Be it savory strata, succulent upside-down cake or sumptuously saturated tres leches, the crumb of bread and cake is transformed by permeation of flavor, awash in saucy enhancement, and very tasty indeed. Try one of these five for a fetching forkful.
1. Savory Breakfast Strata
Jumbars Cafe
1342 Chelsea Ave., Bethlehem | 610.866.1660 | jumbars.com
Sourcing their ingredients from local farms, Jumbars is a neighborhood joint in Bethlehem with an old-timey integrity and dishes that don’t miss. For example, the savory breakfast strata: a complex concoction of whole wheat bread studded with Granny Smith apples and seasoned with sage, swimming in your choice of sausage or mushroom gravy, with cheddar cheese and two poached eggs on top.
2. Tiramisu
Sette Luna
219 Ferry St., Easton | 610.253.8888 | setteluna.com
So soupy as to be served in a bowl, the tiramisu at Sette Luna has ladyfingers steeped in coffee, a generous slathering of mascarpone, and a finishing slosh of Italian brandy. Enjoy a rich and refreshing serving to cap off a Tuscan feast of wood-fired pizza, risotto or pasta at a spot that appeases even purists of Italian cuisine.
3. Pineapple Rum Pudding
Kabinett Wine Bar
125 Northampton St., Easton | 484.545.7670 | kabinettwinebar.com
Fanciful fusion and memory-making meals define the Bavarian/Aussie-inspired Kabinett Wine Bar in Easton. On a menu replete with duck, bone marrow and caviar, you know the dessert selections will exceed expectations. The pineapple-rum pudding consists of brioche soaking up a pineapple custard, with coconut cream and a cookie crunch finishing off this tropical treat.
4. Sticky Toffee Pudding
McCarthy’s Red Stag Pub
534 Main St., Bethlehem | 610.861.7631 | redstagpub.com
This British classic features a sponge cake sticky with dates and drenched in toffee sauce, with no chance of a dry crumb to be found. At McCarthy’s Red Stag Pub, Bethlehem’s destination for all things Irish and British Isles, an Earl Grey-infused sponge cake and toffee sauce are partnered with clotted cream and candied orange peel for a warm and cozy finish to your fish and chips.
5. Ginger Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
Randevoo
444 Main St., Bethlehem | 610.419.0086 | randevoorestaurant.com
From its start as a fusion food truck, Randevoo’s happy customers supported its Asian-inspired fare all the way to a brick-and-mortar location on Bethlehem’s Main Street. Here you can select inventive versions of sushi, dumplings and desserts from a short and sweet menu, like the ginger-infused take on a mid-century classic, pineapple upside-down cake with a snowy scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.
Published as “5 Things” in the September 2024 edition of Lehigh Valley Style magazine.
