A SECOND LOCATION LA BICICLETA

Arepa Bar

After the success of La Bicicleta’s first location at 12 South 8th Street, founder Francesca Walsh began to look for a second location to expand their reach. Walsh says they love the accessibility of their new location, which has an expansive 12-space parking lot and a drive-thru where guests and DoorDashers can conveniently pick up their online orders without having to park. “We also love the bar-height seating that lines the restaurant’s window and our intimate two-tops that comfortably sit 37 guests,” she says. “We are excited to be alongside long-standing incumbent restaurants, like Punta Cana Restaurant, The Vegan Butcher and Aladdin. The variety in cuisines just within this section of Allentown is a testament to the diverse and rich culture within the Lehigh Valley community. Most importantly, we are so happy to be adding Venezuelan cuisine to this list.” Their traditional staples include arepas, cachapas, empanadas and tequeños, all made by hand. Their top-selling item is their tequeños, which are a Venezuelan take on mozzarella cheese sticks.

709 Union Blvd., Allentown | labicicleta_allentown

New On Tap Country Club Brewing

Co-owner Jose Rivera says that he and head brewer Mike Kromer started home brewing together more than a decade ago. “We constantly received fantastic feedback from people that sampled our beers at local and out-of-state beer festivals so we decided to open a brewery on the southside of Bethlehem,” explains Rivera. “We chose the location due to the amazing community; there is always something happening [here].” While Rivera and Kromer had many ideas for names, they went with Country Club Brewing, inspired by their longtime fantasy football league titled Country Club Fantasy Football. The brewery has 12 taps, which normally consist of seven or eight of their own beers, a guest beer and a couple of ciders from Stone & Key Cellars. They also offer canned cocktails from Boardroom Spirits and Social Still as well as red and white wines from Franklin Hill Vineyards.

323 Pierce St., Bethlehem | countryclubbrewingllc

Chaz Hayden

Author

What does the phrase “Be different. Leave a trail” mean to you?

“Leave a trail” comes from my favorite quote, which is by Ralph Waldo Emerson. The quote talks about going where there is no path and essentially blazing your own. But it ends with the three simple words

“leave a trail.” I connected deeply with the quote as a whole because I discovered it when I was 15 years old and about to start college. Obviously, I was making my own path and, admittedly, I had a bit of an ego due to what I’d accomplished but not enough of an ego to consider myself a trailblazer. Instead, I always focused on what my actions might do for other people. I hoped I was leaving a trail of breadcrumbs for others to have the confidence to find a way to follow their dreams. The “be different” part is almost a shortened, more modern version of the Emerson quote. I’m saying it’s OK to take risks and be yourself, but while you’re doing that, make sure you’re lighting the path for the next person.

What do you hope readers take away from your debut novel TheFirstThingAboutYou?

My biggest hope is that it conjures a sense of empathy but also that readers see past the main character’s disability. This is not a disability book. Truthfully, I just wanted to write a teen rom-com where the main character happens to have a disability. But, while reading, you’ll understand his life without pitying him. Harris is just like any other teenager who wants to feel seen, loved and experience the rollercoaster of adolescence. What have you taken away from the success of the book? It’s really exhilarating when I receive accolades or make it on a BuzzFeed list. But before the book was published, I told myself and everyone else involved that it will feel like a real success if it