Apollo Grill — Restaurant in Bethlehem

Holy, holy, holy heck…. Wow. Just wow. So I landed on the busiest night of the year in “Christmas Town USA”, aka Bethlehem, PA. The little town was MOBBED…. I searched hard, as I always do, through all the reviews of local restaurants for a bite to eat. I came upon the Apollo Grill. Hmmm. The second highest rated place on all the review sites, but a great $$ only price.

Usually that means a bunch of locals and staff have pumped the place up, but I didn’t fancy fondue, or a trip outta town, so Apollo it was. Next task. Getting a seat. There was a 30 minute wait, even for a single seat at the bar, but SUPER Rachel, the owner spotted a spot an promoted me to an open slot, that she easily could have given to a couple when the other single moved on. But NO, she was amazing. Give him that seat. Great leadership and customer handling.

Okay, seated. I came from the Tapas bar, as I assumed a grill would have some tap beers. But none are on the menu…. But they’re there. And I picked a golden ale, as there was no Pilsner. Helles, or Kolsch on the menu. The golden was delicious.

I asked after the French Onion Soup. Rachel explained it was not your usual “watery” version that people either love or hate. I’ve had some GREAT French Onion soup…. This was probably number 3 of all time. It was kinda creamy, but the crouton was awesomely crisp, and the Gruyère, just perfect. The onions were yummy. The sauce unusually creamy. I was in love.!!!❤️

Next up. A small Caesar. It took a while to find me as it was far from small. My neighbour explained they make the Caesar sauce in home. There was the perfect amount of Parmesan and the croutons were to die for. They took a fork, but we’re still crispy and delicious. Wow.!!

Next up, I was all about giving my soul to Rachel for ideas. How’s the Brie? “Can you ever go wrong with Brie?” Ask Rachel? Okay, I’m ready. Holy shipoly, was she ever right? It. Was. Fan. Tastic.!!!! Have this before you die. It truly was that good

I was totally on Rachel’s hands now. What for the entree. She could easily have sold me Prime, Saffron Wagyu, with a side of truffle infused Arbelio rice, all smothered in a bugula caviar. But no, she chose a second app, blackened tenderloin with garlic bread. It. Was. Better. than the Brie.

On top of this, despite the place being rammed for the 4+ hrs that I was there, the service was casual, but impeccably professional. WOW, Rachel, you run one HECK of an operation. I WILL be back, despite living 2 or 3 states further South.

Fan. Dabby....

My family and I went last night. We had reservations and were seated quickly. Unfortunately that was the most accommodating part of our trip. I have a lime allergy and was told I couldn't order anything but bottled beer from the bar. That was fine as I did not want to drink anyway. I ordered the lamb and fried calamari as an appetizer. Our waitress came back a couple minutes later and said I could not have the appetizer due to my allergy. Okay, I understand that. Then she came back and said I couldn't have the Caesar salad I chose as my second choice. Then she told me I couldn't have the lamb and would be best ordering steak or fish. A little irritated at this point I ordered the filet mignon. She came back yet again and said I couldn't have that. I asked her why I couldn't have anything and she said because of the prep station. They keep everything on it and can't guarantee an allergen would not contaminate my food. My mother was upset and asked why they couldn't wash a dish really well and prep my food on that, especially if it's only a steak. They would not. We all cancelled our orders and left. I have had this allergy for over 15 years and this is the very first time a restaurant could not accommodate me. Any other restaurant would check ingredients and either day it was fine, or they would use a well washed plate to prep my food. A restaurant who cannot accommodate food allergies is one thing. But a restaurant who refuses to is another, and that's exactly what this restaurant did. I was hurt, as this was a family vacation and we had these reservations for weeks and my family was looking forward to dining here. I went back to our hotel and the rest of my family ended up at a chain restaurant. I'm so glad we traveled all the way to Bethlehem for a special holiday trip to wind up at an Olive Garden. What an absolute shame. I left the restaurant first and my mother said the owner came out to apologize. My mother reiterated why they could not prep on a dish. The owner said because she cannot guarantee the dish wouldn't be contaminated. If a dish is properly washed then why can you not guarantee it? She had nothing to say. Are you not properly washing your dishes or is it just laziness? Whichever it is, I do not recommend this restaurant, especially if you have a...

So overall, it was a great experience.

We enjoyed the atmosphere and had a nice time. We wanted to enjoy the day, so we sat outside. The inside was a dim setting and candlelit. Very nice for a romantic date night. And they had a light and southing aroma floading in the air that was welcoming.

Since I dont drink alcohol (by choice), I ordered a moctail peach refresher. That was very good. I was worried about the unsweetened iced tea, but you didn't even notice it.

My wife ordered the crab and asparagus bisque. She says it was good and warm. She said it was more creamy and less seafood flavored that she was expecting. But overall, it was good. She then ordered the Quinoa Salad with added Blackened Shrimp. She says, "That was good! And the blackened shrimp wad flavorful"

I ordered the appetizer Lump Crab Macaroni and Cheese. While it was a good flavor, I really missed the lump crab. I didn't see it or taste it. There was no seafood flavor, but the mac and cheese was good. If you're looking for a good baked Mac n cheese, this isn't it. This was more in a rue and then placed in the broiler. It was filling and delicious. Then I ordered a pizza. They had a special pizza that they were doing today, and it was mishroom, garlic, spinach with sautéed onions on top of a white sause. WOW! That was very tasty. While I was probably looking for a red sause at the time, this was really delicious. The crust was crispy on the bottom and soft on the top. And none of the ingredients overpowered the other. It's a nice balanced pizza overall.

So as far as price, for the two of us we spent close to $85. I would say it was worth the cost.bI dont feel as if I overpaid. We went for lunch/dinner, so once you add the tip, we paid what I would normally pay for dinner. I know we could have gone somewhere and paid 1/2 of that price, but I dont know if we would have gotten the...