Chef Tim Plante and Christian Filipos
Youell’s Oyster House in Allentown, as you may have heard, was decimated by a fire in January 2013 that reduced it to rubble. Undaunted, that very same day, owner Christian Filipos went downtown to file the paperwork to start over. As for what caused the junction box under the floor of the bar to catch fire? The former space could be described as a bit of a cozy jigsaw puzzle, with construction additions and expansions on the footprint of this farmhouse turned stagecoach stop turned general store turned restaurant. “Every bar customer who was a tradesman probably traded food for services over the years,” he says.
It’s probably not an exaggeration to say that he couldn’t imagine life without Youell’s. His dad, Gus Filipos, was an early retiree from Bethlehem Steel when he bought Youell’s—and its recipes—in 1984 after frequenting it as a lifelong customer. This is when Youell’s was located on Cattell Street in Easton. Fast forward three years. Christian, a 26-year-old graphic designer was re-evaluating his career, which “coincided with my father discovering that owning a restaurant was not ‘semi-retirement,’” and so he asked Christian to join him. These days, he runs the show and Gus, 80, spends half the year in Maine. The other half of the year? You’ll find him relishing full retirement, chatting with regulars at the bar, where you’re also likely to find him relishing shrimp stuffed with crabmeat, one of his favorites. “He prefers the breaded and fried version to the broiled. It’s served with drawn butter and it is decadent,” says Filipos, now 53.
Multiple generations of customers would likely agree to the unthinkable; life without Youell’s. (No more indulgent shrimp stuffed with crabmeat?) Filipos says he couldn’t believe the support they received after the fire. “It was almost overwhelming. It’s not to say that we were complacent, or anything like that, but sometimes you just don’t know how much support you really have until you experience a tragedy like this,” he says. Youell’s has been a fixture of dining out in the Lehigh Valley since 1895, adding more seafood to the menu as the years went on and moving from downtown Easton to College Hill in 1955. The Allentown spot opened in 1992, and two years later, Youell’s departed from Easton. “Two restaurants is one restaurant too many,” says Filipos.
As you might expect, when your business is annihilated and you’re rebooting, you’re given a gift—the opportunity to re-envision it. Everyone’s invigorated by the brand new space, which is airy and swathed in earth tones. Upon entering, the restaurant and its mezzanine level right above offer an expansive impression—you can see everything. The downstairs dining room and bar area seat about 150. Upstairs accommodates an additional 40, suitable for private parties and themed dinners focusing on beer and food pairings and, at this writing, wine and cheese—the latter enlisted the collaborative talents of general manager Todd Miller and cheesemonger Bill Wittman from the Allentown Farmers’ Market.
If you look closely, you’ll spy a recurring hexagonal pattern throughout various design elements—the staircase, the wine shelving and so forth. That’s Filipos—he’s been a beekeeper for 15 years. The fire wiped out all but one of his hives, but he plans to build his apiary back up on the rooftop, and give those bees a short commute by the planting of a rooftop garden, too.
“We have a lot of linden trees around here, too, so that works its way into the honey,” he says. (The area is large enough to accommodate dining, too.) In May, the restaurant hosted a Honey Week, including the annual meeting of the Lehigh Valley Beekeepers’ Association. The sweet stuff, however, is cele-brated all year long, in various incarnations. It’s in their dishes, such as one recurring feature—the honey, ale and aged cheddar soup—as needed. It’s on the rim of one of their popular cocktails, the Apis Mellifera (that’s Latin for honey bee). And most immediately, the chalkboard behind the bar tells you about Fegley’s VSA (Very Special Ale), a nine-percent beer brewed with the restaurant’s honey. Can’t have gluten? How about honey wine? Youell’s keeps some bottles of local mead from the innovative Colony Meadery in Allentown on hand, too.
Youell’s is in a curious spot. With a 100-plus-year brand name recognition, people know it. However, the subtle, lingering aroma of new paint and wood are reminders that Youell’s is starting all over again. “We weren’t happy about the fire, but we have an opportunity to remain relevant to our audience and attract a new one, too,” says Filipos. “In some ways it’s kind of a curse; we have people from Easton who remember it from 30 years ago, and people who remember the restaurant from 10 years ago, before the fire. It’s hard to please all of those people,” he says. Such challenges come with restaurant ownership.
Can’t have gluten? How about honey wine? Youell’s keeps some bottles of local mead from the innovative Colony Meadery in Allentown on hand, too.
With the current emphasis on sustainability and farm-to-table fare, Youell’s reminds patrons of its tag line: “Sea To Table Since 1895.” Longtime patrons can expect the same emphasis on mid-Atlantic seafood, especially those soft shell crabs (when in season) and Maryland lump crab, which seems best served simply or in their popular crab cakes. You’ll witness seasonal dishes and the on-the-fly inspirations of its veteran chef, Tim Plante, on the features menu. It’s how a longstanding restaurant balances innovation and consistency, and it changes weekly. “It’s also like eating at a different restaurant every night,” says Filipos.
The fish of the day is always a big seller. “Whatever we can get, it usually sells out. People are really taking risks,” he says. The ceviche, for example, is made to order. It’s not made ahead of time, which ensures the fish doesn’t start to get rubbery by sitting in citrus for hours. The day I was there, we experienced a crab ceviche sitting atop a seaweed salad, dusted with a bit of cumin and cinnamon (reminiscent of Chinese five-spice) and garnished with blueberries and popcorn—an unlikely combo, but somehow it worked.
Chef Plante is a Jersey native from the shore who’s worked in New Jersey, Philadelphia and New Hope. He ran his own restaurant, the Dapple Grey Café, in East Greenville before coming to Youell’s nine years ago. “I seem to be better at making money for other people than I do for myself,” he says. Filipos is both proud and hands-off as an owner. “I let the artists do their thing, use your talents to do what you do best,” says Filipos.
“We have such strong buying power, we get deliveries six days a week. These oysters were in the water 12 hours ago.”
And of course, there are the oysters. The bivalves are Youell’s namesake, but the restaurant has upped its offerings to four different daily catches; Connecticut Blue Points are always there, along with at least one Pacific option. “We have such strong buying power, we get deliveries six days a week. These oysters were in the water 12 hours ago,” says Plante, as he laid a plate in front of us. Like any other local food, their flavor profile is going to vary. The day I visited, we sampled from the briny tidal pool taste of a Basket Island oyster off the coast of Maine to the super-creamy Barnstable oyster from Cape Cod. “We sell through 400 to 500 of them a night, and easily about 1,000 of them on a weekend night,” says Plante. There are plans to expand the raw offerings across the board and add seafood towers. It seems to be the new truism of dining out: people can’t get
enough oysters.
So much so, in fact, that Youell’s incorporates it into a custom cocktail called Y.O.H., which is made with Ketel One vodka, fresh lemon, Cointreau, Tabasco and one lone oyster. As you might expect, the cocktails and martinis are given the same level of thought. “None of these drinks come off the Internet,” says Miller. Try something original, such as the Youell’s Beerie Tap, with Fegley’s VSA, raspberry vodka and cranberry juice. In terms of beer, you’ll find 14 taps and no bottles. “The craft beer crowd has been pretty pleased with our selections,” says Miller, 10 of which rotate periodically; you might find nationally recognized brands such as Sam Adams and Sierra Nevada alongside crafts such as Bell’s and Sly Fox. Belgian lovers: You’ll find Chimay and Blanche de Bruxelles at all times.
Miller shares a story, a testament to the place’s enduring appeal. The night before our interview the Valley experienced one of those deep, fleeting downpours that typify mid-summer nights. He says people were parking a block away, and running in the rain with no umbrellas, to come in. It went on for about an hour and a half; people asking to dry off in the bathroom before being seated. “It was something else,” he says, shaking his head. “I don’t know that I’d park a block away in a downpour to go to any restaurant. That speaks volumes about what we do.” Such is the unpredictability—and the joy—of running a restaurant. Cheers to another 100+ years, and thousands more oysters.
