Word of mouth and advertising—along with a healthy sense of curiosity—seem to be bringing people into Steel Club. Sounds kind of exclusive, right? Well, yes and no.
Steel Club in Hellertown is a country club in the traditional sense—you pay your dues, you go in, you enjoy a round of golf and use up your dining budget by the end of the month. That aspect of the experience is a members-only thing. But there's a novel aspect of this endeavor that is completely alien to the traditional understanding of how a country club works. You don't have to be a paying member, per se, to dine there. In fact, you don't even pay any dues to dine at Steel Club's bar and restaurant, The Beam Yard.
One can go and dine at The Beam Yard in their jeans if they like—no fancy pants attire required, literally. And if you like the meal and you like the vibe, you can become a member of their dining club. (It's basically a way for them to communicate with you about special dining events—breakfast with Santa, Mother's Day brunch, etc.—and keep track of your birthday!) As you might imagine, there's no collared-shirt requirement at The Beam Yard, and definitely no jackets required. “If it's not offensive, you can wear it,” says Tom Butera, general manager and renovation director (more on the second part of his title later). “We are kind of letting this police itself,” he says.
The other atypical aspect of Steel Club? They regularly host special food and beverage events—the club has partnered with Funk Brewing of Emmaus, for example, to host whiskey tastings and wine pairing events. These events are also open to the public—if you are brand new to Steel Club and want to check it out, you don't have to be a member to attend.
Bringing such a vision to its fruition required extensive renovation prior to the restaurant and bar opening in August 2018, and the enormous, 100-foot bar, which seats 50 people, is the centerpiece of the dining room. A wall of windows wisely capitalizes on the views reaching out past the patio and onto sprawling golf course greens outside. “This used to be a formal dining room and it kind of looked like a Howard Johnson's,” says Butera. It now looks—and feels—more like an understated sports bar.
It's a way to get people in the door to a facility that's been in Hellertown since the 1940s, when it began as a place for managers of Bethlehem Steel to come and relax. The name, then, is an homage to its history—it used to be called the Bethlehem Steel Club. The facility ran as the Silver Creek Country Club for many years and indeed still held that name when the current owner, Dave Spirk, president of Spirk Brothers construction company, bought the 280 acres of real estate—including the country club—in February 2018. (Incidentally, Spirk's father was a member and an employee of Bethlehem Steel, and he remembers coming to the club as a child.) The club's original golf course was designed by Donald Ross, the well-regarded Scottish golf course architect, in 1946.
It became clear that it needed a new approach, so relaxing the standards has helped. Butera says the dining club has been growing exponentially since it opened. Steel Club's open-door policy for dining is attracting new customers and pleasing the established clientele. But it's only part of a larger plan—there's now a course for disc golf, sometimes referred to as frisbee golf. It's not an element of a country club that one commonly encounters, but it's part of how Steel Club wants to distinguish itself—it's much more relaxed, and, in Butera's words, “untraditional.” And they offer lots of food options, suitable for the entire family, and people with all different kinds of diets (the menu includes vegan items!).
The Beam Yard is led by executive chef Mike Honeywell, a veteran of the Lehigh Valley (and beyond) who's worked at Bell Hall and Shula's Steak House, among other places. Honeywell, who's originally from Luzerne, came to the food world from a seemingly unlikely place—he worked for years as a medical technologist. He always enjoyed cooking at home but as some may know, doing things for fun is one thing. When you suddenly begin to do a job that used to be a beloved hobby, it can sometimes sour you on the process. Not in Honeywell's case. While working full time, he commuted to the French Culinary Institute in New York City. “I'd go there four nights a week, get home at midnight,” he says.
When he came on board, much needed to be updated and upgraded. The banquet hall kitchen—this is a country club after all, used to hosting events—was “dramatically improved,” says Butera. “It was like from the Middle Ages,” says Honeywell.
In addition to those needed infrastructure changes, Honeywell altered the menu, too—it's a lot more expansive than it used to be. You'll find street tacos, with an Asian flair (tacos are like pasta, the ultimate blank slate) with roasted jalapeño lime cream, pickled red onion and cabbage slaw. Those are popular, along with the blackened beef tips—rubbed with a Cajun spice and served with barbecue sauce and garlic aioli. And what would a fancy sports bar be without a burger? Steel Club has one, too. Well, four of them at the very least, from the straightforward Pub burger (lettuce, tomato, onion on brioche roll), to a barbecue bacon burger, with Kansas City barbecue sauce, aged cheddar and apple cider bacon. (Oh, and just because it's on the menu, you can substitute anything labeled “burger” with chicken, instead.) Honeywell tries to source as locally as possible, when possible; the beef comes from a vendor in Washington, New Jersey, and they source within 100 miles.
Some items, though, can't be taken off, ever. The crab cakes are a reminder of the Bethlehem Steel days, says Butera. “We have people who have been coming here for almost 50 years and know the crab cake,” he says. That item, made from 100 percent jumbo lump crab, hasn't changed. If you can't decide between surf and turf, so to speak, the filet and crab cake duo is more than a fair compromise.
The dining program is still, as far as the club goes, in its early stages, so things are subject to change. At the time of press, Steel Club operated with just one all-day menu, and another for Sunday brunch, of course. But springtime promises separate lunch and dinner menus, with more to come as the place grows.
Another aspect that distinguishes Steel Club is the degree to which they want to create a kind of Disney World for adults—or maybe more like Las Vegas? Over the course of the next year, the club has an aggressive expansion schedule, with plans to build an enclosed promenade with an outdoor feel, for year-round use, with lots of food kiosks and café-styled seating, says Butera. Plans are in the works to add a poolside outdoor kitchen, a remodeled pro shop and a beer bar, called the Quenching, with 24 taps. (This is why Butera's title also includes renovations.) Oh, and of course, the space will be rentable—it can hold upwards of 500 people. If you are so enamored of the concept, eventually you can even move there, as there are plans to begin construction on more than 150 townhouses in 2020.
If you do, cooking at home might be a thing of the past. From Steel Club to the outdoor dining to the promenade they'll be adding, and who knows what else they'll dream up, it'll be tough to keep yourself in the kitchen.
Steel Club
Hours
Tues.–Thurs.: 11 a.m.– 9 p.m.; Fri. & Sat.: 11 a.m.–10 p.m.; Sun.: 11 a.m.–8 p.m.
Parking
Large lot on site
Reservations
Always accepted, recommended especially for weekends
Payment
Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, Cash
What to Order
Any of the appetizers, but especially the street tacos, the beef tips, the Asian shrimp. The crab cakes are an institution at Steel Club. Ask for the latest local brew on tap—they're often getting sixtels, which turn over faster than kegs. That means there's always something new to try. Save room for dessert, which includes, speaking of classics, standbys such as a chocolate lava cake and a very light and airy cheesecake.
Special Events
Steel Club is an unorthodox country club with tons of special events—beer dinners, whiskey tastings, indoor putting events with Funk Brewing, live music and so forth.
700 Linden Ave., Hellertown | 610.838.7018 | steel.club
