It's the old restaurant cliché: a family opens a restaurant because they want to extend the utmost in excellent food and warm hospitality. But that's only the beginning of these kinds of restaurant genesis stories. From there, things get interesting.
PA House, which opened in April, is rooted in Italian cuisine, but it's not your typical undertaking of an Italian-influenced restaurant. There are no red-and-white checkered tablecloths, no piles of pasta showered with grated cheese. Instead, the place is named after the fact that the owners, Franco (born in Rome, raised in the U.S.) and Rachel (she's a local!) DiCarlo have owned a house in the Lehigh Valley for more than 20 years and would come out here on the weekends from New York with their children.
So, rather than a moniker that immediately tells you the place is Italian, PA House is more personal than that. It's yet another iteration of the DiCarlos' Pennsylvania home, one that just so happens to offer an outstanding cocktail menu, prosecco on tap and an imported pizza oven that can crank out 12-inch Neapolitan-style pizzas in just minutes. (The dough gets a multi-day ferment, naturally.) Franco describes it as “Italian at its heart” and the experience as not fine dining, but also not casual—a hybrid. “We're low-key but premium,” he says. (Now that feels Italian.) It's hard to argue with a house full of such amenities. As Rachel puts it, “We eat here how we like to eat.”
In short, it's the brainchild of people who understand good food, branding and creating a signature vibe—the DiCarlos have a background in luxury fashion. Who else could take a former auto body garage, both preserve and transform the interior, and spin it into a stylish and very open-concept restaurant? “It's retail, in a way, like fashion, but just a different product,” says Franco.
The very visible location right along the Saucon Rail Trail in Hellertown, just off Water Street, is so good for a restaurant, you'll thank the former auto body shop for availing itself to the DiCarlos. “When the stars line up, the stars line up,” says Franco.
“We wanted people to be able to come right off the trail, whether they're biking or walking or running, and eat a really good meal, enjoy a cocktail or a glass of wine,” says Franco. (And when you're trail-adjacent, it makes taking a traditional passeggiata after dinner a great idea, too.) Food has, he says, always been at the back of his mind, and it's the core of many Italian families. And the service takes a bit of an egalitarian, all-hands-on-deck approach, too. “Everyone runs the food and drinks; there is no real front or back of the house,” says Franco. “It's a cross-functional dependency.”
The menu won't leave you even the least remote bit hungry; it's focused, specific and approachable. The ingredients are simple, but handled with care for stellar results (just ask Franco about the best way to make pizza). Dishes are designed for sharing, starting with the appetizer section, “Divide and Conquer.” Order a bowl of oven-roasted olives, with house-made grilled bread, some avocado hummus (creamy thanks to some crème fraîche) and charcuterie, freshly sliced right on the premises. You'd be forgiven if you didn't progress too much further than this part of the menu, what with those items plus burrata and, oh, let's talk about the fries.
Admittedly, fries don't inherently convey Italian-ness. Franco talks about how his family moved to Michigan from Rome when he was a child, and his mother would make French fries often. At PA House, this childhood favorite is hand-cut (naturally) and arrives with three dipping sauces. But for the innate Italian twist, try the cacio e pepe ones, with cracked pepper, truffle oil, parmesan and a white wine garlic aioli (for dipping). Potatoes are a blank slate, like pasta (which they're not yet offering, but plan to) and, of course, pizza. The latter, a universally beloved food, is perhaps the ultimate blank slate. Pizza, as Franco says, “crosses all demographics.”
Let's talk about the dough for a moment. Good pizza dough typically undergoes a multi-day fermentation period which helps develop flavor and texture, and that's true here. The options are creative but not esoteric; people love The Bee Sting, which combines hot soppressata, hot honey and mozzarella and tomato sauce. The Holy Trinity is not religious, per se, unless you are one who adores meat, as sausage, pepperoni and pancetta top this beauty. Fun Guy is a white pizza with arugula and, you guessed it, various mushrooms. And, of course, there's the classic Margherita, whose colors invoke the Italian flag and whose flavors are completely spot on. Franco won't divulge his cheese or tomato sources for the sauce (we'll grant him those trade secrets), but suffice to say the cheese is creamy and a little tangy and the sauce is balanced, redolent of fresh-tasting tomatoes without being too salty, sweet or acidic. “The basil is covered like a blanket by the mozzarella,” he says. This way, the delicate herb doesn't burn. The ingredients are as unadulterated as possible.
Other menu items include a few salads (Bibb, Caesar and the compulsory arugula and fresh shaved Parm and fennel) and sandwiches, including a burger with meat from Pat LaFrieda, and a veggie sandwich. There's plenty for vegetarians to be happy with here, too. (Veggie sandwich, veggies on pizzas, veggie appetizers and so forth.)
At this PA House, there's even a yard, where you can order off the menu and sit creekside in Adirondack chairs or at communal picnic tables. Also, lots of houses have an RV of sorts in their driveways or yards, and PA House is no exception. Except here, it's a 1972 silver Airstream parked outside that also happens to house the DiCarlos' coffee biz called Hello Joe, open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday (with plans to close seasonally, probably in December and reopen in April). If you're heading through town on the way to 78 (or elsewhere) for work, it's perfect for a quick drive-by in the morning, or a leisurely outdoor coffee (or smoothie!) break. Coffee notwithstanding, the outdoor area invites relaxation with food and drink.
Speaking of beverages, we have to pause for a moment and extol that portion of the menu. Beer options are imported and, in a few cases, may be unusual for some; they've got the first 100-percent Italian craft beer, Baladin Nazionale blonde ale. It's a crisp addition with salad or pizza, or both. Please make sure you extensively familiarize yourself with one or more of their options, or order a carafe (a glass and a half) of wine. You'll experience fresh and creative preparations of aperitifs; maybe a Bellini or Aperol Spritz at lunch, or the perfect Negroni?
Clear your calendar. Come to the DiCarlos' PA House hungry, with friends. Order some food and share. Be prepared to spend a couple of hours here. Time will pass quickly, contentedly. Finish the evening with some Amaro, in true Italian style.
PA House
662 Front St., Hellertown | 484.851.6662 | thepahouse.com
Hours
Sun., Wed. & Thurs.: noon–9 p.m.; Fri. & Sat.: noon–11 p.m.
Parking
Onsite parking lot
What to Order
People love the avocado hummus; it's garnered an early following. In terms of cocktails, people love the Cosmomelon (it's probably the house-infused watermelon vodka) and the Espresso Martini, the latter of which is so intensely flavorful, it'll wake up all your taste buds. The Black Manhattan is unusual, with black walnut bitters, dark rye and whiffs of chocolate. Your Bourbon Sour comes with egg white, a move which surprises and delights most people who order it, says Franco.
Notes
There's no takeout yet, but it's not uncommon for people to dine here and order extra to take home and reheat for later. Where there's a will, there's a way to get pizza home.
Published as "Inside Dish" in the September 2022 edition of Lehigh Valley Style magazine.
