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| - Let's just start with the elephant in the room...picture a vintage Arnold Schwarzenegger flexing his biceps in the mirror. This is the framed "art" inside the women's restroom located on the 2nd floor. Odd. I nearly poked my eyes out with my mascara brush from staring. It's hypnotizing.
Now that we got that out of the way, let's talk about the restaurant!
After months of whining, a group of 8 of us finally decided to nut up or shut up and finally made plans. (Thank you, Samantha B. for organizing!)
Getting a reservation for 8 is not an easy task. The building is a three-story, traditional townhouse that is very narrow leaving only so much space inside for the dining area, bar, and the kitchen. And, it is located in the middle of Allentown. Yes, Allentown. This fact could qualify as the baby elephant in the room but it seems to be the trend to operate fantastic restaurants in areas that would make your average xenophobe from suburbia go bat shit cray cray. And, for the record, I'm not drinking Hatorade. I was equally "scurred" during the drive up E. Warrington Avenue...and I live in the East End where hipsters and old school hippies are known to reside and give peace a chance.
The reality is what it is. It's a scary part of town but it did not matter a damn when we got out of the car. It was a Saturday night and we were greeted by an average Joe valet who sincerely welcomed us to the restaurant and told us to enjoy our dinner. The locals who walked by smiled and nodded as if they were giving us their approval. It's as if the restaurant was under a dome, protected by a force field that doesn't allow the stereotypical nonsense most would fear when entering Allentown at night.
We were greeted by our server who immediately took our drink orders. I didn't see a bar on the first floor so I almost hesitated to order my usual dirty martini and my sweetheart's Manhattan, thinking they were limited in their mixology. Orders were taken without pause and both drinks were most impressive. Our friends enjoyed vino rossos and biancos from their diverse wine list that is 100% Italia!
Tables are set with "Holy Oil" for dipping artisanal Italian breads, a seasoned cheese and cecci bean gustoso, and, my favorite, a fresh goat cheese olive spread.
We started with the artichoke appetizer special and shared the meatball appetizer with the rest of the table. Yes, shared. The meatball is bigger than Barry Bonds and Kanye West's egos combined. And, it was friggin' fantastic. The flavors, the marinara sauce, the mozzarella stuffed inside...If I could marry a meatball, this would be matrimonial bliss.
My sweetheart chose the highly recommended veal chop Milanese. This is yet another piece of meat listed on the menu not small in size. Because I am always the a-hole of the group, I asked if I could have Linguine and Clam sauce instead of the pasta prep on the menu. Again, no hesitation. Wow. But the groans from my our table makes me still an a-hole. I DON'T CARE! IT WAS MY CARB DAY DAMNIT! :-)
Our entrees did not disappoint. TASTY!!!! The entrees minus the pasta came with salad and pasta side served family style. Lots of food to be shared.
We finished with the hand-spun espresso gelato. Others at the table went for other gelato flavors and the Tiramisu. We all had spoons to share. All were "delish".
I was tempted to order the other highly recommended entree, the Cowboy Steak Diane. My friend Beth had the pleasure. The wild mushrooms on her dish looked just as big as the meatballs and she raved about the Worcestershire butter. She offered me a sample but I was too full and ready to birth my food baby.
Oh yeah. How could I forget! Franco Harris walked in. SHUT UP!!! Not entirely surprising after viewing the wall on the second floor covered with photos of VIPs posing with the chef/owner.
It's great to see a gem in Allentown that can shine a light on the other diamonds in the ruff in that area. But don't let the neighborhood fool you. This restaurant is VERY high end in service, cuisine, price, and atmosphere.
I really enjoyed my experience at Alla Familigia so maybe it wasn't such a coincidence they placed The Terminator's Mr. Universe pic in the restroom...because... I'll be back.
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