Lehigh Valley InSite

With love from Bethlehem's very own Carnegie Deli

On a recent Saturday night, Michael and I found ourselves hungry, bored and without my son - the perfect combination for a date night. We settled on going to the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem not really to gamble, but for the free entertainment and to check out one of the new restaurants, Carnegie Deli. We made an excellent choice!

Despite being a Saturday night, it was only a short wait until we were seated. Our table was by the wall with pictures of famous people who had experienced one of the Carnegie Deli restaurants.

To start us off, they gave us some awesomely crunchy deli-style pickles. I ended up ordering the matzo ball soup and a chicken salad sandwich. The matzo ball was the size of a baseball and had pretty good flavor. I am pretty fussy about chicken salad, but it was awesome and manageable to eat. 

Now Michael on the other hand had a turkey club and two sides, coleslaw and baked beans. We both started laughing when his plate came (see picture above). This sandwich was about 10 inches tall! I would say there was at least two pounds of turkey, about eight strips of bacon, a whole tomato and enough lettuce to make a rabbit go into a food coma! 

Half the fun of dining at Carnegie Deli was watching everyone try to eat their meals. The folks at the table next to us actually dismantled most of their sandwiches to eat them. The best was hearing a woman say how her dogs were going to be in heaven when she took home the leftovers of her 15-inch sandwich comprised of at least five pounds of roast beef, turkey and corned beef.

Just so you know, Carnegie Deli's desserts are a mile high too! I have no idea who has room to eat them though.

Have you checked out Carnegie Deli yet?If not, make sure you're real hungry before you go!

Burgers and More by Emeril ... for the burger you've been looking for!

Friday night I had the chance to try one of the two new restaurants at Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem. I chose Burgers and More by Emeril over Carnegie Deli (although after walking by the desserts at the Deli, I know I'll be back to try it).

The BAM menu was very unique. My friend, Jeanne, and I started off with the Grilled Gulf Shrimp Cocktail, which was served warm on a wooden skewer over a bed of shredded lettuce with a red remoulade sauce. It had a great taste, but it was a little bit of a challenge to get them off the skewer. Even the table next to us struggled with it.

For our entrees, we both chose to "Create A Burger" which consists of circling all the options you want on a form. I chose to build a turkey burger and Jeanne chose the short rib brisket blend. For toppings, there were a ton to choose from: lettuce, tomato, onion, fried egg, balsamic fried onions, pickles, mushrooms, multiple different cheeses and sauces, avocado and a bunch more that I am forgetting.

Each burger also came with a choice of a side dish. I chose the BAM fries, which were seasoned with a creole-type spice and served in a small deep fryer basket lined with paper. Jeanne chose the andouille barbecued white beans which were pretty spicy as well, almost like a kicked-up version of baked beans.

Both burgers were outstanding, and I would know ... we both sampled each others, just to make sure ;-).

When it was time for dessert, we figured why not? You only live once! We split a bananas foster milkshake, one of six choices of shakes, along with malts and sundaes, on the menu.

Now that BAM is officially open to the public, will you be trying it?  

Good cheer, good food and fun on my birthday in Lehigh Valley

Yesterday was my birthday. And in case you are wondering, it was my "29th" birthday ... again. LOL. Overall it was a great day. We even had some snow in Lehigh Valley! (I'm hoping that doesn't hurt the leaf changing process by bringing them down before they get to totally change colors.) 

I spent my birthday evening with my second "family." I belong to, and am secretary for, an international organization called SKAL. To sum it up, SKAL is a network of travel and tourism professionals from around the world. Each month we have dinner at different establishments. Last month we were at Sayre Mansion in Bethlehem; the month before that we went to a Lehigh Valley IronPigs game at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown. Sometimes we even visit other clubs in surrounding areas and states.

Last night we had dinner at Emeril's Chop House at Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem. I can't think of a better place to have birthday dinner. It was my second time to Emeril's (you can read about my first amazing experience there right here). I had the salmon and it was delicious. Following dinner they served a very rich chocolate cake, but the club got me a special vegan cake from Vegan Treats in Bethlehem.

I've heard lots of great things about the Vegan Treats bake shop but haven't had the chance to get there yet. Well, their vegan cake was outstanding! It was a vanilla confetti-style cake that was beautifully decorated and tasted even better than it looked. I am definitely looking forward to visiting on my own soon. If you've been to Vegan Treats, any suggestions on what else should I try?  

By the way, did you know that I share a birthday with Emeril himself? He may have a couple of years on me, but we have a few things in common (like a passion for food, since I graduated from the C.I.A.). Happy 50th, Emeril! BAM!

October rules in Lehigh Valley

October is one of my favorite months of the year in Lehigh Valley. And it’s not just one thing that makes it so great. I love October because it’s my birthday month, there's an incredible display of leaves changing with the weather, and Halloween ... there’s just something about being scared that puts a smile (or should I say scream) on my face.

With Dorney Park's Halloween Haunt already checked off my list, here’s the rest of things that I still would like to do this month:

1. Play a round of haunted mini golf at Dorney Square in Allentown. FYI, watch out from below!

2. Go check out one of Lehigh Valley’s newest haunted attractions: The Devil's Folly Haunted Barn. I even get in free because my birthday is this month! Have you been there yet? It sounds like a blast.    

3. Go Mutsu apple picking at Strawberry Acresin Coplay. These apples make for some awesome pies.

4. Head to Emeril’s Chop House at Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem for an awesome birthday dinner! Yum, I can taste it already.

5. Sneak in one last round of golf at Allentown Municipal Golf Course, one of my local favorites.

6. Check out Saw VI, which comes out October 23, at Rave Motion Pictures Promenade 16 in Center Valley. I’ve not been to this theater yet, but I hear it's sweet!

Are there any other October activities in Lehigh Valley that I should check out?

A Lehigh Valley Wedding Savings Plan: Go to the casino!

My dad, mom, sister, Casey and I had originally decided to head over to the Sands Casino last night because our wedding band, Brian Kirk and the Jirks, were playing at the Molten lounge.

Since we were going to the casino anyway, my mom came up with a sound financial decision of cashing in her change jar and splitting it up between all of us. All profits made would go towards Casey and my upcoming the wedding. Sounded good to me.

Me, my dad and Casey headed over around 9 pm. They definitely accomplished their goal in making the place feel "industrial." It also reminded me of an airport terminal with all the service desks and restaurants around the perimeter. Overall I thought it was a nice layout.

After a bit of gambling we head over to Molten with its neat set up, similar to a nightclub lounge, on the casino floor. We were disappointed. The Jirks weren't there! So instead of hanging out at Molten, we went pack to gambling.

We played video poker, slots, and video roulette with little success. By the time my mom and sister got there, we were just about out of money. So far our "savings plan" was a complete failure.

But the late comers had luck on their side. As soon as they sat down, they started winning. We left them there to hopefully make up for what we lost and headed home.

We weren’t even on Route 22 when my sister texted Casey saying that she had tripled her money and my mom was up a good amount. They made a good choice and decided to quit while they were ahead.

At the end of the night, we doubled the amount in the change jar - now we can afford four chair covers for the wedding!

Have you had any success at the Sands yet?

Sunday night at the Sands

Considering the opening of the Sands Casino in Bethlehem is the biggest thing to happen to Lehigh Valley since New Tripoli got its first traffic light, I had to go check it out. Unfortunately, sitting in front of a machine where all you do is hit a button and hope you win isn't exactly what I consider fun (although I know there are a lot of people out there who say otherwise).

Lucky for me, the Sands isn't just slots.

After coming down the glass elevator from level 5 in the parking deck to the watery lobby, Kent and I wandered around the casino floor, taking in all the lights and sounds and incredible decor. But our real reason for going to the Sands Sunday night was to see local songstress Sarah Ayers and her band perform in the Molten lounge. 

I've been a fan of Sarah Ayers for many years now. With her bluesy voice, she's like a modern-day Janis Joplin. She's powerful enough to cover Aretha Franklin and Sheryl Crow with ease. But my favorite is when she belts out "Amazing Grace" acapella - if you don't get chills during her rendition of this song, you need to get the cotton out of your ears.

As we sat at a little cafe-type table beneath the dim colored lights of the lounge, I felt like I was in a swanky bar in Chicago. After perusing the drink menu (with its Chicago prices), one of the sparkly dressed cocktail waitresses came by to take our order: a Corona for Kent and a Steel Monkey (chocolate, banana and buterscotch liquers shaken with cream) for me.

With its fantastic sound quality and no cover charge, Molten isn't your typical bar/music venue, which makes it my new favorite place in Lehigh Valley to see bands perform. But I haven't checked out St. James Gate, on the opposite side of the casino, which also has live music every night, so my ruling may change.

Lehigh Valley's newest restaurant: Emeril's Chop House ... BAM!

Lehigh Valley is really making a name for itself, a big one at that. By that I mean the recent opening of Emeril's Chop House, the first Emeril Lagasse restaurant in the entire northeast (at the brand new Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem)!

Being a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, I had high expectations for Emeril's, and I must say, I left very impressed.

Once we were seated, 20 minutes before our actual reservation, the waitstaff neatly placed a linen napkin in everyone's laps (white if you had light-colored clothes on, black if you had dark clothes on). And that was just the beginning:

- Beverage orders were immediately taken. 

- Embossed leather-covered menus were handed around.

- The specials were rattled off from memory.

- A complimentary plate of mushroom pate with toasted bread rounds was placed on the table. 

I started off having the Boiled Gulf Shrimp cocktail: four jumbo shrimp served with remoulade and cocktail sauces and Mirleton pickles.

Next, I had The Mix salad that was a blend of baby greens, fresh herb vinaigrette, cherry tomatoes and hearts of palm.

The next course was my entree. I ordered the Fairview Farms Organic Pork Chops with a side of asparagus. After ordering, the waitress pleasantly told me that I was going to receive 24 ounces of pork! I must admit, the flavor of everything was outstanding, but there was entirely too much food - I couldn't even finish one pork chop, let alone two.

Of course, I had to save room for dessert. I chose the fruit cobbler, which was very tasty.

All-in-all, the servers were very pleasant, the atmosphere was chic and the food was divine. I will definitely be returning some day soon. 

Will you be heading to Emeril's Chop House?      

Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem welcomes ... Nancy!

For the past couple years we've all been hearing about the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem opening in Lehigh Valley. Well, on Monday I was among those invited to attend their first of two test-run openings. I felt like I scored a golden ticket to see Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory!

I'm not one to frequent Atlantic City's casinos and only went to Vegas once. Until the other day, playing slot machines brought to mind crowded aisles, rolls of quarters, dizzying carpet patterns and dirty hands from handling coins. Not any more - "My Sands" is different!

The artist renderings and newspaper pictures cannot possibly convey the sophisticated vibe that hits you the second you open the door to the Sands Casino. I felt giddy just walking around exploring the various restaurants and lounges, and I can't wait to bring friends and family to see their first reactions.

After joining the "My Sands" player's club, I hit the floor and found lots of penny, two cent and nickel machines to play (I'm cheap). For this preview event, the casino donated what would have been their profit to 15 local non-profit organizations so I didn't feel bad that others were having better luck than me. I watched one lady carry a stack of vouchers to the redemption station ... much more convenient than carrying a heavy bucket of coins!

The sense of greatness once inspired by Bethlehem Steel has found a new home in the Sands Casino. I had a wonderful time on my first visit and with a $.05 credit on my account I'll be sure to return soon. 

Will you be attending the grand opening of Lehigh Valley's brand new Sands Casino on Friday?