New Italian on Main Street Bethlehem

After several months of renovating the former "Friends Cafe" at 548 Main Street in Bethlehem, Mama Nina Focacceria has opened. (Thank goodness, as Friends was a sad, sad excuse for a deli and a Main Street storefront.) Mama Nina's interior features color murals and rustic decor evoking an obvious Italian theme. The menu appeared typical for a small Italian joint: pizzas, hoagies, pasta, appetizers. However, I spent a couple minutes talking with the enthusiastic owner. He said he uses only fresh ingredients -- no mushrooms or tomatoes from a can -- everything delivered fresh daily and prepped on site. (I glanced at the pizza toppings storage area and his claim appeared true.) The waitstaff seemed eager and friendly. A complete review is in the offing. In the meantime, share your experiences with me. Considering my office at Spark is right down the street, I'll have plenty of opportunity to assess Mama Nina's.

Smooth eating, sounds at Ruffino's

Salvatore Ruffino's
1840 Allen Street
West End Theater District, Allentown

Italian food has become so mainstream in the United States that it's easy to forget that technically it is ethnic. Americans constantly select it as their most popular ethnic food, as they did in a 2006 study highlighted in Food Technology magazine. (An interesting tidbit: There are more U.S. Chinese restaurants than McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and Burger Kings combined. Then again, I think most zoning laws mandate that a strip mall cannot open without one.)

Ruffino's has been a stalwart member of the Italian Restaurant scene in Allentown. I usually go about once a year -- sometimes more -- as it's within walking distance from my home.

A recent meal with my family reinforced the restaurant's position as a solid, reliable choice for homemade Italian food. We started with fried calamari: nicely crispy, but not at all greasy. The accompanying tomato sauce was chunky, tangy and flavorful. Our caesar salad was average. I prefer leafy romaine, whereas Ruffino's version consisted of denser, paler romaine hearts. The dressing, served on the side, didn't taste special or homemade. The warm Parmesan-laden bread more than ameliorated for the salad's shortcomings, however. (I enjoyed three hearty slices.)

Our pizza was a delight. It had a light, slightly crisp crust. Toppings (pepperoni for the kids, basil and tomato for the half I split with my wife) were fresh and ample. The chefs used just enough cheese to cover the crust and toppings, but were careful not to pile it on and create a gloppy, greasy mess. Well done.

The restaurant offers free live entertainment on most Friday and Saturday nights. We enjoyed a gentleman singing in the style of Sinatra (so the sign promoted), though he sang mostly Neil Diamond tunes while we were there. No one seemed to mind. Between the music and the food, we'll surely be saying "Hello Again" to Ruffino's. (My apologies to Mr. Diamond.)