- Dessert: Friendly's. As if it's tough to scoop ice cream, douse it with high-fructose-corn-syrup-ladened toppings and candy chunks, then cover it in whipped cream. Everything else there is massed produced. Real original.
- Ethnic Cuisine: Don Pablo's. It's a chain, people. It's as American as McDonald's. Runner up: Wegman's. An "A" for breadth, a "C+" for quality. And could The Morning Call list a more ambiguous category anyway?
- Indian Restaurant, One of the best: Aladdin. It's not even Indian! It's Middle Eastern. Duh! This is the second year in a row that Aladdin has won this dubious honor despite serving no tandoori, vindaloo, or tikka masala!
- Mexican Restaurant (local): Don Pablo's. See two entries up. To me, local means locally owned, not the fact that it's in Whitehall. With all the good authentic options (Mexicana Grill, Blue Cactus, Amigo Mio, La Lupita and others), it's a damn shame that Don Pablo's is even considered.
- Salads: Applebee's. Maybe Applebee's should win this category in every major market it operates. Pistachio would have been a logical choice here -- best salad selection in the Valley.
- Vegetarian Cuisine, One of the best: Olive Garden. Granted, there aren't a lot of vegetarian options since The Green Cafe closed. Why even list Olive Garden when any other Italian place would qualify and serve better, healthier food?
Sunday, September 23, 2007
(Stupid) Readers' Choice
The Morning Call's "2007 Readers' Choice" insert in Sunday's paper again showed how ignorant and unsophisticated the Lehigh Valley can be despite the progress in the area's restaurant scene. Among the top vote-getters:
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18 comments:
I stopped read the MC because it had become what I call a "homeopathic news paper" meaning the the amount of actual "news" had been diluted to such a small amount as to be undetectable.
On a brighter note, give the Thai place in the Promenade Shops a try. I found it quite good.
J
These choices are appalling, but isn't surprising in a paper as awful as the morning call. Perhaps mcall decided to publish these restaurant selections because these chains are the advertisers in the paper... I don't want to believe that the valley would vote this poorly.
Anyway, the Green Cafe is not dead, the chef opened Balasia (balasia.net) in Emmaus a couple of years ago, and its certainly better than any of the processed frozen food that comes out of Olive Garden's kitchen.
And I agree with the previous post-- the Thai restaurant in Promenade (White Orchids) is fantastic thai food. The best thai I have had outside of NYC. I used to rave about Phenom in Easton, but the last few trips there have been disappointing, and the atmosphere at White Orchids is far better.
If you are in the mood for a good dessert you should check out "Vegan Treats" located in Bethlehem. Don't let the word "vegan" scare you.
I went there the other night after having sushi with my friends from NY and it was amazing! My g/f and I split a pumpkin cheese cake and had a cup of coffee. The inside looks like a small retro diner. They are very friendly and will tell you all about the desserts!
look at www.vegantreats.com for the hours.
-Mundania
anon 8:49, I've heard mostly good things about the new Thai place, everything from "it's awesome" to "mostly good." I hope to get there soon.
Thanks, Josh, for the comment on Balasia. It's on my list. The Lehigh Valley is behind the curve on having vegetarian/organic restaurant options. Re voting -- you have more faith in the Valley than I. Still, there should be some oversight to eliminate abominations like Aladdin. Unfortunately, the section is driven by advertising, not editorial.
Mundania, thanks for the tip on Vegan Treats, 1444 Linden Street. Is this next to The Cup? Or did it replace it?
I agree that mostly the people in the LV don't want ethnic/interesting food. Trying to find someone to go eat Indian with me is like pulling teeth. Actually, I believe most people around here would rather have their teeth pulled than eat Indian. Sigh.
J
Anon 1:37, I concur. It's not just the Lehigh Valley. It's evident in the homogenization of restaurants in this country via chains like Ruby Tuesday, TGIFRidays, Applebee's, Panera, you name it. Ethnic chains aren't much better -- they're meant to appeal to the least common denominator. For those of us willing to take risks, food (like so much in life) is an adventure where finding something new and different is an experience to be sought and cherished.
the 3 above mentioned restaurants (balasia, vegan treats and white orchids) are my 3 favorite places to eat in all the lehigh valley :) well VT is just for treats of course. i can't rave enough about balasia.
i can't believe nawab didn't win the indian category. also get the pad see'ew if you go to white orchids, i've been there 3-4 times and can't bring myself to try something else. it's just too darn good.
Don't bash Allentown and the LV it's so small minded and sophmoric. Just lay out your case. You and three other people are not the only people who would like to see better dining around here.
Given the size of this region, my case is that we have pretty decent dining here. We have an adequate, and growing, quantity of ethnic restaurants. My pleas:
1) If you don't know a samosa from a falafel, don't vote in the Indian category. If you can't figure out that Don Pablo's is a chain, don't fill out that category. Use a little common sense.
2) If you're The Morning Call, use some editorial judgment to protect the integrity of your product from readers' stupidity.
3) Try something new. Support local restaurateurs who are looking to serve up a unique, authentic culinary experience rather than over-salted reconstituted food.
Michael, I totally agree with all your points- especially point 3. There's certainly no need to promote nation-wide chain restaurants, the MC reviews had the potential to enlighten a huge group of Applebees regulars to the range of local restaurants that we have in the valley, and they certainly failed at that.
And yes, Vegan Treats is right next to the cup- it's a cool little place with late hours most days. Fun environment, incredible sticky buns.
Dear Michael,
Yes, this Morning Call poll is quite depressing... but it does remind me of how important you and your blog are to those enlightened diners who demand more of the restaurant scene. After living in Honolulu and Ithaca, NY (2 very diverse cities with amazing food...), I'm trying to figure out if I can settle down in the Allentown area-- and food choices are definitely part of the equation! Thanks for giving me hope that the Lehigh Valley may not be too bad afterall!
p.s. We're going to White Orchids tonight! Thanks to all for the recommendation.
The Cup is still there. Vegan Treats is near there, perhaps even across the street? Sometimes I'm bad with remembering my surroundings.
I just went there on Thursday to purchase a treat called the "Peanutbutter Bomb". It was amazing!
-Mundania
Ashby,
Just about every major ethic food is represented somewhere in the Lehigh Valley. You just have to know where to look and be willing to travel to the three main cities. There's no real "restaurant row" or cluster of ethnic restaurants, other than 5-6 blocks in South Side Bethlehem and 4-5 blocks in downtown Easton. Still, it's a big improvement over 10 years ago.
Agreed, there are only a handful of restaurants in the LV worth the money.
MC restaurant reviews are a joke, they do not even have courage to
leave a bad review. They simply do not publish it. The paper on a whole
is only useful as a bird cage liner.
Anon 9:32, I disagree that there are only a handful of LV restaurants worth the money. On the contrary, there are dozens of good (occasionally very good) ethnic places that don't begin to empty the wallet. And there are fine dining restaurants that are exceptional. This area has come a long way.
My comment about The Morning Call was directed primarily at the Readers Choice awards rather than the restaurant reviews. The reviews could be a bit more critical, but overall I find them fair and informative.
A relative of mine was just at the WhiteHall Don Pablos and they were closing up for good.
Readers of The Morning Call are also residents of the Lehigh Valley. And as a resident of the Lehigh Valley, I take offense at being called stupid.
Your comments are very condescending and we must find out what gives you the "edge" over the rest of us. How do you get off calling the hard working men and women of the Lehigh Valley stupid because they don't vote the way you want them to in a "Readers" poll? Please tell us.
I say thank you to anyone who goes out and supports local businesses. And I support local restaurants who take risks and try to create wealth by starting and running a local business.
Please - enough of the name calling. Keep your opinions limited to the restaurants not the residents of the Lehigh Valley.
If you don't know Middle Eastern food from Indian food, you shouldn't be voting. If you don't know a chain from a local restaurant, you shouldn't be voting. If you're The Morning Call, you should footnote irregular results to provide a level of editorial accuracy.
I'm with you -- I'm out to support local businesses. That's what this blog is all about. And that's what makes some of the "Readers' Choice" awards so distressing -- they're chains like Applebee's and Olive Garden and Don Pablo's and Friendly's, which aren't even local restaurants. I'm advocating that people step out of their comfort zones and try something new and different. We need to keep the culinary entrepreneurs in business. It pains me to see a full parking lot at Ruby Tuesday but only a smattering of cars at Little Saigon.
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