New dining, entertainment venue in Nazareth

Whether you’re looking to savor wholesome eats, catch up with old friends over drinks or just keep the kids entertained during the summer, a new dining and entertainment venue in Nazareth is dishing out fresh food and fun for the whole family.

The Farm & Table, offering farm-to-table cuisine, a six-lane bowling alley, an arcade and more, held a soft opening July 2 at 119 S. Main St.

The space, which previously housed the Nazareth Jacksonian Club­­­­, was extensively renovated over the past year with new ceilings, plumbing, electrical wiring and more.

Aesthetic highlights include reclaimed wood flooring made from deconstructed shipping crates, church pews reimagined as dining banquettes and corrugated metal — hailing from old barns in Lancaster County — on the ceilings and walls.

Adding to the rustic feel is a wall, constructed of weathered printer pallets, made to look like a barn’s exterior.

“Nearly everything has been redone,” owner Amie Eckert said. “The bar is original, but we added new tile to the top.”

Eckert, of Lower Mount Bethel Township, also operates the year-old Carera Organix store — selling organic and vegan hair, skin, home and pet products — a few doors down from The Farm & Table.

At her new establishment, which is BYOB, guests can enjoy dishes made from fresh, regionally sourced ingredients, including meats, produce and dairy products from Amish farms in Lancaster.

During its soft opening phase, the restaurant is offering counter service for breakfast and lunch, 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

Breakfast highlights include coconut pineapple oatmeal; local muffins and croissants; bagels with homemade cream cheese, lox and capers; and gourmet egg sandwiches such as the “avocado” (turkey bacon, avocado, sun-dried tomatoes, gouda and pesto on a honey-cracked wheat bagel).

Bagels, $1.25 each or 13 for $12, include popular selections like onion, cinnamon raisin and cranberry orange.

A limited lunch menu includes paninis ($10.95 each) such as “The F&T” (grilled chicken, mozzarella, red onion, roasted red peppers, garlic spread and balsamic mayo on ciabatta); and salads ($12.95 each) such as grilled salmon (with spring mix, red beets, goat cheese, sunflower seeds and raspberry vinaigrette).

Dinner service in the 130-seat dining room is expected to debut in a few weeks, Eckert said, and will feature items like burgers, cheesesteaks, grilled chicken dishes and build-your-own grilled cheese. Steak and seafood platters will be featured as specials.

“We’re trying to avoid the processed stuff and bring in cleaner food as much as possible,” Eckert said.

For people seeking entertainment, the business also features a bowling alley (reservations recommended during soft opening phase), pool table, dart board, arcade with pinball machines and a monthly event schedule — coming later this summer — featuring live music, karaoke and trivia. The facility also can be booked for private events. Info: 484-291-4266.

Staying on the topic of food and fun, Punch Out Games, a board game cafe featuring more than 200 playable board games, is expected to open in September at 161 Northampton St., next to the newly opened Cellar Beast Winehouse, in downtown Easton, co-founder Mik Matiss said.

The BYOB cafe, which will serve snacks like mac and cheese, hummus plates and chips and salsa, will feature classic games like chess, Clue, Risk and Parcheesi along with more modern favorites like Concordia, Cranium, Cards Against Humanity and Betrayal at House on the Hill.

Matiss is operating the business with his friend and neighbor, Barbara Vasconez.

The Easton residents have been fans of board games since childhood, and they frequented other board game cafes in Philadelphia and New York City before deciding to start their own venture in the Lehigh Valley.

Since late 2021, they’ve run Punch Out as a pop-up operation, bringing dozens of board games to local festivals, restaurants and other venues for people to play.

“It’s basically like an arcade but instead of video games, it’s board games,” Vasconez said. “We’ll charge an admission fee of $5 for two hours, and then $5 for every additional hour after that. Admission includes access to our complete collection of board games.”

“We want our theme to be almost like Pee-wee’s Playhouse,” Matiss added. “Being fun is the number one priority.”

The cafe will offer seating for more than 50 guests at a mix of lounge furniture and dining chairs surrounding large playing tables.

There also will be a retail area, where individuals can purchase games that they enjoyed playing, and a courtyard, where larger games such as cornhole and giant Connect 4 and Jenga can be played. Info: facebook.com/PunchOutGames.

A few blocks west of the forthcoming cafe, a nonprofit coffee company is brewing a new venture of its own in downtown Easton.

Seth & Co. Special Brew, dedicated to employing individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and creating an inclusive working environment, is planning to open a second location in late summer — “probably late August or early September” — at 13 S. Bank St., co-founder Desiree McMullan said.

The space, next to Bank Street Creamery, will supplement Seth & Co.’s original location, which opened in late 2020 at the Palmer Park Mall.

The new outpost will share space with Love Blossoms Flowers & Gifts, a full-service florist that opened in early June.

Love Blossoms, owned by Miyo Holt, offers fresh and silk flower arrangements, potted plants and gift items. The business does daily deliveries in Easton and surrounding areas.

“We’re friends and decided to open alongside each other,” McMullan said. “It’s going to be a coffee and flower shop.”

Seth & Co., which shares space with Pretzels Plus in Palmer, is named after McMullan’s 20-year-old son, Seth McMullan, a funny, athletic and musically inclined individual who also happens to have Down syndrome.

Desiree and her husband, John McMullan, founded the nonprofit in order to create opportunities for individuals with special needs to thrive in their lives.

The family partnered with a regional roaster, Frank Orman, who responsibly sources coffee beans from around the world, including Africa, South America and the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

At the new location, Seth & Co. will offer its specialty coffee drinks like lattes and macchiatos along with new items such as baked goods, smoothies and fresh-squeezed lemonade. Info: sethandcocoffee.com.

A couple of stylists are helping people look their best at new salons in Bethlehem:

First, Stacey Fogel, who has been styling hair for more than 25 years, in early June opened Orchid Hair Studio at 259 E. Elizabeth Ave.

The salon, across the street from Liberty High School, offers hair, nail and facial waxing services in a renovated space that previously housed The Rustic Wood Project, a do-it-yourself wood project studio that transitioned to an at-home format earlier this year.

Fogel, a 1991 graduate of Bangor Area High School, previously operated salons in the Slate Belt and Poconos for about two decades. Most recently, she ran Orchid Salon & Spa in Brodheadsville for the past few years.

The Wind Gap resident specializes in natural looking, multi-tonal blonding and hair color.

“While I love my blondes, you will also see me coloring rich naturals such as chocolate browns, vibrant coppers, and everything in between,” Fogel said.

Orchid welcomes men, women and children, with services including cuts, highlights, balayage, extensions, thermal blow-drys, Brazilian blowouts, deep-conditioning treatments and special event styling such as bridal hair and makeup.

The salon also offers manicures, pedicures and facial waxing. Hair care products from top brands such as Olaplex and Redken are available for purchase. Info: 484-484-4400.

Second, Indie Hair Studio, offering the latest techniques in modern hair color, balayage, extensions, formal styling and more, opened a few months ago at 85 E. Broad St.

Owner Tricia McLaughlin, a Bucks County native who now resides in Easton, previously worked at other Lehigh Valley salons and has more than 10 years of experience in the hair-styling industry.

At Indie, she specializes in color services, including full and partial highlights and balayage, along with hand-tied weft and tape-in hair extensions for women and men.

McLaughlin also does formal and bridal styling, including updos and blow and sets, at the studio as well as off-site locations. Services are appointment-only.

Indie, serving complimentary wine, tea and other refreshments, carries products from the California-based Unite hair care line. Info: 570-486-5314.

A recent addition to Carbon County’s retail roster is making the start of summer a little bit sweeter.

Ma’s Crepes & Cakes, a creperie serving sweet and savory options for breakfast, lunch and dinner, held a grand opening June 16 at 46 W. Broadway in Jim Thorpe.

The shop, with indoor and outdoor seating, is operated by mother and son Melissa and Tony Martinez, who source organic eggs, flour, milk and other ingredients for their menu items.

Melissa has had decades of success building up organic beauty salons throughout eastern Pennsylvania. She possesses a passion for people and food and strives to serve her community by creating meals that are delicious, nourishing and memorable.

“I wanted the name to represent home cooking, like you’d get from your ma’s kitchen, because that’s what we’re doing — really fresh food and drinks,” Melissa said.

Ma’s serves more than a dozen sweet crepes, starting at $8, such as Nutella, peaches & cream, strawberry short crepe and brownie butter pear.

Customers also can enjoy breakfast crepes, served until 11 a.m., such as blueberry pancrepe (two crepes with buttery inside, topped with maple syrup drizzle and fresh blueberries) and everyday (egg, cheese and choice of meat, drizzled with maple syrup). Savory crepes for lunch and dinner include BLT, chicken parmesan and manicotti. Info: 484-982-6529.

I’ll finish with some sad news for foodies:

Joe’s Pizza II and Italian Restaurant, which opened in June 2007, is set to permanently close July 17 at 578 Chestnut St. in Emmaus, according to a post on the business’ Facebook page.

“Our family has come to the conclusion that this is what’s best for our family,” the announcement reads. “Thank you to the Emmaus community for the best 15 years!”

Owner Joe Amato opened the Emmaus restaurant in 2007 following the success of the original Joe’s Pizza, which debuted on Hamilton Boulevard in Trexlertown in 1992.

A third location, Joe’s Pizza III, opened in 2009 on Tilghman Street in Upper Macungie Township but that location closed a few years ago.

Retail Watch, appearing every weekend, keeps track of retail and restaurant news in the Lehigh Valley. Contact Ryan Kneller at 610-820-6597 or retailwatch@mcall.com.