Bethlehem Restaurant Week

It's that time of year again: BETHLEHEM RESTAURANT WEEK!  The Summer version of restaurant week runs from June 26th to July 2nd and offers special discounted menus at 29 participating restaurants.  Fear not, there is a second Restaurant Week in the Winter for those who are out of town or otherwise unavailable during the warm weather version.  Now before jumping right in and being overwhelmed by all of the options, allow me to offer a few things to consider when choosing a Restaurant Week location:

• What are the prices? Prices on the individual establishments' Restaurant Week menus range from $10 - $30.  Check out the specific restaurant prices here.

• What time of day can I visit the restaurants?  Restaurant Week deals are offered for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  However, not every restaurant is open for all three meal times.

•  Can I just show up or do I need a reservation?  There is no requirement for a reservation, and some of the restaurants do not offer them.  That being said, many of the restaurants will get extremely busy, so if you know which day you want to eat out, it might be a good idea to see if that is an option.

• What is the parking situation?  Something I learned after paying is that Bethlehem will cover your parking if you are in historic downtown or the South Side (other locations offer free parking).  You can have your time-stamped ticket validated for three hours of free parking at either the Walnut Street or North Street garages.  On the South Side, the restaurants have tokens available for street parking meters.

• Should I go to for the discount or the local flavor?  This is a personal decision.  I opted for the local flavor, but I will share that some restaurants offer much better deals than others.  Melting Pot is probably one of the best packages, but it is a national chain available in other areas than downtown Bethlehem.  Meanwhile, many local restaurants offer a much smaller discount but offer a unique Bethlehem experience.  

• Do I have to order from the Restaurant Week menu?  No, in fact I was one of those rebels who opted out of the deals.  Given the limited nature of the discounted options, it isn't always the best choice for everyone.  I realize that ordering off the regular menu takes away one of the main benefits of Restaurant Week, but I think it's more about the fun of seeing downtown with all of the buzz of large crowds and you can still get free parking.

For my personal choice, I opted for Italian food at Mama Nina's.  Mama Nina's has quickly become one of my favorite establishments in Bethlehem.  It offers complimentary wine and garlic knots, a fantastic menu, and a very intimate setting that is well worth the trip.  I must offer the warning that the garlic knots are both addicting and potent, which an entire package of breath mints may still not neutralize.  I am very particular when it comes to red sauces, but rest assured that Mama Nina does it right.  The Veal Parmigiana is outstanding and the portions will usually provide enough for a second meal.  I would also recommend the Bolognese with the pasta of your choosing, but the specials usually include a seafood option that is too tempting to turn down.  The outdoor seating is a great way to enjoy the warm weather and also provides a great opportunity for people watching while dining.  Even from my few experiences, it is very evident that Nino and Nina Basile take great pride in their restaurant, want to provide each person with a hearty meal and positive experience that will keep their guests coming back for more.     

Take The Good With The Bad

Happy Wednesday (early) morning!  Tuesday was, by all accounts, a perfect microcosm of life in Bethlehem.  Let's tackle them in the order of the day, which means I get to wrap up the post with some of my Bethlehem all-time favorites!  I know it's not exactlty a local specialty, and I may have been put in time out by an unnamed co-worker for frequenting too often, but my day doesn't truly start until I have my Dunkin' Donuts.  For the 4Square users out there, definitely check-in to earn the free medium hot or iced coffee on your 5th visit.  The 4th Street location is extremely convenient to the Lehigh campus, so I can't help myself but take the short detour on the way to work.  On an even more exciting note, I officially took over as the mayor of this particular Dunkin' Donuts store today (doing a happy dance)!

Sadly, I'll follow up my great morning with a slightly more troubling lunch experience.  Thinking through some convenient restaurants on 4th Street, a friend and I settled on Campus Pizza.  Feel free to check out the menu.  Now this was not my first time visiting Campus Pizza and so I will again admit that I had some preconceived notions going in.  The pizzaria typically has a consistent product and I have tried several items including their chicken parmiagan, buffalo chicken wrap, and as you might suspect, the pizza.  It traditionally doesn't overwhelm me, but I usually know what I'll get which is sufficient to keep me coming back.  The downfall to Campus Pizza is the service.  A disclaimer is that the ownership has always been friendly, but unfortunately the same cannot be said for the rest of the staff.  Today's blunder came when the cashier accused my friend of not paying on a visit several months ago.  Knowing the upstanding character of this individual, we confronted the manager about the situation and the cashier ultimately admitted he wasn't really sure about his accusation.    Flabergasted by the treatment, I'm still unsure whether another visit is my future, but without any ill will towards the ownership I do want to make it clear this was an isolated incident among my numerous trips to the eatery.

Trying to regain the momentum from the morning, my evening was given a boost by my trip to the Farmer's Market at the Steelstacks campus.  On a gorgeous late-June afternoon, there is nothing better than strolling through a parade of pop-up tents while sampling some of the valley's finest vegetables, meats and treats.  Today I opted for the honey-sweetened mint tea and a stickey bun, but managed to walk away from the pepperoni and cheese roll.  The 3-7pm hours make it a perfect stop on the way home from work and I want to give a special thanks to Brosky 'n Meyer for providing the entertainment. High-quality, free live music just seems to put me in an even better mood.  The open-air setting with the blast furnaces in the background create a great atmosphere that the indoor grocery store simply cannot match.  The Farmer's Market should be a high-priority destination for anyone in Bethlehem, but don't forget to bring your cash.  Your credit cards are no good here.*

*Ok, there is one exception to the no credit card rule: Vynecrest Winery.  I am a huge fan of the Vynecrest Red so please tolerate my promotion of this Breinigsville-based company for just one second.  Also, know that I'm willing to debate its inclusion in the blog given that I had the opportunity to make the purchase at their Bethlehem stand.  While they do inflate their prices by a dollar or two, I can still purchase my favorite "house" red wine for just $12.  Given the 25-minute drive to the actual vineyard, I'd say I make up the difference in gas money.   

While I will include an update on 4th of July celebrations later in the week, I want to give a sneak peek at the recently illuminated Levitt Pavilian at SteelStacks, which will make its grand opening this weekend.  I snapped a quick photo tonight as construction crews were busy working on the finishing touches.  Happy Hump Day!

Starting the Journey

Greetings from the Christmas City!  As you may have gathered, this page is my way of sharing with the currently hypothetical "you" everything that I have discovered in Bethlehem, PA.  To help understand why I chose this town of 75,000 people and one over-sized Christmas star for the topic of my blog, I'll share some of my story.

Last week I celebrated my 1 year anniversary of living in South Bethlehem, and in that time managed to develop a reputation among my co-workers as a South Side addict.  I grew up only a couple of hours from Bethlehem in York, PA but had never spent more than a weekend in this area.  After 12 months, I have come to love the festivals, restaurants, entertainment, and residents of this quirky town.  Most recently, I lived in Nashville, TN and, to be honest I was pretty hesitant about what the Lehigh Valley would have to offer.  However, my friends joke that it was fate for me to end up in Bethlehem given my affinity for elf culture and the Christmas holiday.  I thought I was pretty intense, but this city puts me to shame...I guess I'll have to kick it up a notch or two this year.  I work in higher education, so the majority of my life is spent with a group of people that often miss out on some of the greatest parts of the city.  While I hope to provide a resource to residents and visitors alike, maybe I can help the students find some new favorites as well.      

I realize there are certainly a number of people who already write about all of the fun goings-on of the Lehigh Valley, but I wanted to make sure there was a place in the blogosphere specifically dedicated to the exploration of this unique little city.  Not to take anything away from Easton, Allentown, Emmaus, Nazareth, Quakertown, Coopersburg, Hellertown or any of the other various locales within the Valley; but I will own my bias and be writing solely about the city with the steel stacks.  I look forward to some amazing adventures and I hope you'll join in the conversation as I share some of my favorite spots. Please, feel free to make some recommendations of your own gotta-see's or must-try's so that we can capture it all.