A new cafe in the Black River Plaza shopping center in Lower Saucon Township will help fill a breakfast-and-lunch void along the busy Rt. 378 corridor–and provide customers with a comfortable place to savor a delicious meal, its owners say.
Rick and Ann Takacs will soon open the ART Cafe in the Black River Plaza on Rt. 378 in Lower Saucon Township. The eatery will serve breakfast and lunch, Monday through Saturday, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Art Cafe is so named not for the art that will soon adorn its walls (although there will be some of that). Rather, A-r-t is an acronym for the owners’ names: Ann and Rick Takacs.
The husband-and-wife team from Bethlehem have decades of experience in the food management industry. Both are graduates of Freedom High School and the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y.
Several years ago, they began to scout Lehigh Valley locations for their dream endeavor–opening an eatery of their own–and they eventually settled on the shopping center storefront that formerly housed Piccadelly Cafe.
That business was for sale when they first looked at the space.
Rick explained that they wanted to start their own business from scratch, and by the time they gave 3610 Rt. 378 a second look last year they knew they would be able to do that there.
He said their vision for Art Cafe includes a menu that will feature traditional comfort foods “with a twist.”
The menu will incorporate organic items–including eggs and beef–where possible, and includes soups, salads, sandwiches, burgers, a kids’ menu, beverages and comfort food entrees such as Prosciutto and Pine Nut Mac ‘N Cheese, Buffalo Chicken Flatbread Pizza and a Crepe Lasagna.
Listed on the breakfast side of the Art Cafe’s menu are available-all-day items such as:
- Eggs Ann Marie – A roasted English muffin topped with sliced grilled tomato, sauteed spinach, lightly poached organic eggs, and served with hollandaise sauce and oven-roasted potatoes.
- French Toast Roll Ups – Sliced bread rolled around a banana and Nutella, dipped in an egg mixture and grilled. Garnished with vanilla yogurt and cinnamon.
- Crepes With Cognac Peaches – Paper thin pancakes filled with a sweet ricotta cheese and topped with sauteed peaches in cognac with almonds.
Homemade desserts will include creme brulee, Manhattan cheesecake, risotto rice pudding and Innkeeper’s Pie, which is described on the menu as “a cake-like pie with walnuts and a wet chocolate bottom.”
That pie will probably taste good with the Art Cafe’s house coffee, which Rick said will be a donut shop blend.
The coffee and selected baked goods will be readily available to go; a convenience the Takacses hope will appeal to the thousands of commuters who pass by the plaza each weekday.
A flatscreen TV and free wifi will be available for customers who want to work or entertain themselves while grabbing a bite to eat, and Rick said they hope to eventually put a couple benches outside for additional customer seating.
Inside the entire space has been renovated with fresh paint chosen from an earthy palette, new floors, a new ceiling, new appliances and a stone half-wall that separates the dining area from the area where Rick will be doing most of the cooking.
The restaurant’s hours will be 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and Rick said catering may be offered in the future.
“You can’t do a thousand things. You have to keep it simple,” he said. “And just expand from there.”
For more information, including an announcement about the restaurant’s upcoming opening date, like the Art Cafe on Facebook. The restaurant’s website is still under construction, but will be at www.artcafe378.com when it goes live. There will also be an expanding social media presence on Twitter, Yelp, TripAdvisor, FourSquare and UrbanSpoon, Rick said.
Parking is available in front of and behind the building.
The Art Cafe at 3610 Rt. 378, Bethlehem, features a cozy, earth-toned interior with both traditional table and high-top table seating.
The Art Cafe is located in Black River Plaza shopping center at Rt. 378 and Black River Road in Lower Saucon Township.
