Minneapolites headed to Lehigh for interview...what's the food scene?

[ehadley]

Ok,

My fiance and I will be flying into Philly and renting a car to head to Lehigh U. for an interview. We re the kind of people who drive a couple hours for good Kraut. And we are dying to know what's in the LV that we should check out before we head back to the Twin Cities. We have a minimum of 1 lunch and 2 dinners that we must fend for ourselves, and we want to make the most of it. Here are some of the places that have been mentioned:

Thai Kitchen-Bethlehem

the Farmhouse-Emmaus

Bolete-Bethlehem

Arielle's Country Inn-Sellersville

Heavenly Hedgehog or Nuts about Ice cream

Werts-Allentown

Nawab-bethlehem

So, an suggestions off the list? Anything we missed? if you were looking at moving to the LV, where would you eat to get a good idea of the food? We eat just about anything, but we love the out of the way places.

Thanks!!

[bucksguy14]

The Savory Grille - Macungie - http://www.savorygrille.com/

[PattiCakes]

Musikfest! July 31st-August 9th, in Bethlehem. How could I forget!

http://www.musikfest.org/

[JohnnyKBar]

Good call. That alone may be enough reason to move to Bethlehem.

[ehadley]

Thank you everyone for the encouraging words and suggestions! We're ready to seek out meals, and will report to the board with haste.

After we mourn the fact that we will be leaving Bethlehem exactly a week before Musikfest begins. *sigh*

[PattiCakes]

Well, if you get that job........

[JohnnyKBar]

I am sure you won't find the liveliness of the Midwest board vis-a-vis MSP, but the Valley offers a lot to eat, especially if you don't mind traveling and exploring. The Penn State Cooperative Extensions have started making maps and listing of farmers, farmers markets and roadside stands where you can get everything from hay to wool to exotic veggies and a ton of pick-your-own opportunities. I've been finding them at the library, but I know that the LV, Bucks, Montgomery, and Berks counties have maps/booklets available. It's a great way to get local produce and meat from sustainable sources, and supports the local economy more efficiently. Sorry, off my soapbox, now.
If you like the out of the way eateries, you'll be pleased with what the Lehigh Valley offers. It may take some time to find a critical mass of them for you, but there is a ton out there, often in unlikely places. You may want to start searching the board by the names of the small towns where you're looking. A lot of times this is more effective than by searching "Lehigh Valley". Good luck with the interview and with eating. While in town, I'd say to eat at Bolete and the Farmhouse for dinner, but lunch, walk around South Side Bethlehem and see what looks interesting. It's definitely walkable around the school.

[folprivate]

There are a lot of good places from brewpub fare to high end cuisine and that is all within a mile of Lehigh. My choices that well represent the dining scene would be

Lunch - Apollo Grill or Bethlehem Brew Works
Dinner
Bolete - a must - fabulous food in a warm unpretentious setting
Edge or Starfish

You could also won't go wrong with Blue, Manor House, Emeril's Chop House at the Sands Casino, Shula's Steakhouse, Pacifico, or Melt. I am not a sushi lover but I understand there is a good place on the south side (Lehigh side of Bethlehem) Flying Fish I believe and if you want a sports bar hit Starters Riverport also on the South Side. The Hotel Bethlehem is a beautiful place to stay and you want to check out the Moravian Book Store.

I could recommend at least another 3 dozen places from wings and BBQ to fine dining between Easton, Bethlehem, Allentown, and Emmaus

[PattiCakes]

If you are baseball fans, you might want to check out an IronPigs game --Phillies triple A farm team. We tried this place when we went to a game & it was a lot of fun. http://www.grumpysbbq.net/

Good luck with the interview!