of the
fields and landscape and sunset beyond). The bar area occupies at least a third
of the floor space, with a large rectangular bar surrounded by raised booths
(two of which are semi-circular). A high-top communal table near the semi-open kitchen
allows patrons can catch a glimpse of the chefs at work. The main dining area
is L-shaped, with raised booths and tables; one end of the L can be closed off
for private dining. Top Cut seats about 170 patrons at a time. Padded leather
booths, an extensive wine “cellar” (over 5,000 bottles!), white tablecloth-clad
tables, some wood floors, as well as black-and-white tiled floors, tray
ceilings, and interesting lighting complete the sophisticated look.
Top Cut offers a steakhouse
menu, with proteins served a la carte from the side dishes (including creamed
spinach, scalloped potato gratin, mashed potatoes, cauliflower, asparagus,
brussel sprouts, mushrooms), sauces (such as béarnaise, au poivre), and toppings (like lobster and crab). Complete entrees are also
available (fish, chicken, lamb.). We often cook delicious steaks at home (at a
much more reasonable cost), so we chose to order from the appetizer menu
instead. On our first visit, we started with the lump crab cake (with
absolutely no fillers) and the scallops (served atop cauliflower puree),
followed by the Asian boneless short rib (plated atop a yummy colorful slaw)
and the applewood-smoken bacon steak (served with tomatoes atop frisee). We
finished our meal with the excellent Grand Marnier souffle (note that it takes
20+ minutes to bake). On our second visit, we ordered many of the same appetizers,
but finished our meal by sampling the fantastic coconut cake. Service at the
bar was top-notch, even though the bartenders were extremely busy on the nights
that we dined.
We loved our bar-top dining
experience at Top Cut, and we will gladly return to try some of their other
appetizers.
