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Photography by Alison Conklin
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Photography by Alison Conklin
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Photography by Alison Conklin
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Photography by Alison Conklin
From lush, rust-toned velvet circular banquettes to lobster-studded Albanian Rice, a meal at Easton’s Albanesi is a sensual and savory dining experience, infused with rich detail and gracious Europeanstyle elegance.
This new restaurant from the Enjoy with Gusto Hospitality Group—which includes Easton’s Three Oak Steakhouse, River Grille and Townley House Hotel— opened in July in the former quarters of Ocean, which also was part of the group. Albanian-born owners Mick and Bekim Gjevukaj, brothers, and partner Arti Kamberaj wanted to share the food culture of their home country. Thanks to them and partner Chip Muntean from Romania, there’s now another choice in the Lehigh Valley’s ethnic dining menu.
Launching Albanesi—the Italian word for Albanians— began months ago in January when Ocean closed. The interior of that restaurant was gutted, and renovation started when only the studs remained, which is pretty clear from the dramatic transformation of the space, designed by Bekim Gjevukaj and sister-in-law Kate Gjevukaj.
Walls saturated in a deep shade of blue, punctuated with areas of exposed brick, are offset by warm golden Brazilian oak flooring. Blades of white oak join walls to the copper-colored ceiling, which intensifies the warmth factor. Those velvet banquettes, almost throne-like in their rich color and luxurious texture, call out, “Sit here.” A gleaming crystal chandelier adds the final touch of elegance, underscored by tables draped in white cloths, topped with cut-glass water goblets and spotless wine glasses. It’s an elegance at once easy-going, comfortable and welcoming
Surprisingly, the bright, high-energy, open kitchen at the back of the dining room does not seem out of place, considering the restaurant’s classy sensibility. The kitchen’s focal point—a bright red rotary oven from Italy that reaches 700–800 degrees Fahrenheit—is Albanesi’s heartbeat. Much of the food magic emanates from here.
Bekim Gjevukaj describes the cuisine as “Southern European.” Yes, it’s Albanian, but dishes show the influence of its neighbors: Greece to the south, Montenegro to the north, and Italy across the Adriatic Sea. “Eating here is like a geography lesson,” says Kamberaj. Not only does the cuisine showcase the influence of neighboring countries, it also showcases the mix of regions within Albania— where seafood fills tables along the 200-plus-mile coastline and meat-based dishes hail from the country’s mountains.
At the helm in the kitchen is chef Dylan Gaydos, who has worked in restaurants since he was 15. The 2013 graduate of the culinary program at Northampton Community College has cooked at Easton’s River Grille and Three Oak Steakhouse, along with Toca Vez in Basking Ridge, NJ.
Gaydos’s kitchen focus is freshly-made fresh food, using lots of vegetables, and pickles, too. Nowhere is that more apparent than in the first course of Albanesi’s four-course dining experience. Vegetables in many iterations star in the eight-dish spread that felt like Thanksgiving at my grandmother’s house.
For Bekim Gjevukaj, the restaurant is “all about introducing Albania to this part of the world,” and that includes the style of eating as well as the food. No one got a plate to him or herself in his childhood home; Albanesi introduces that communal dining culture to guests. It’s a concept that underscores sharing, experimentation and conversation.
General manager Chris Chang—who has worked in restaurants on three continents—exhibits quiet passion for the food he introduces. With great precision, he intentionally and artfully arranges the first-course dishes, because “the entire table is the plate,” he says.
Chang explains: each dish complements and enhances the others. The bounty of flavors and textures is meant to be mixed and matched— such as pairing a creamy dish with another that’s rich with texture or another that’s bright with pickled clarity.
The variety of flavors— intense, mouthwatering and oh-so-memorable—keeps taste buds excited and expectant.
Hummus is topped with Ajvar—red pepper that’s been blistered at 700 degrees, then soaked in olive oil and seasoning—that adds piquant notes to the creamy dip.
Like a balloon, puffy, blistered Albanian Samuna bread arrives hot at the table from the red oven. Tear into the pita-like loaf, watching steam pour out like it’s escaping captivity, and savor the warm light loaf, perfect for dipping hummus and other dishes.
Bulgarian feta and walnuts, along with herbs and truffle oil, elevate Roasted Beets with crunch and earthy flavor. Crisp yet tender, too, Salata’s endive and poached pears, tossed in Dijon wine vinaigrette, are brilliantly enhanced with blue cheese.
Turshi, featuring intensely and beautifully crimson pickled red cabbage and cauliflower adds briny sourness to the table’s flavors. Cubes of sweet Roasted Butternut Squash, served on a bed of Calabrian aioli and flecked with the spicy heat of Calabrian chili, glistens with maple gastrique.
Whipped Honeyed Goat Cheese with date glaze, on a bed of sautéed scallions, absolutely melts across the tongue with smooth, delightful sweetness, the scallions adding texture and a touch of zip. Warm stuffed mushrooms with pecorino and lemon are so tender, they clearly were cooked with great care.
Perzhit—cheese and pepper fonduta (a type of fondue)— is creamy, dreamy and seductively rich. Topped with Albanian beef sausage, it’s an irresistible marriage of tastes, especially when decadently dipped with pieces of Samuna.
Photography by Alison Conklin
Next up, the meze course features Tuna Crudo, Qofte and Broiled Oysters.
Large chunks of tender raw tuna tossed in chili-infused oil are served atop basil aioli, its light green tone a lovely balance to the reddish fish. Adding characteristic notes of ocean air to the meze table, broiled oysters are brightened with parsley and lemon, and enrobed and enriched with garlic butter.
Qofte, baked patties of chopped ribeye mixed with Albanian seasoning, are served with deeply spiced harissa aioli and a refreshing, cool sauce of yogurt and mint. Diametrically different, these sauces exponentially expand the moist meat’s taste horizons.
Three main courses for sharing are offered from selections such as Filet Mignon with creamy goat cheese polenta, Sea Bass with pumpkin risotto and Albanian Gulash (braised veal, vegetables, garlic, spicy tomato confit and mashed potatoes).
A few selections for two include Albanian Baked Rice that features lobster, bay scallops, shrimp and clams with Turkish tomatoes and Balkan spice blend. A bed of cooked seasoned rice, topped by the luscious seafood, comes from the red oven redolent with the aroma of rich spice. Kernels of rice at the edges are crisp, caramelized and absolutely addicting; the tender seafood is lavish with flavor; the spicy warmth of this dish lingers and comforts like a polar fleece on a breezy autumn day.
After the meal’s bounty of flavors and sensations, dessert—rice pudding with passionfruit and coconut cream—is eye-opening in its simplicity. Rich, yet light, the flavor profile is lovely palatecleansing counterpoint to what has gone before.
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Photography by Alison Conklin
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Photography by Alison Conklin
Cocktails at Albanesi are designed to complement the food and expand on Albanian culture, too.
For example, “In My Country” summarizes “everything the restaurant is about,” says Cassondra Engarto, beverage manager, who’s also Townley House Hotel general manager and bar manager.
Featuring olive oil vodka clarified with ayran (a Turkish yogurt drink), parsley-infused dry vermouth, raki (from twice-distilled grape pomace, flavored with aniseed), Velvet Falernum (liqueur with flavors of lime, almond, vanilla, ginger and clove) and lemon juice, it’s garnished with a slice of yellow wax paper, parsley and a dusting of Three Oaks signature spice blend. Since the rub permeates much of the food at Albanesi, the drink foreshadows the restaurant’s major flavor profile.
Named for the third most populous city in Albania, Valora mixes Casamigos Mezcal, Grand Marnier, lime juice, hibiscus syrup and egg white to create a pinkish drink with a creamy white layer on top. Its refreshing and fruity zip, with a dried hibiscus flower garnish, sets taste buds atingle for a journey of gustatory delight.
A Pistachio Sour—with Bacardi, amaretto, pistachio syrup, pineapple juice, lemon juice, matcha and egg white— gives this nut a whole new life. Dried pineapple and pistachio crumbles garnish the drink atop its thick layer of white froth with class and style.
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Photography by Alison Conklin
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Albanesi’s dining experience will continue to expand. What’s offered right now is an introduction to Albanian cuisine, says Kamberaj: “Every month, we’ll be introducing new and different dishes from the culture.” Some standard dishes also change from month to month, because of seasonality and chef’s whim.
Kamberaj hopes Lehigh Valley residents won’t be afraid to try Albanian cuisine, but already diners are proving that’s not the case. Because the food is served communally, it’s easy to try just a bite of an unfamiliar food. Chang says one of his favorite moments is when someone samples something new and says, “That’s something I would never have ordered, but it’s my favorite food of the day.”
Albanesi’s food inspires conversation, Chang finds. Diners are talking about the food and the experience of the feast, instead of looking at their phones. In fact, he says, “The only time people pick up their phones is to take a photo.”
Photography by Alison Conklin
Albanesi
235 Ferry St., Easton | 610.438.4460 | albanesiwithgusto.com
HOURS
Wed. & Thurs.: 5–9:30 p.m. Fri. & Sat.: 5–10:30 p.m.
Cost: Four-course prix fixe, $65 pp Parking: On-street metered parking; South 3rd Street Parking Garage
Reservations: Recommended
WHAT TO ORDER
All vegetables in the first course! What a fabulously flavorful way to get those important vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. For sure, do not miss: Honeyed Goat Cheese (words fail to describe its deliciousness); Perzhit (go ahead, scrape the bottom of the dish clean with pieces of warm Samuna), Albanian Baked Rice (carb lovers, beware— caramelized kernels at the edges require seconds, thirds… and then words over who gets the last bite).
Published as “Inside Dish” in the December 2024 edition of Lehigh Valley Style magazine.
