There's a café that lies along Route 512 north of Bath that combines the allure of a metropolitan coffee house with an eclectic menu of salads, sandwiches and breakfast platters. That restaurant/coffee house is the fairly new BeanBath Café, which opened Feb. 3 in the Southmoore Plaza. The café is furnished with comfortable leather chairs and sofas over a polished hardwood floor. The artwork that decorates the walls and restrooms is primarily from Indonesia and the Caribbean. “We pride ourselves on cleanliness, both in the kitchen and the dining room,” said owner Christopher Colvin. Colvin and…

State Café & Grill opened its doors on August 17, 2010 -- little more than one year ago -- on South 5th Street in historic downtown Easton. If you ask co-owner Juan Martinez how business has been, he can’t help but smile. “We’re going strong into our second year,” Martinez said. “We have to thank the local community for all of their support.” The State Café & Grill, so named because of its proximity to the State Theatre, is a casual restaurant with a fine-dining flair. The dining room is outfitted with hardwood tables and a wrap-around bar that encloses an open-style kitchen, where guests can…

Tomorrow may be the first day of school for students in the Nazareth Area School District, but technically, summer doesn't end until Sept. 23. To us here at Patch, that's a good enough excuse to visit Emily’s Ice Cream in Nazareth a few more times before the leaves begin to change -- but even then, Emily's is open year-round. Emily’s Ice Cream, which can be found just around the corner from Dunkin’ Donuts on Route 191, has been a local institution for nearly 20 years. And while some businesses are feeling the sting of competition and economy, Emily’s is doing just fine. “We have really loyal …

You may have heard the old adage “do one thing and do it well.” Well, Jasmine Restaurant in Forks Township does two things, and if local feedback is any indicator, it’s doing them both well. Jasmine Restaurant, which opened this past April in the strip mall that also houses Big Woody’s sports bar, serves up both authentic Japanese cuisine and Thai specialties. According to owner Yong Lin, sushi is the restaurant's most popular venture. Lin himself is a Manhattan-trained sushi chef of nearly 10 years. “I started making sushi when I was 17 years old,” Lin said. On the Thai side, Jasmine offers …

Imagine an old-world pub mixed with a contemporary bistro, and just for kicks, throw in a selection of more than 100 beers from around the world. That should give you some idea of what Porters' Pub is like. In 1988, three brothers bought a partially dilapidated building west of downtown Easton at the corner of Northampton and 7th streets -- without the slightest thought of it becoming a restaurant. “We really loved the architecture in [Easton],” explained co-owner Larry Porter. “We bought the building and it came with a liquor license… by chance we got into the restaurant business.” The three…

The menu may be small at Richard’s Drive-In but despite that fact, the Forks Township restaurant has a strong local following -- patrons know that Richard’s is the place to go for quick service and good food. Richard’s Drive-In is mostly about grilled and fried foods, like burgers, cheesesteaks, French fries and onion rings. Gyros and pierogies are about as exotic as it gets, but if it sounds like the fare is a bit mediocre, consider that a smaller menu means a more fastidious approach. “Everything that we use here is brand-name, [and] top-notch,” said owner Angelo Papageorgiou. “Our beef is …

Zanette’s Nazareth Grill opened on May 23 of this year, although some customers still call the eatery by its original name from more than 15 years ago -- the East Lawn Dairy Bar. Although the business has gone through a few name changes over the years, the heart is still the same; the new owner, Mike Zanette, kept the entire menu of the restaurant’s last incarnation, Choida’s Grill & Chill, but he’s made a few improvements that locals are eating up. “We have a new Asian salad… with crunchy noodles and Mandarin oranges,” Zanette explained. “It’s a big hit right now.” Also among the additions …

If you head down S. Delaware Drive -- along the Delaware Canal -- you’ll find the Canalside Cup, a retro little eatery with a big menu that’s open every year from March to October. Music from the 1950s plays over speakers outside while seven shaded picnic tables invite patrons to relax and enjoy the scenic view while they eat. With the scorching heat we’ve been experiencing, perhaps the best reason to visit the Canalside Cup is for the selection of ice cream --more than 50 flavors of soft-serve is mixed right inside the walk-up restaurant. According to owner Debra Kozic, the Cup’s black …

In this great commonwealth of Pennsylvania, cheesesteaks are a staple, and there’s no shortage of restaurateurs that come forward to claim that their cheesteaks are the best outside of Philly -- if not better. Chris Cappello, owner of Chrissy’s Steak Shop in Palmer Township, makes no such claims. She lets her 14 years in business and her made-to-order food do the talking. At the centerpiece of Chrissy’s menu are 16 different steak sandwiches -- with the choice of chicken or beef -- and each unique in its toppings. Some are topped with sauce and onions, others with lettuce and tomatoes, and …

It certainly doesn’t seem like only two months has passed since So Fun! Frozen Yogurt opened its doors in the Lower Nazareth Commons Plaza -- the very first of a planned chain of yogurt shops. Maybe it has something to do with the place being consistently busy since its May 5 grand opening, or maybe it's simply because So Fun! has become a weekly staple for me (your author). Apparently, I’m not the only one thoroughly enjoying what the yogurt shop has to offer. “The support from the community has been amazing,” said So Fun! manager Jon Harada. “We have people that come in every day, sometimes…

Only two blocks from Centre Square in Easton, just off the corner of Second and Northampton streets, is an authentic Thai restaurant dishing out fresh Asian cuisine every day of the week. The menu at Phenom, which is separate for lunch and dinner, offers up a surprising variety of Thai fare, the likes of which aren’t often seen in these parts; things like curry dishes, stir-fried concoctions and noodle bowls that use a blend of spices unique to Thai cooking. If you walk too fast down Northampton Street, you might miss Phenom’s thin storefront window. But, step inside, and you’ll be surprised …

Just down the road from the Palmer Park Mall, tucked between the 1818 Tavern and Easton Beverage, is an Italian restaurant serving up more than just the average pizza. Ray’s Famous II Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria, located at 2928 Old Nazareth Road in Palmer Township, has been in the business of serving up a large selection of gourmet pizzas for the past six years. But there's much more than pizza on the menu. Seven days a week, from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., there's a full menu of classic-diner and country-style breakfast items. “We serve everything like any diner would do,” according to manager …

Two-hundred and sixty years ago, there was a stagecoach stop some three miles from what was originally Nazareth. The inn was owned by taverneer Jonas Hartzell, a familiar surname to most living locally. Over the years, the building was an inn, a country-western bar, a go-go bar and a restaurant, but it has always been the Newburg Inn.    Today, the Newburg Inn is owned by Lou Basta, an Italian-born, New York-trained chef of 38 years who has kept the restaurant running since 1999. “You just don’t see this type of place anymore… this type of ambience,” Basta said. What Basta is referring to is …

Since June of 2003, the River Grille has been serving downtown Easton with gourmet cuisine in its three stylish, contemporary dining rooms. To regular patrons, the River Grille is known as a hip, modern spot with a genial staff and a casual atmosphere. The River Grille’s website describes the restaurant as cosmopolitan, meaning “at ease with many different cultures.” This is best displayed by the regional mélange of their menu, seemingly inspired by French, Italian and American dishes. “Our signature dish for dinner would be the Chilean sea bass, on the menu for eight years, [and] we also …

If you live in the Easton area, chances are you know of Sette Luna, the popular Ferry Street restaurant. What you might not remember, depending on how long you’ve lived here, is that five years ago, that same place was called Moscato’s, and it was as much a hotspot as Sette Luna is today. In March, owner Donna Marie Burdi reopened her restaurant in Palmer Township -- Moscato’s Tuscan Trattoria -- in the location that was formerly Mangia Italian Restaurant on S. Greenwood Avenue. Moscato’s is decorated in rustic Italian fashion. The remodeled restaurant features earth-tones, stone facades, …

There’s a lot of stigma associated with sushi. The whole “eating raw fish” thing isn’t for everyone. Hana Sushi in downtown Nazareth wants to change that. “[Sushi] is the new trend now,” according to owner En Li. “People are stepping up and trying new things.” Li, a Nazareth resident, opened his business in September 2009 at the corner of Main and Belvidere streets, in the building formerly known as Lily’s Tacos. In fact, Hana Sushi may be one of the best-kept secrets in Nazareth. The tiny storefront is deceptive when you step through the door, head up a short flight of stairs and emerge …

Just because Vintage Restaurant & Bar overlooks the links of The Club at Morgan Hill in Easton doesn’t mean it caters exclusively to golfers. The parking spaces are large enough to accommodate more than just a golf cart, and you certainly don’t have to be a club member to dine here. “‘Country club restaurant’ has a stigma to it,” according to owner and executive chef Mike Pichetto. “We worked hard to get away from that.” Pichetto was living in northern New Jersey and was going on his twelfth year working for Marriott when a few caterer friends already involved in a golf course restaurant were…

Oh, Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar, let me count the ways: 58 flat-screen TVs. Twenty-four beers on tap. Fourteen signature wing sauces. Traditional and boneless wings, available in orders of six, 12, 18, 24 or 50. The newest addition to the popular Buffalo Wild Wings chain, which already boasts more than 600 restaurants in 41 states, opened right in our own back yard just last month in Lower Nazareth Township. The franchise was originally conceived as a New York-style wing restaurant with the appeal of a sports bar. As Terry Shultz, general manager of the 3798 Dryland Way location, put it, “…

Imagine a contemporary bistro, complete with trained chefs, combined with the speedy service and ease of a Subway or Quizno’s, and you have some idea of the Three-Way Café in Lower Nazareth. Three-Way Café is owned and operated by executive chef Adam Aschoff and pastry chef Elizabeth Buss. They run their business by the slogan, “Everything fresh, everything homemade.” The name Three-Way Café is derived from its signature menu. Seven different Three-Way signature items can be ordered in three forms: as a panini, a quesadilla or as a salad. Five breakfast menu options are available on a Kaiser …

I never saw a purple cow, I never hope to see one; But I can tell you anyhow, I’d rather see than be one. This short poem, The Purple Cow by Gelett Burgess, is the inspiration for the moniker of the Purple Cow Creamery, an ice cream shop found down the narrow cobble-stoned Bank Street in historic downtown Easton. The ice cream parlor, which began in 1998, makes all of its own ice cream, sorbet and ice, available in 48 different flavors (24 flavors in the “off-season" -- Labor Day to Memorial Day -- and rotated for freshness). Much like its name, the Purple Cow Creamery is anything but …