We've got a lot of lovely restaurants. And lots of great Asian ones, too, but what we haven't had, until now, is a Pan-Asian dining experience that's firmly rooted in American hospitality. That is to say fusion-oriented (because what isn't, anymore?), progressive and downright approachable. Notch calls itself a Modern Kitchen and Bar, and it is. However, it also feels more Asian than perhaps it wants to admit—even though there are no automated, waving cat statues at the register, nor are there fish tanks, nor can I imagine the soundtrack to include those stereotypically soothing sounds of the music of the Far East. (I have to imagine much of this, because there's sawdust on the floor and servers are being interviewed as I write this—they're preparing to open in a month.)
I'm not too far off the mark—according to owner Jeff Virojanapa, whose family also owns White Orchids Thai Cuisine restaurant in Center Valley, the nomenclature works on a few levels. “The name Notch comes from creating a restaurant that is a ‘notch above' Asian fusion in the Lehigh Valley. Many Asian fusion restaurants have a menu with a Chinese, Thai and sushi menu section. We want the entire menu to be a fusion of Asian flavors focusing on modern American comfort foods, with these great flavor profiles from all parts of Asia,” he says.
The restaurant has been a dream in the works for a while now, and Virojanapa has naturally assembled a dream team. The kitchen is run by Tyler Baxter, 33, who's originally from Coopersburg and is a new parent (along with his restaurant-industry wife, Laura, who works at 3rd and Ferry Fish Market). Baxter has opened kitchens at Cosmopolitan, The Bayou and Grain, many of them as executive chef. Most recently, he worked at Emeril's Chop House. He's also a graduate of Northampton Community College's culinary program. Sean Rainey, executive sous chef, is back there with him, too—he's worked at Savory Grille, along with Cosmopolitan, The Bayou and Grain. (Yep, that's right, the last three with Baxter.)
Now, about that menu. It takes some guts to name your restaurant Notch—it is nothing if not ambitious. With about 200 seats altogether, including an outdoor covered patio, a 20-seat bar, two floors and a private chef's table, Notch seeks to elevate the experience beyond your expectations. It sounds like marketing-speak, but in talking with Baxter and Joshua Coates, 32, the beverage manager who's got extensive experience in the region and out of state (Colorado), this ethos, this passionate commitment, comes with the territory.
That territory is the place where elements of Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese food merge, as filtered through an American comfort-food lens. If you're not familiar with these cuisines equally, don't worry. You'd be hard-pressed to find something that isn't familiar, but with a twist, which is how the best food—regardless of culture of origin—ought to be. For example, the Drunken Rice Cake isn't a rice cake as you know it, but instead, the dish feels like a loosely rendered Asian version of pasta with Bolognese, with a kick. The spicy Korean Fried Chicken is delicious and proves that love of fried food, but chicken in particular, is universal and needs no language. It's got a sticky garlic sauce, and is served with radish and pickles and two Chinese milk breads (these are soft, slightly sweet square rolls). The dish is assertively flavorful, enough to let you know who's boss—the chicken, clearly—but it's not overpoweringly spicy. I also sampled the Shrimp Toast, a classic Chinese-American dish, made unique with charred cabbage, sesame seeds and a red miso remoulade. You'll find dumplings (sweet potato), steamed bao buns, curry dishes and bibimbap.
And there's a Viet-Cajun Pad Thai dish that's a conceptual mind bender born out of geographic serendipities—in other words, a Vietnamese population that has sprung up in culinary proximity to Cajun flavors. Baxter cites Houston, for example. This mash-up is a thing born of reality, he explains.
Notch also does a banh mi, but the “Hand Helds” menu also includes a burrito and a burger: the former, with basil fried rice, strip steak, edamame salad and chili aioli; the latter with soy glazed onions, aged cheddar and bacon on a brioche bun. It is familiar, but different.
Speaking of which, as Coates explains, there's an expression in Thai culture, “same same,” which means similar, but different. (This strikes me, for the record, as totally different from our Americanism “same difference.”) And Notch embodies much of that approach behind the bar, too. The cocktail menu is one of the most inventive I've seen in these parts, on par with creative implementation, say, of beets and mushrooms in cocktails at Molinari's and the strong culinary approach behind Bolete's bar. The menu offers two drinks that will always be variations on a theme—Same Same, But Different. One of them might have an ingredient or two that the other doesn't; club soda, or bitters, or something to that effect. You won't find a straight up espresso martini, with recognizable coffee and vodka ingredients among others, but rather the Deja Brew. It's a surprisingly nuanced combination of Caffè Borghetti espresso liqueur, cinnamon, rum and lime.
The most unusual thing you may encounter though, from the bar, isn't perhaps one drink versus another. It's the crystal-clear ice cube, which, yes, looks pretty sexy as far as ice cubes go, and is functionally optimal for mixology in that it melts incredibly slowly. “It's the coolest thing that no one will notice,” says Coates. Until now, perhaps! It's time-consuming to prep the ice this way, which is called directional freezing. (Go ahead, ask Siri about it. We'll wait.)
Even the experience of opening a restaurant, which Baxter has done several times, is similar but different. I asked him how things have changed in the very compressed period of accelerated career change he's experienced in the past five or six years since he graduated from culinary school. Does it get easier, or harder, to be at the forefront of a restaurant opening? “I still get stressed, because I know more, but I get stressed about different things,” he says. No matter how many times you are opening a restaurant from the ground up—many of them have involved extensive construction—there are always new variables and challenges depending on the menu, location and, of course, the humans involved. (Humans are often the biggest variable).
So, I suppose this whole exercise raises the question. Is Notch an American restaurant with Asian-fusion fare, or an Asian restaurant with American food?
Same same, but different.
Notch
Hours
Sun.–Thurs.: 11 a.m.–9 p.m.; Fri. & Sat.: 11 a.m.–10 p.m.
Parking
On-site, behind the building
Payment
All major credit cards
Reservations
Yes, you can make one. How far ahead do you need to book? Don't know! Only time will tell!
Specials
Well, there are definitely specialties that will rotate, but the Large Format Pork Shoulder is bound to cause a stir in the dining room; it's something to behold. It requires 48 hours advance notice to properly prep it, and serves at least four people ($150). Notch also offers a chef's table that's bookable for groups or individuals—you can reserve as large or as small a group as you like, or just sidle up to it and join whomever's there. Additionally, there are plans to offer a dim sum brunch on Sundays at Notch, too, with a distilled version of the menu. Happy Hour: Mon.–Fri.: 4–6 p.m. with classic cocktails available.
5036 Hamilton Blvd., Allentown | 610.841.4610 | notchmknb.com
