Tom and I have often said, and still believe, that Valenca is one of the most attractive restaurants in the Lehigh Valley. The bar, with its gorgeous mahogany woodworking, wide plank fl ooring and pub tables lining the windows is always busy and very inviting. Amanda was the mixologist on tap the evening we visited and was happy to serve up a wonderfully icy Cosmopolitan for me and a Manhattan for Tom while we chatted.
Previously at College Hill Tavern and Moricis, Amanda adds a friendly, feminine touch to the masculine bar which seats about 15, with room for another 16 or so at the high tops. The alabaster-looking chandeliers and sconces that add soft lighting to the bar are carried into the main dining room. Wooden wall panels and recessed ceilings add to the rich interior of the thoughtfully decorated dining room with upholstered banquettes and well-spaced wooden tables.
We were shown to a window-side table and our server, Laurie (who’s been at Valenca since the original reopening), quickly came to talk about the menu. The “Spoon” menu off ers Valenca’s Soup of the Day as well as Crab Bisque. Salads are shown on the “Fork” menu and include House and Caesar Salads; an Iceberg Wedge and a Baby Spinach Sal- ad, which I chose as my appetizer. The fresh baby spinach was very chilled, served with wine-poached pears and topped with fried goat cheese and toasted sunfl ower seeds in a champagne vinaigrette. I truly enjoyed this salad. It was deliciously crisp and a perfect choice to start.
Tom chose the Portuguese Sausage from the “Taste” menu. Grilled in the kitchen, the chorizo was fl ambéed tableside to fi nish it off in a very cute pig-shaped utensil, which I have seen before but only in Portugal and in restaurants in Newark’s Ironbound section. The chorizo was very tasty and fl avorfully served with a zippy garlic chili oil. Chorizo is notorious for not being the leanest of sausages, so keep that in mind when ordering it anywhere. However, this fl avorful appetizer is sure to please any chorizo fan.
The next time we visit, Tom and I decided we will try two other items from the “Taste” menu – Crispy Asian Calamari tossed with scallions, peppers, cilantro and toasted Sesame seeds in a chili sauce, and Filet Mignon Carpaccio with baby arugula, par- migiano reggiano and pickled shallots in a truffl e vinaigrette. Also listed on this menu are Risotto Balls fi lled with mozzarella and prosciutto served in homemade tomato sauce; Crispy Beer Braised Pork Belly with sweet and spicy Japanese eggplant, saf- fron and cilantro; Spicy Sticky Chicken Wings with pickled cucumbers, scallions and cilantro as well as Garlic Shrimp with tomato and cilantro in a white wine garlic sauce, served with grilled bread.
Although a few items remain from the pre- vious menu including Paella Valenca; Steak and Salmon on a Stone and Picadinho (sau- téed pork, fi let mignon tips and shrimp served over potatoes and black olives in a red wine garlic cilantro sauce), the cur- rent choices at Valenca have moved away from traditional Portuguese preparations to include a more eclectic infl uence. On the menu is a Pan Seared Chicken Breast
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