Page 33 - Indulge September 2017

man cave
Sports bars in the Valley?
It’s not hard to find a winner
By Patrick O’Donnell
Any of my friends will tell you that if you want to talk
about last night’s game, I’m really not your guy. I’ll location has multiple screens to watch football, baseball, boxing,
go to see the Phantoms or IronPigs sometimes, and I’ve
rooted for The Steelers on occasion. But when it comes
right down to it, I don’t know a touchdown from a home run,
a goal from a basket, or a serve from a birdie. If someone
says, “Wow, did you see that Yankees win last night?
[Aaron] Judge totally CRUSHED IT,” I’m likely to respond
with something like “I know, right? What a tackle!”
So I had to enlist some help from those aforementioned
friends when a Lehigh Valley newcomer asked me about the
“best sports bar around.”
I know good bars — that’s not the problem. But they
tend to be places I visit for the quality of the beer in the
glass and the food on the plate, not the quality of the TVs
or the sound systems — the two items I assumed were the
only considerations when it came to picking a sports bar.
It turns out these things are not mutually exclusive, and
also, that I was wrong. Oh boy, was I wrong — as my friends
were quick to point out.
“Dude, do you live under a friggin’ rock?” one of my
friends, Steve, asked me. “Well, actually, kind of; it’s
technically a cave, though,” I replied. Steve (an alias; his
real name is Doug and he said he’s now too embarrassed to
admit he knows me) snorted and said most of the Valley’s
sports bars are also home to some of the best food and
drink around.
“Have you not been to Braveheart [Highland Pub]?” he
asked. “They have Weyerbacher, Victory, Guinness, Magic
Hat and Tennents on tap. They serve up Scottish food like
Guinness beef stew; bangers and mashed; shepherd’s pie;
and bridies. And their crab cakes and bacon wrapped pork
are awesome.”
The bar, at 430 Main St. in Hellertown, also has
multiple rooms for viewing games and multiple flat screen
TVs. Soccer, especially World Cup events, is a favorite there.
Then there’s Big Woody’s, which has six locations
scattered among Allentown, Bethlehem, Emmaus and Easton.
Another friend — let’s call him Mike — said the Easton location
(1855 Sullivan Trail, Forks Township) is his go-to place for an
Eagles game. Mike’s a pizza and Coors guy, so I checked out the
menu myself. There’s classic appetizers such as garlic knots and
nachos supreme, and staples like pizza, calzones, strombolis,
burgers and wings galore, plus craft and domestic beers. Each
NASCAR — you name it. And if you’re not willing to leave the
cave, err, house, for a game, they’ll deliver the food and the beer.
I’ve been to Chickie’s & Pete’s Crab House and Sports Bar at
Allentown’s PPL Center a few times, so I know you can watch a
Phantoms game from there, and it’s a sweet setup — drink beer,
watch a fight break out on the rink, repeat as necessary. But it’s
also a popular spot to watch football, and is known for its food,
like Crabfries, mussels, roast pork, “Pete-zza” and burgers.
There’s a decent variety of beers on tap and in bottles, too —
including selections from Evil Genius, Great Lakes, Ithaca
Brewing and more.
Molly’s Irish Grille and Sports Pub (E. 4th and New streets)
in Bethlehem features 16 flat-screen TVs, almost 30 beers
on tap, and menu items including a jerk chicken sandwich,
barbecue pulled pork, and speciality sandwiches like The
Shannon (my favorite) and the Black Diamond Cheese Steak.
I’ve stopped in a few times on Friday and Saturday nights to
grab a brew and a bite, and they usually have a DJ. The dance
floor gets packed — it’s not far from Lehigh University, after
all — and there’s always a game of pool going on in the back.
Another friend of mind, Deb, says she goes there to watch
basketball. Though she isn’t much of a sports fan either, she
goes during March Madness because, as she puts it, “it’s a
distraction, a good form of socialization.” She also said she
enjoys “getting caught up in the excitement of the crowd when
someone …”
“… hits a home run?” I offered, helpfully.
“You’re hopeless,” she said. “Get back in your Man Cave —
and stay there.”
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