New Mexican in Emmaus

Fiesta Ole
1116 Chestnut Street, Emmaus
(610) 966-5522

I'm always skeptical of ethnic restaurants that try too hard to sound ethnic; to wit: Fiesta Ole. It sounds too contrived. And considering the restaurant inhabits a former "Golden Corral" location, I didn't know what to expect. Word on the street was generally positive, so I ditched my preconceived notions and tried it.

In general, Fiesta Ole seems to do a respectable job delivering the conventional Mexican fare. Menu selections don't stray too far from the expected: fajitas, quesadillas, enchiladas, burritos. A handful of specialty chicken and steak dishes appear (pollo loco, a marinated chicken breast, and carne asada), but they're nothing extraordinary.

Visiting for lunch limited my options. After munching on some tasty tortilla chips with a thin but fresh-tasting salsa, I enjoyed a plate of fajitas. The kitchen cut the chicken into small, bite-size pieces -- a nice improvement over the chunks usually found on fajita trays. The marinade imparted a nice citrus seasoning without being overly hot. (I added some habanero sauce to compensate.) The veggies were fresh and cooked crisp-tender. Nicely done. My friend, Rob, had chicken mole (called Mole Ranchero on the menu) for the first time. It was a hit. He offered me a bite. I found the mole to have more chocolate than others I've tried -- a bit too much, but still rich and creamy.

If you don't mind driving outside of the Lehigh Valley, I'd highly recommend Los Sarapes, a Mexican restaurant in Horsham. The menu is much more imaginative and inventive than anything I've experienced in the Lehigh Valley, yet without losing the Mexican flair. It's BYO -- and they give you a free margarita with each entree. Mmmmm.

Look again -- Spanish in downtown Allentown

Jarabacoa City
44 N. 8th St., Allentown
(610) 435-0781

I was surprised a couple months ago when I drove west on Linden Street and saw that the venerable Look Steak Shop on 8th and Linden had closed. (According to my lunch partner, Abraham, the Look had mediocre cheesesteaks that were as long as your forearm.) But my dismay was more than ameliorated when I saw that a new ethnic restaurant, Jarabacoa City, had opened.

Jarabacoa City claims to have "El Mejor Pollo Al Carbon de Allentown;" my limited knowledge of Spanish leads me to believe this means "The Best Grilled Chicken in Allentown." I can't attest that it's the best, but it is wonderful. It's obvious they're proud of it: upon walking in the Linden St. entrance, about two dozen roasted chickens were being kept warm in a glass case. Overall, the menu is somewhat sparse. That's OK. I knew I was getting chicken.

I'm glad I did. The chicken was marinated and infused with some sort of herb mixture that seasoned every flavorful bite. Roasted golden brown, the skin was crisp, not mushy. Traditional rice and beans accompanied the chicken. Several healthy splashes of hot sauce brought additional flavor to everything. Price: $6 + $1 for a soda. Maybe I can invest some of the savings on Spanish courses to converse more fluently with the owners.

Still wonderful Korean at KimChee Express

KimChee Express
100 E Broad St. (corner of Broad and Center streets)
Bethlehem, Pa
(610) 866-3556

A late evening in the office required some early-evening sustenance. Always ready for something different, I walked the three blocks from Spark to KimChee Express. I would have walked several miles.

KimChee Express has a wide range of authentic Korean cuisine. After browsing through the menu of 24 entrees, I settled on Daen-Jang-Ji-Gae, zucchini, onion, potato, pepper and bean curd (tofu) with pork in bean paste broth.

Long before the soup was served, however, I was treated to a wide variety of Korean vegetables: a soybean salad, kim chee (of course), julienned radish with kim chee spices, pickled julienned radish, a seaweed salad and a squid-radish-carrot salad. Compared with even other Asian foods, these dishes were unusual, but delicious. Get your taste buds ready for a new experience.

The Daen-Jang-Ji-Gae was served piping hot in a heavy bowl - it actually arrived still boiling. Pleasantly spicy (at my request), it was both tasty and hearty. Healthy, too.

A table next to me ordered Gal-Bee BBQ -- barbecued boneless beef ribs marinated in a special 24-ingredient sauce. The owner brought out a special table-sized grill for the two guests, lit it, and instructed them on how to grill their own food. The dish included lettuce (to wrap and hold the meat with), hot peppers, garlic and hot sauce as condiments. A wonderful grill flavor permeated the room throughout the experience, though not a whole lot of smoke. I'll have to come back for that.

The owner was extremely pleasant and helpful. She served an excellent roasted barley tea with dinner.

Best of all, the meal for one came to $9.25 with tip. Can't beat that anywhere. I'll be back.