Lehigh Valley Marketplace

By Carole Gorney

The Lehigh Valley has always been a magnet for people of different cultures from around the world, so it is natural that it has also become home to many fine ethnic restaurants. From Brazilian to Vietnamese, the choices are varied both in menus and locations.

Nazareth boasts the first Brazilian steak house or “churrascarias” in the area. RIOS opened a year and a half ago by two local couples who discovered that they had the same dream—to run a restaurant where they could show everyone just how delicious and varied was their native Brazilian cuisine. The name “Rios” was created by combining the names of the two places where the owners were born: Rio de Janeiro, home of the Samba and Carnival; and Rio Grande do Sul, the land of gauchos and churrasco barbecued meats.

One of the owners, Ana DeMattos, told me that the churrasco method of grilling and pit barbecuing originated in the south of Brazil in the 1800s when Europeans settled the land. These gauchos, as they were called, became skilled horsemen who successfully raised cattle, and so ate mostly beef. They would cook their meat outdoors in open pits fired with wood. When the meat was done, the gauchos would pull out knives from their belts and slice off thin, tender slices of beef.

This tradition is also part of the Rios dining experience. Some 15 kinds of meat, including various cuts of steak, chicken, pork, lamb, sausage and ribs, are speared on long skewers and roasted over an open wood-charcoal rotisserie. Some of the meats are first marinated, according to Rios manager Joao (John) Roquetti, but others are simply sprinkled with sea salt to preserve their natural flavors. After roasting, waiters serve a succession of the various meats tableside in the all-you-can-eat Rodizio style, which involves cutting off pieces of meat from the skewers directly onto the guests’ plates.
Included in the feast is a salad bar that offers many Brazilian specialties, such as feijoada, a concoction of black beans, pork meat and sautéed garlic and onions. The many salads and hot dishes available at the salad bar truly reflect the best of Brazil’s diverse approach to cooking and eating.

Closer to my home is PAPRIKA in Hellertown. This Hungarian gem features authentic goulash and chicken paprikas. The goulash is a tomato-based stew with cubed pork, carrots, potatoes and parsley. As anyone who has ever eaten in Eastern Europe knows, no two goulashes ever taste the same. It’s the special blend of spices that make the difference.

At Paprika, owner Frank Kralovits says he uses all authentic European ingredients. The chicken paprikas, for example, is made with a sour cream sauce and imported Hungarian paprika, and is served over egg noodles made fresh daily by Frank’s wife Nora, who does all of the cooking.

The Kralovits family, which includes two sons and a daughter, came to America from Budapest in 1987. Together they opened Paprika (originally named Elizabeth’s after the daughter) 10 years ago. The menu has always featured family recipes brought from Hungary that include halupki (meat-stuffed cabbage) and lecho, a vegetarian dish.

Finally, I must mention my personal favorite—a succulent fried pork cutlet that literally takes over the plate. “Everything is supersized,” Frank says. “I won’t cut back, and I haven’t raised prices either.” He’s not kidding: All entrees come with soup and salad, and the most expensive item on the menu is $14.99.

Further south both geographically and in cuisine is CASA TORO MEXICAN GRILL in Coopersburg.

Tucked away in a corner of the Fairmount Shopping Center on Route 309, this restaurant marked its third anniversary in August. As someone who spent the first 39 years of her life living in the Southwest and enjoying some of the best Mexican food available, finding Casa Toro was one of the highlights of my Lehigh Valley restaurant experiences. Granted, the menu includes some old standbys, such as enchiladas and burritos, but this is definitely not cookie-cutter Tex-Mex fare.

Owner and Chef Lucy Sheffer says she is always creating new recipes, which are influenced by both Mexican and Latin American cuisines. A native of Columbia, she and her husband Terry manage all the operations of the restaurant, and they are quite picky. “We buy all the produce ourselves,” Lucy explains. “Everything is fresh; nothing canned, and all the dishes are made from scratch. We use no lard and no MSG.” As for cooking utensils, no aluminum or Teflon is allowed in the kitchen because it alters the flavor.

Hearing Chef Lucy talk about her recipes is almost as good as eating them. Consider this description of Mexican lasagna, which is a popular off-the-menu special: Plantains are mashed with brown sugar, spices and chipotle sauce. The lasagna is then layered with pasta, the plantain mixture, ground beef and mild peppers, and red sauce with jalapeno peppers. Brisket Margarita, another special, is made by cooking brisket beef for three hours in a Margarita sauce with tomatoes, onions, dark Mexican beer and spices.

A popular appetizer on the regular menu is a fried whole avocado stuffed with ground beef, cheese, tomatoes, onions and peppers, and served with nachos and red sauce. This and many others are Lucy’s own creations. She says she has a long-standing passion for food, but admits that her cooking ability is self taught. Based on the quality and creativity of her creations, I would have to say she has an excellent teacher.

In Historic Bethlehem, just down the street from the Lehigh Valley Marketplace offices on Broad, is PETRA, a welcome addition to the already notable cuisine in the downtown area.
This Mediterranean restaurant is named after the rock-carved ancient city of Petra, a UNESCO world heritage site in Jordan—the native country of the Hanna family, which owns and runs the restaurant.

Petra is a small eating place in comparison with others in the neighborhood, but its intimacy and warm décor, coupled with the generous portions of authentic foods and reasonable prices, are definite strengths. On nice days you can even eat outside under the shade of trees and watch the bustle on Broad Street.

The menu includes 12 entrees and a selection of salads, soups and pita sandwiches. Featured entrees are shawarma beef, shish kabob, couscous with vegetables and meat, aussie surrar, and imsakhan. Aussie surrar is a unique beef rice with vegetables wrapped with puff pastry and served with cucumber yogurt. Imsakhan is chicken grilled with sumac herb, and then cooked with virgin olive oil and onions, and wrapped with oven-baked bread.

I’m a lamb kabob and falafel junkie myself, so I usually order one or the other. Be warned that if you try the falafel, one of several vegan choices on the menu, ask for plenty of napkins. This Middle Eastern sandwich is bursting with spicy ground chickpea balls, red ripe tomatoes and lettuce, stuffed in a pita wrap, and covered with the best tahini sauce I’ve ever tasted.

For lunch try the buffet for just $9. It is available until 3:30 and boasts 18 items including appetizers/dips, a fruit plate with fresh grilled pineapple, grilled eggplant and other vegetables, rice and four hot entrees. I don’t want to forget to mention the incredible beverage menu with a variety of espresso coffees, cappuccino, café latte, café au lait, chai latte, various hot teas, frozen jet teas, frappes, frozen yogurt drinks and old fashioned milk shakes in 16 different flavors. Turkish coffee is also available. Incredible!

We finished our eating excursion in Allentown at the PHO VUNG TAU, a family-owned Vietnamese restaurant since 1992. This place has a casual atmosphere where authentic home-cooked food is made fresh daily from recipes passed down through generations. Vietnamese cuisine is varied, which is reflected in the Pho Vung Tau menu of 85 different entrees. Soups (pho) and sauces dominate, with 22 different meat and seafood varieties—everything from beef to duck and shrimp to squid, each dish boasting its own unique flavor.

My duck noodle soup was served piping hot in a large bowl with a side of bean sprouts, cilantro leaves, a lime wedge and slices of hot green chilies. It would be an understatement to say that portions are generous. It looked like succulent pieces of half of a duck floating among the noodles in my bowl.

A favorite on the menu is the Bo Kho Mi or beef stew, which is made with marinated beef simmered with herbs and spices and served with carrot slices and rice or egg noodles. For vegetarians there are vegetable soups and stir fries, vermicelli and meatless fried rice.

To top off the meal, try the shakes or sinhto. These are made with exotic fruits, such as jackfruit (sweet, yellow), durian (pungent, creamy) or soursos (sweet & sour, milky). Delicious.

Rios
127 South Broad Street, Nazareth
610-614-1018

Paprika
1180 Main Street, Hellertown
610-838-6570

Casa Toro Mexican Grill
7001 Route 309, Coopersburg
610-282-8888

Petra
81 West Broad Street, Bethlehem
610-866-3901

Pho Vung Tau
1500 Union Boulevard, Allentown
610-433-3405