In the few short weeks that Casera has been open in Downtown Easton, it's generated a buzz. It might be attributed to the fact that the place only seats 15 people for one 7 o'clock seating on Friday and Saturday evenings. Or you might chalk it up to the comforting Spanish-Caribbean cuisine, which features local purveyors as much as possible. Maybe it's the surroundings—the space used to be Project Blue, an art gallery. Through the end of October, you'll enjoy a three-course meal surrounded by Bethlehem photographer John Sterling Ruth's images of Spain, stretched on canvases, given the proper gallery treatment.
All of these things contribute to Casera's charm, but there's one piece missing. Owners Karina and Brian Turtzo live there, too, and that's reflected in the name. In Spanish, the word casera connotes that which is homemade or domestic. (Karina's parents are from Ecuador and the Dominican Republic.) The three-course meals, whose menu will change every month, are served family-style in a space full of beautiful oak woodwork and dim lighting.
“We wanted this to feel comfortable, like you're going to a dinner party at someone's house,” Karina says, although this particular home doubles as an art gallery with an uber-efficient kitchen space designed in consult with some of Karina's New York City chef friends. Here, the love of art is as serious as the food. “Having the gallery really helps bring people in,” Brian says.
As a venture, Casera is a logical pairing of the couple's interests and skills, as Brian is an artist and Karina works in the restaurant industry, with full-time jobs that take them to New Jersey and New York City, respectively. Casera is a low-risk, labor of love kind of venture. The pair has lived in Easton off and on for nearly a decade, with time spent in Queens, New York (where Karina was born) and Lower Manhattan, and back to Easton two years ago.
Karina worked extensively with chef-restaurateur David Chang, joining his Momofuku team in 2008, as part of the team that opened Momofuku Ma Peche, and finally, overseeing the company's international projects. She now works with master sommelier Laura Maniec at the Corkbuzz Wine Studio in the city. On the weekends, Karina is in the kitchen; their cook friend Edgar Tarazona, who's originally from Peru, assists her.
Brian, native to the Blue Ridge Mountains here in Pennsylvania, has extensive bartending experience in the city and currently works as a brand design manager at M&M Mars in New Jersey. For Casera's dining room, he fashioned the tables out of reclaimed wood from The Barnwood Store in Quakertown.
Onto the food! It is a small blessing to show up somewhere and have someone cook dinner for you—in that way, Casera does feel like someone's home. The most strenuous choices you will make are whether or not to order the small or large cheese and charcuterie board, which is a la carte, $12 or $16 respectively (Do it!), and what kind of wine you might like to bring, since it's BYOB. Karina offers wine suggestions with each menu posting online, based on what's available at the state stores. Mercifully, it's all figured out for you. After answering the question “What's for dinner?” all week, even the most avid cooks among us are often happy to leave the stirring to someone else.
Last weekend, we opted for the cheese and charcuterie board, with three selections apiece (the cheese is from Murray's in New York; they say they're also exploring local options). The first course consisted of littleneck clams in a squash (from Casa Bianca Farms in Mount Bethel) chorizo Yuengling broth and dulce de leche flan with coconut truffle as the dessert. The main course came with ample sides: a large platter of slow-roasted pork from Breakaway Farms in Mount Joy, served with a vibrant salsa verde, saffron rice, braised (and meltingly tender) red beans, pickled hot peppers and pickled Asian pear. Don't get too excited: that was September's menu.
Never fear, however—October's menu is up, bookended by shrimp ceviche with yucca chips and rice pudding with caramelized apples. The main course will consist of chicken, two styles: fried with scallion sauce and roasted with a garlic citrus glaze. No matter what's on the menu, Casera won't leave you hungry or uncomfortably full. You won't encounter mind-bending culinary concoctions or unpronounceable elements here—just thoughtfully and well-prepared food in a warm environment served by people who care. “This is the food I like to cook on the weekends,” Karina says.
134 N. 2nd St., Easton | 610.829.1190 | info@casera.co
Dinner: Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m. seating. Reservations are required; it's best to plan a couple of weeks in advance. Casera is happy to accommodate dietary preferences with advance notice.
The best way to see the art is to make a dinner reservation, or to come to the next opening.
On Saturday, November 10th from 6 to 10 p.m., Casera will honor illustrator Doug Boehm with a new exhibit Random Thoughts: From Past and Present. At the opening, you can purchase one of 50 raffle tickets for $3 for a limited edition concert poster and a complimentary homebrewed beer—it's likely to be a brown ale.
