BETHLEHEM, Pa. \u2014 A new full-service restaurant will serve reuben egg rolls, chicken schnitzel and other tasty eats alongside rotating craft beer, specialty cocktails and other drinks beginning this week in Northampton County.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bethlehem Barrel & Drafthouse, operating under Aramark Sports + Entertainment, will open to the public on Wednesday, Aug. 13, at The Outlets at Wind Creek Bethlehem, according to John Gilbert, Aramark’s director of restaurant hospitality.<\/p>\n
The establishment will blend a warm, rustic interior with sleek finishes, creating a “refined yet casual atmosphere” for whiskey, beer and food lovers alike, a news release states.<\/p>\n
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Ryan Kneller<\/p>\n
Guests will be able to enjoy “elevated pub fare” alongside standout specialty items that are crafted for the community, complemented by an extensive selection of whiskeys, a rotating offering of beer from Pennsylvania breweries, and a cocktail program featuring local spirits with a Pennsylvania history, the release states.<\/p>\n
“We’re spotlighting a variety of Pennsylvania craft beers and spirits,” Gilbert said. “We’ll have a total of 12 draft beers that will rotate.”<\/p>\n
The restaurant’s culinary team will be led by executive chef Dave Blackburn, who brings a rich culinary background and world-class experience to the table.<\/p>\n
Blackburn, who grew up in his family’s restaurant of more than 40 years, graduated from Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Scottsdale, Arizona.<\/p>\n
He refined his skills through an apprenticeship under a Certified Master Chef at The Greenbrier in Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, and as a member of the Bocuse USA team in 2013.<\/p>\n
His career includes five years as head chef at Hubbard’s Yellowstone Lodge, twice named Orvis Lodge of the Year, and as Chef de Cuisine at The Gasparilla Inn, honored three times as Florida\u2019s best resort by\u202fTravel + Leisure.<\/p>\n
He also played a key role as the opening chef of Sunseeker Resort in Punta Gorda, Florida, and is currently a proud member of the 2028 United States Culinary Olympic Team.<\/p>\n
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Ryan Kneller<\/p>\n
“Our head chef is David Blackburn, who is on the nation’s Culinary Olympic Team, and we couldn’t be more excited to have him on our team,” Gilbert said.<\/p>\n
Guests will be able to enjoy appetizers such as reuben egg rolls and “everthing” pretzel bites; sandwiches such as a smoked turkey BLT and Francesinha (sausage patty, kielbasa, ham, steak and gruyere with chili-porter brown sauce on sourdough); and entrees such as chicken schnitzel, center-cut pork chop and shrimp and grits.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Other menu highlights will include:<\/p>\n
Old Bethlehem crab cake sandwich: Crab cake topped with green leaf, tomatoes and OLD BAY remoulade, served on a brioche roll;Stack burger: Beef patty topped with aged cheddar cheese, iceberg lettuce, tomato, red onion, house pickles and bourbon tomato bacon jam, served on a brioche roll;Churrasco: Certified angus beef New York strip steak topped with chimichurri butter and paired with a watercress salad;Loaded wedge: Baby iceberg, roasted tomato, red onion, pickled egg and scrapple crisps paired with house ranch dressing;Marrow duo: Long cut marrow bones filled with balsamic shallots, gremolata and house marrow butter, served with grilled country bread. Option to pair with a rye whisky luge.<\/p>\n
Bethlehem Barrel & Drafthouse will offer bar and table seating for around 200 guests, Gilbert said. The U-shaped bar will feature purse hooks, overhead TVs and outlets to charge cell phones.<\/p>\n
The restaurant will list popular regional breweries and distilleries, including Vault Brewing Company, Yuengling Brewing Company and Eight Oaks Farm Distillery, that it’s sourcing products from at the restaurant.<\/p>\n
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Ryan Kneller<\/p>\n
Bethlehem Barrel & Drafthouse, located on The Outlets’ lower level near the entrance, will operate 4-10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays, Gilbert said. Brunch will be offered 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays.<\/p>\n
“This partnership with Wind Creek Bethlehem represents an exciting opportunity for Aramark to expand our restaurant portfolio and showcase our hospitality expertise to a new audience,” Gilbert said.<\/p>\n
“Bethlehem Barrel and Drafthouse will offer guests a signature dining atmosphere within a unique shopping and entertainment destination, and we look forward to welcoming everyone this summer.”<\/p>\n
The opening of Bethlehem Barrel & Drafthouse underscores Wind Creek Bethlehem’s strategic vision to deliver an exceptional resort experience, marking one of several upcoming investments aimed at “solidifying the property as a top Northeast destination,” the release states.<\/p>\n
“This is another exciting culinary addition to Wind Creek Bethlehem’s lineup,” said Patrick Ryan, executive vice president and general manager at Wind Creek Bethlehem.<\/p>\n
“This new offering reflects the property’s ongoing reinvestment strategy and our commitment to delivering a top integrated resort experience for our Guests.”<\/p>\n
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Ryan Kneller<\/p>\n
Earlier this year, Wind Creek Bethlehem unveiled significant upgrades to the property’s high limit slots room, including an upgraded cage, enhanced lighting and new, sought-after slot machines, the release states.<\/p>\n
Looking ahead, the property will also debut brand-new carpet throughout the casino.<\/p>\n
Together, Wind Creek said the upgrades underscore its continuous evolution and provide an enriched on-property experience for both gaming and resort guests.<\/p>\n
“These announcements reaffirm our ongoing pursuit to continuously level-up this property,” Ryan said. “If you’re looking for the best place to game, dine, and experience the ultimate resort escape, Wind Creek Bethlehem is it.”<\/p>\n
Aramark Sports + Entertainment serves more than 150 award-winning food and beverage and retail programs in premier professional and collegiate stadiums and arenas along with convention centers, cultural attractions, performance venues, and unique entertainment destinations across North America.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BETHLEHEM, Pa. \u2014 A new full-service restaurant will serve reuben egg rolls, chicken schnitzel and other tasty eats…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":140336,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[153,64345,155,154,64348,64346,64347,64344,157,434,976,64343],"class_list":["post-140335","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bethlehem","tag-bethlehem","tag-bethlehem-barrel-drafthouse","tag-bethlehem-headlines","tag-bethlehem-news","tag-dave-blackburn","tag-elevated-pub-fare","tag-food-and-drinks","tag-john-gilbert","tag-lehigh-valley","tag-northampton-county","tag-restaurant","tag-the-outlets-at-wind-creek-bethlehem"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140335","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=140335"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140335\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/140336"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=140335"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=140335"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=140335"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}