Brazilian concept coming to 9th/Hamilton

From a news release from the City of Allentown. Hope they're able to make it a step up from Rios in Nazareth, which I find acceptable but not as impressive as Brazilian concepts I've been to in Philly and Atlanta.

Brazilian Steakhouse Coming to Allentown

A Brazilian steakhouse called “Made in Brazil” is coming to the Holiday Inn in Center City Allentown. Mayor Ed Pawlowski, hotel manager Cathy Minnich and restaurateurs João Roquetti, Antonio DeMattos and Eduardo Welter made the announcement this morning at the Holiday Inn.

“These three gentlemen reside in Bethlehem, Easton and Nazareth and I couldn’t be more elated that they have chosen Allentown as the place for their business venture,” said Pawlowski. “I can’t wait for them to get started.” The target opening date for the 200 seat restaurant is October 31.

According to Minnich, the restaurant opening is a partnership of the hotel and the restaurateurs. They will share the kitchen, with Made in Brazil operating the room service, lunch, dinner and lounge business and the hotel doing the meeting and banquet business.

“We’re here to stay,” said Welter. “We want to be the best restaurant in the Lehigh Valley. We will serve flavorful, abundant meals while providing friendly and tremendous service.”

According to Roquetti, the restaurant will offer Brazilian-style barbecued meats and service. “Waiters will travel the room carving meat from their skewers and placing it onto guests’ plates. Our guests will not leave hungry.”

The menu will include steaks, chicken, seafood and other top Brazilian dishes. There will be a wide selection of international wines, typical Brazilian drinks and other alcoholic beverages.

The city is assisting this development with a Restaurant Row Incentive Grant of $37,000 and a Citywide Business Opportunity Loan of $40,000. The funds come from the repayment of loans made to previous recipients. The Restaurant Row Incentive Program is administered by the city with the goal of encouraging the development of full service dining restaurants serving lunch and dinner in the downtown business district.

Roquetti says of the 25,000 restaurants in Pennsylvania, only nine are Brazilian, with the majority located in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. “City staff has been very helpful,” said Roquetti. “They introduced us to the owners of the hotel. We quickly realized that this is the place to be. We intend to attract residents and visitors from across the Lehigh Valley to this location.”

The restaurant announcement or grand opening is the third in the city in the last 20 days.

--30--

Four Aces? I'm game

Four Aces Grill
13th and Hamilton, Allentown

As noted in an earlier post, Four Aces is now open in Allentown. I heard from several sources -- and read in Morning Call articles and ads -- that it served a variety of food including offbeat meats like ostrich and bison. Coincidentally, I asked Beyond Scrapple readers two years ago if they knew of anything more exotic than goat in the Lehigh Valley. I guess Four Aces has the response, albeit delayed.

My family and I ended up there after unsuccessful stops at Morton's (in the former LoBaido's on 8th/Gordon, closed for family emergency) and Black Orchid (moved to East Side, I've been told). As an aside, I was distressed to see Morton's signage touting "food with a Southern flare." I hope that the misspelling is not a warning signal, so to speak.

Back to Four Aces. The restaurant was about half full on a Saturday evening at 6:30. We selected a table on the awning-covered front deck -- a nice, sheltered vantage point to enjoy the cool summer breeze and watch the incoming storm roll in. The decor is tasteful; mostly muted, earth tones with assorted artwork on the walls -- definitely a step up from the Rock Around The Clock Cafe that previously inhabited the space.

The eclectic menu featured a wide variety of dishes of various persuasions. It's tough to characterize the cuisine by ethnicity. Instead, I'd call it "adventurous." That's the theme and it works.

We started with three appetizers: calamari, jalepeno poppers and salmon cakes. The calamari were deep fried, but were served with a curry-like dip that was a nice complement for the squid. The petite salmon cakes (3) were sauteed perfectly to golden brown and finished with sauce that I cannot recall now other than it was a perfect complement. The poppers were homemade -- not the institutional variety filled with cheese product. Fresh, spicy jalepenos were stuffed with tiny shrimp, andouille sausage and cheddar cheese, then breaded, deep fried and served with a creamy lime sauce. Luckily, they were too spicy for my wife; I got to enjoy three of them.

For entrees, I could not resist trying the ostrich burger. Seasoned with Moroccan spices, studded with pine nuts and topped with an apricot, it was one of the most original burgers I've tasted. (For the record, I place the taste of ostrich somewhere between turkey and ground beef.) The handcut fries were a perfect accompaniment. The other members of my family ordered caesar salads topped with chicken, which arrived with the head of romaine intact and freshly grilled. The kids found the charring a bit odd, but overcame their concern once they tasted it. Nicely done.

We ordered a creme brulee for dessert and found it average.

The service was a bit slow and inefficient. (For example, the waitress brought us waters two at a time rather than using a small tray to carry four. Too many trips back and forth.) I think they're still working out the kinks. But it's BYO, so if you're looking to relax a bit and enjoy conversation with friends, bring a bottle of wine to share and don't rush it. It's worth the wait.

I spoke to the owner, who said he's looking for sources for kangaroo and alligator. I like where he's heading. He's taking a concept that no one else is trying and he's doing it well. I wish him the best.