CULTURES DELICIOUSLY CONVERGE
Thai-French restaurant now open in Palmer
An Asian or European vacation probably isn’t in the cards for you right now, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy authentic international eats closer to home.
La Kang, serving a fusion of Thai and French cuisines, opened April 10 at 190 S. Greenwood
Ave.
The 66-seat restaurant is operated by friends and Thailand natives Nakkarawoot Krueawong and Ratchaphol
Rojratana, who desired to “blend of the best of both styles of cooking,”
Krueawong said.
Rojratana, who studied culinary arts at Northampton Community College, previously worked as a chef at other Lehigh Valley restaurants such as House & Barn in Emmaus and the former Roar Social House in Allentown.
Krueawong credits his culinary skills to his mother, Pattharaporn Wasilewski, who also works at La Kang and has more than 30 years of experience cooking Thai food.
“From the duck confit pad Thai, with an egg crepe around the noodles, to our grilled prawn mango salad, with toasted coconut flakes and a lemon vinaigrette dressing, we like to incorporate French techniques into our cuisine,” Rojratana said. “Another example: In Thailand, people don’t typically eat rare or medium rare beef, but in France, it is more common. So, we’re offering a marinated skirt steak grilled to medium rare with toasted sticky rice powder on top and spicy tamarind sauce on the side.”
La Kang, which means “bell” in Thai, offers appetizers ($8-$12) such as triple mushroom spring rolls and chicken or tofu sate; curry ($14) such as red, green and Massaman; and entrees ($14-$15) such as drunken noodle, pad krapow and basil or pineapple fried rice. Proteins such as chicken, duck, flank steak, shrimp, seafood and tofu and vegetables can be added to any main dish.
Popular “signature selections,” $21$27, include crab fried rice with Thai chimichurri; and seared scallops with coconut green curry, jasmine rice risotto and grilled baby carrots and asparagus.
“Our customers often tell us that our food is on another level compared to other Thai restaurants in the area, and we like to think it’s because of the art of the presentation in addition to the taste,” Krueawong said. “We want people to take in our food with their eyes before they even take a bite.”
The BYOB La Kang, offering delivery and takeout, features green walls, white tablecloths and wall-mounted bronze bells imported from Thailand.
The team also installed custom banquettes to the space, which previously housed other restaurants, including Moscato’s Tuscan Trattoria, Pomme Verte Bistro, The James Eatery and, most recently, Gaglione’s Cucina Italiana.
La Kang, open Tuesday through Sunday, can serve guests outdoors on a brick patio, featuring Asian umbrellas, potted flowers and string lights. Info: 610-438-0301; facebook.com/ LaKangThaiFrench.
More foodie finds
From one Asian hot spot to another, Randevoo, a 3-year-old Lehigh Valley food truck serving made-from-scratch, Asian-influenced cuisine, on Thursday will open its first brick-and-mortar location in the space that is shared with Lost Tavern Brewing at downtown Bethlehem’s Moravian Book Shop.
The 444 Main St. eatery will occupy a renovated area that previously housed Dave’s Deli & Gelato, which closed its outpost in the winter but continues to operate a location on Stoke Park Road in Hanover Township, Northampton County.
A couple of Randevoo’s truck staples, including wontons and carnitas and vegan steamed buns, will carry over to the brick-and-mortar spot, according to owner Zach Umstead, a 2007 Northampton Area High School graduate who studied at the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute in Pittsburgh.
A majority of the book shop’s dishes, however will be new creations such as ceviche with rotating market fish and grilled barbecue shrimp and short rib skewers.
Umstead installed new kitchen equipment and added a sushi bar where the former deli counter was located. Three to five seafood specials will rotate twice a week.
Lost Tavern and Randevoo’s space allows for about 100 customers under normal circumstances, but with social distancing guidelines, the capacity will be reduced, Umstead said. Outdoor tables are available on the sidewalk. Info: facebook.com/randevoobethlehem.
As my colleague Jennifer Sheehan recently reported, the Easton Public Market has scored two new vendors:
First, Saylors & Co of Hellertown, offering a range of local and antibioticfree pork and chicken, prime cuts of beef, fresh lamb, veal and bison, and more than 40 flavors of homemade sausages, on Thursdayopened in the former Dundore & Heister butcher
shop space.
You can also find housesmoked meats (sausages, bacon, hams, ribs, jerky and even dog treats) and homemade salads (macaroni, coleslaw, potato, chicken and tuna), made-to-order sandwiches, and Italian grocery items such as pastas and frozen ravioli. Info: saylorsandco.com.
Second, ThreeBirds Coffee House, which opened a year ago at 226 Bushkill St. in Easton, expects to open its second venture, Nest, by Sept. 1 in the market’s former Fieldstone Coffee Roasters space.
Nest will feature a rotating blend of ground-to-order coffees sourced from Passenger Coffee & Tea in Lancaster; nitro coffee and classic Italianstyle espresso drinks; and cool drinks on tap such as cold brew iced tea, kombucha and lemonades.
Clever Girl Winery
From coffee to wine, Clever Girl Winery, which husband and wife Don Andreas and Pamela Weeks established last year in the basement of their Bangor home, is set to open a tasting room Labor Day weekend — Sept. 5 and 6 — at 15 Broadway in Bangor. The space previously housed Bangor Trust Brewing, which moved about a block away to 50 Broadway over the winter.
The winery’s tasting room, which has been repainted purple and gray, will feature seating for approximately 24 guests, Andreas said.
To start, nine wine varieties, including red and white sweet, semi-sweet and off-dry selections, will be available for purchase by the bottle, glass and flight. A pear wine also will be available, along with a young, dry Chilean pinot noir.
Wines, which are produced using regional and international grape juice, will be supplemented by beer from Pennsylvania breweries such as Evil Genius, Troegs, Weyebacher and Richmond Farm & Brewery.
With Gov. Tom Wolf’s recent order mandating that alcohol can only be served for on-premises consumption when in the same transaction as a meal, Clever Girl also is planning to serve pizza — pies and $1.50 slices — made in the space’s existing pizza oven.
The tasting room will open around the same time as Kim’s Kozy Krochet, selling handcrafted organic soaps and bath bombs and crocheted items such as bags, blankets, gloves, face masks and scarves, next door at 11 Broadway.
Former Subway shops
Good Guy Vapes, with more than 40 locations in seven states, opened July 11 at 1525 Easton Ave., Unit A, in Bethlehem.
The shop, occupying a former Subway eatery, carries more than 200 e-liquid flavors, including about 100 nicotine salt varieties such as apple cinnamon and blueberry granola. About 70 different brands include popular selections such as Blossom, Cloud Thieves and Juice Head.
Customers also can shop vape pods, atomizers, coils and accessories, along with CBD products and glass water pipes and bowls. Info: 484-8930802.
About a mile from Good Guy, another former Bethlehem Subway at 1829 Stefko Blvd. will soon be the new home of To’ Makao Fine Cigars, which is moving from its 6.5-year-old spot at 17 E. Third St. in south Bethlehem.
Owner Franklin Pichardo has more than 25 years of experience in the cigar industry, including 15 years of handrolling OpusX cigars at Arturo Fuento Cigar Co. in the Dominican Republic.
The shop, carrying freshrolled cigars and premium cigars from around the world, was forced to temporarily close in January following water damage sustained from a fire on the building’s second floor. Info: tomakaocigars.com.
Closing note
I’ll finish with a closing note:
Gold’s Gym at 2919 Lehigh St. in Allentown permanently closed on July 17, according to an email that was sent to members. The closure leaves one remaining Lehigh Valley Gold’s Gym at the Whitehall Mall.
“While it was difficult to make the decision to close this location, we were unable to come to agreement with our landlord during this unprecedented situation for small business owners,” Carol Deiullis, Gold’s Gym’s chief operating officer, said in the email.
Gold’s Gym, established in 1965 in Venice, California, has nearly 700 locations worldwide.
The Allentown gym’s closure follows the closures of two other area locations in recent years: Gold’s Gym Phillipsburg, which shuttered in September 2019 at the Phillipsburg Mall; and Gold’s Gym Bethlehem, which closed in December 2017 at the Lehigh Shopping Center on Union Boulevard.