Still eating, posts coming

Faithful readers and eaters,

I know I've been delinquent in posting reviews. (One commenter even assumed I was no longer blogging. Ouch.) Rest assured: I'm still out adventuring and trying new places. In the coming days, I will be recounting my experiences at the following establishments:
- Casa Latina, Allentown
- The Other Fish, Bethlehem (Round 2)
- Caribe Del Sol, Bethlehem
- Musashi, Allentown

Thanks for your patience!

Mixed experience at Spice India

Thanks to all who have posted comments about their dining experience at India Spice. I recently visited the restaurant to sample the buffet, a staple of most everyday Indian restaurants. Suffice it to say, my experience mirrored the mixed collective opinion of posters.

First, the good. The buffet included a chick pea salad that was outstanding with finely chopped vegetables and cilantro amid a lemony dressing. It was fresh and worthy of seconds. A spinach dish akin to Palak Paneer was savory and dense. Two types of rice (basmati and lemon) and two styles of dal provided ample opportunity for experimentation. Large metal skillets contained sizzling tandoori chicken and vegetarian dish. Both were average, though the presentation was impressive.

Now the bad: comments about undercooked chicken were validated with the aloo kashmir. I tried a piece of the dish and found it incredibly and unnaturally tender—to the point I could not distinguish the meat as chicken. I noticed pink remaining in the meat. Other chicken in the chafing dish was also pink. Meanwhile, an eggplant entrée was covered with a prominent, unappetizing layer of grease — which is too bad, as Indian cuisine can do remarkable things with eggplant.

In the end, there’s no excuse for undercooking chicken — especially when it is visibly pink in the serving dish. No number of positives can make up for this transgression. If you choose to go, you would be wise to tell your waiter to make sure the chef cooks the chicken. (Excuse me, can you please tell the kitchen staff not to give me food poisoning?)

A final note: the place was jammed on a Friday. A line formed at the front door. People waited up to 15 minutes for a table. Let’s hope the management and kitchen staff start embracing proper food preparation techniques so we can keep another Indian option available in the Lehigh Valley.

Excellent Thai-inspired soup

The Cafe in Bethlehem (221 W. Broad St.) has been serving up Thai-inspired food (and outstanding desserts) for years. Though there are many excellent curry, rice and noodle dishes on the menu in addition to a wide range of creative salads, my favorite selection is the big bowl of soup for about $9. It features simmering homemade chicken broth loaded with rice noodles, fresh basil leaves, julienned carrots, broccoli, chilis, mushrooms, scallions and your choice of shrimp, chicken or pork. (Shrimp is pictured at the right.) It is consistently a flavorful, clean-tasting, light yet satisfying concoction that touches on Thai food's trademark sweet, hot, sour and salty flavors. It's a great way to warm up on a chilly day without the heft of a stewed dish or cream-based soup. Enjoy.

Side dishes

1. The new Jamaican restaurant on 7th St in Allentown has opened. It's called Nixx's Jamaican & Soul Food Restaurant. The new Seventh Street Now blog has a nice write-up.
2. Kim from Kim's Kitchen in Center Valley reports that she's been cooking up more Korean food -- including seaweed salad, a kim chee-style tofu dish (with light, delicate tofu), a bean sprout salad and fish dishes (like tilapia) -- at the request of customers who have found her via this blog. She said to call in advance if you have a crowd (610-282-5857) and she'll tell you what she has or can make. Keep cooking, Kim!

Spice India information

Spice India
(610) 432-0980

Thanks to all for scouting Spice India, which indeed is in Whitehall. If you're heading north on MacArthur, turn right onto Schadt Ave. (before you get to Staples), go about 500 feet, then turn left into 2407 Mickley Ave. (Not Mickley Road.) I had a brief conversation with the owner. Evidently, the restaurant opened December 18. He relocated to this area from Parsippany, N.J., where he also operated an Indian restaurant. He and his staff appeared gracious, friendly and helpful.

Spice India has a lunch buffet. Weekdays, $7.95; weekends, $10.95. The full menu appears slightly more extensive than Raj Palace or Nawab, with more vegetarian options and several goat entrees. Here it is:

New blog domain name

You can now find this blog at www.beyondscrapple.com in addition to its original address, lveats.blogspot.com. No other changes -- same blogger, same mission, same sporadic posts.

Quick update

Now that the holidays are over, I will start exploring and posting again. In the next two weeks, I have visits planned to Tokyo Do in Bethlehem, the new Louie's in Allentown and Rincón Salvadoreño in Allentown. Please check back and look for my reports.

Also, thank you all for the wealth of comments and suggestions on this blog in 2007. Comments about your experiences at the restaurants I review are not only welcome, they're cherished. It's tough to get a true picture of a restaurant with only one meal. I provide glimpses in my blog; you help to broaden the perspective with your comments. Again, many thanks.

And now for some notes, or "side dishes:"

1. I noticed a new Caribbean/Soul Food restaurant slated to open on 7th St. in Allentown between Linden and Turner -- close to the new bus terminal. I run by the location every Thursday morning, so I'll notify readers when it's open.
2. Johnny Manana's is open in Allentown, 9th and Hamilton (in the new PPL building). Damien Brown's West End Neighborhood blog has a nice write up.
3. Long overdue stop: Amigo Mio in Allentown. I haven't been there in 9-10 years. I was reminded about it when I was perusing New York Times readers' nominations of best restaurants. One of the commenters from Brooklyn nominated Amigo Mio in Allentown alongside all of NYC's world-class establishments. Sometimes we forget the treasures we have in our own backyard.
4. I've been told about a new Indian restaurant on MacArthur Road close to the Wal-Mart/Dick's/Burlington Coat Factory shopping center. Has anyone been there or seen it?
5. Don Pablo's on MacArthur Road has closed. Big loss.

Delcious food, mon, at Island in the Sun

Island in the Sun
1236 MacArthur Road
(610) 435-4347

Need an escape from winter's low, dark clouds and bone-chilling cold? Try Jamaica--via MacArthur Road. Open since April, Island in the Sun serves authentic Jamaican food that will warm your soul like the tropical island sun toasts your skin.

As you can see from the image, the restaurant is in a non-descript retail strip on MacArthur road just south of Home Depot. A sign on the front door asks that guests not use profanity. It's a perplexing but wholly acceptable request made difficult by the quality of the food, which could easily evoke a phrase punctuated with a four-letter word like, "****, this is good!"

My culinary compatriot, Rob, joined me in trying two of the more unusual dishes: oxtail and curry goat. Both were simmered extensively, making the meats tender and savory. The oxtail was especially dark and flavor-packed. The goat awakened our taste buds with ample (but not overdone) curry. Side dishes were outstanding. A warm cabbage salad was crisp and toothsome. Plaintains -- fried to a perfect golden brown -- were expectedly starchy and delicious with hot sauce. The "best supporting side dish" award, however, went to the rice and peas, which were flavored with coconut milk and allspice for a sublime Jamaican side.

We also sampled a beef patty, the Jamiacan version of a turnover. A lightly browned crust encased a mildly spiced, almost pureed beef mixture. It had an odd texture, but alluringly subtle taste.

Of course, the menu includes expected Jamaican dishes like escoveitch chicken and fish, jerk chicken, and brown stew chicken and fish. Cow foot, manish water (goat soup) and cowfoot soup are intriguing options that beckon for trial next time. (I get the feeling that not all entrees are available every day.) Prices are reasonable. Most lunches are $5.95 - $7.50; dinners about $2 more. The decor is spartan, but acceptable. After all, you're not going for a visual experience. You can close your eyes and imagine sandy beaches, clear Caribbean surf and palm fronds swaying in the tropical breeze. Add the aroma and flavor of island food and you have a mini-vacation to Jamaica. Everyting is irie, mon!

Korean at Kim's Kitchen

Kim's Deli / Kim's Kitchen

5842 Main St
Center Valley, PA 18034

(610) 282-5857

I've written before about Kim's Deli (the sign says Kim's Kitchen), which occupies an inconspicuous building on northbound Route 309 across from the entrance to Southern Lehigh High School. Upon walking in, you might think Kim's is a typical sandwich joint. The deli case includes cole slaw, macaroni salad and potato salad. The special board lists a Reuben and turkey sandwich. Racks of chips and bottles of soda line the back of the entry area.

However, the real deal is the Korean food in on the second shelf of the case and back in Kim's kitchen. My visit with a friend tonight started with a nice conversation with the vivacious, diminutive Kim. We didn't look at a menu. We told her to just feed us Korean food. She readily complied.

The meal started with a thick, curried soup-like dish replete with diced carrots and other veggies. It was pleasantly spicy but not overly hot. Kim followed that with Kim Chee soup, which incorporated chunks of cabbage swimming in a broth. The typically pungent, fermentated Kim Chee was diluted just enough to impart the flavor of the signature Korean dish. Minced chili peppers throughout the bowl awakened the palate just enough, though the soup might be judged a bit salty by people not comfortable with assertive flavors.

Kim moved to solid foods: Korean dumplings. Stuffed with a piece of pork and nicely pan-fried, they were served with a chili sauce that added punch. Again, delicious. The entree plate had Korean barbecued pork tenderloin and chicken, sticky brown rice (with a fish sauce?) and colorful stir-fried veggies -- an unexpectedly exquisite plate for a "deli." Everything was cooked to perfection. The dish was a study in balancing texture: the silky barbecued meat, the almost glutinous rice and the toothsome veggies. We devoured it all. Fresh pineapple and a dish of walnuts and yogurt-covered raisins completed the meal with a subtle touch of sweetness.

I'm not sure if this is a typical meal that Kim serves, so I'm not going to say what I was charged. (It could easily change the next time I show up.) I will say that it was probably the best restaurant bargain I've had in years -- a fulfilling, authentic meal for a fraction of what you'd pay at a predictable American chain.

Be advised: Kim's closes at 7:30 on weeknights. And it's BYOB. But to my knowledge, it's the only Korean game in town. Whether you want to have some homecooked Korean food or experiment with something new, you can't do much better than Kim's.

Reviews forthcoming

To prepare my alimentary canal for the upcoming Thanksgiving Day feast, I plan to visit and review three restaurants in the next week:
1. Kim's Deli (Korean on 309 near Southern Lehigh)
2. White Orchids (Thai in the Promenade Shops)
3. Island in the Sun (Jamaican on MacArthur Road)

Also, I intend to report on an "American" ethnic food: barbecue. We've had several barbecue joints open in the Lehigh Valley in the past five years, including Grumpy's, Conway's and another place north of Easton (sorry, the name escapes me). We'll see how the Lehigh Valley matches up against Allen & Son in Chapel Hill, N.C. and Sonny Bryan's near Love Field in Dallas, Texas.