BUTTER BASTED NY STRIP & GARLIC SHRIMP SCAMPI

Ingredients

Olive oil

½ lb. fingerling potatoes, cut in half lengthwise

3 shallots, halved

11–12 cloves whole garlic

Salt and pepper

1 Tbsp. smoked paprika

8 ounces pancetta, cubed

4–6 Brussels sprouts, halved

5 sprigs fresh thyme

12-ounce NY strip steak, brought to room temperature

7 Tbsp. unsalted butter

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

4–6 shrimp, 16/20s, peeled and deveined

¼ cup dry white wine

Juice of half a lemon Parsley, for garnish

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place 2 tablespoons of olive oil of your choice in an ovenproof saucepan, over medium heat. Add in potatoes, shallots, 2 whole cloves of garlic, salt and pepper, and begin to sauté. Continue cooking, mixing occasionally, until the potatoes and shallots begin to brown and develop good color. Add in the smoked paprika and enough water to deglaze the pan and give the potatoes some liquid (approximately ½ cup) to continue cooking in. Place saucepan in preheated oven and continue cooking until cooked through and fork tender, approximately 25 minutes. Place the cubed pancetta in another ovenproof saucepan over medium heat. Cook the pancetta, stirring occasionally, until the pancetta begins to crisp and render its fat but is not fully cooked. Add in the Brussels sprouts, 2–3 sprigs of thyme and 4 cloves of garlic. Sauté for a couple minutes to get some color on the vegetables. Place the pan in the oven, alongside potatoes and cook for 15–20 minutes or until the pancetta is crispy and the sprouts have good color and caramelization. Season the steak generously on all sides with salt and pepper while the potatoes and Brussels sprouts cook.

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat, add in 2 tablespoons of oil and begin to heat. Once the oil is heated and shimmering, add the steak and sear on all sides until crusted and golden brown. Lower the heat to mediumlow and drain the oil from the pan. Add in 2 tablespoons of butter, the remaining thyme and rosemary sprigs, and 3 cloves of smashed garlic. As the butter begins to melt, baste the steak with the herb and butter mixture. Cook until desired temperature, about 6–8 minutes for medium rare.

Remove the steak to a cutting board and top with herb and butter mixture. Allow the steak to rest.

Add the shrimp with 3 tablespoons of butter, olive oil, salt and pepper to the same pan, over medium heat. Cook the shrimp two minutes on each side until just pink.

Add in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, white wine, lemon juice and 2–3 cloves of smashed garlic and cook stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens.

Remove the pan from the heat and save for plating.

To Plate

Slice the steak, and arrange it in the center of a plate. Serve alongside the crispy fingerling potatoes and Brussels sprouts.

Top the steak with the shrimp scampi and garnish with chopped parsley.

BY CARRIE HAVRANEK | PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALISON CONKLIN

Steak and Steel is not your typical Asian fusion restaurant. We’ve written about such types of places before, and have even called Randevoo, for example, a next-gen Asian fusion-fusion place to eat because it kind of defies categorization. But Steak and Steel, which serves Chinese, Japanese, Thai and tons of sushi, along with hibachi fare, is something else entirely.

The best way to describe Steak and Steel, a relative newcomer to Downtown Bethlehem? It’s the most punk rock Asian restaurant you probably have ever seen, at least around the Lehigh Valley. There are multiple reasons why, but the first one comes right from its description: it’s a selfstyled Japanese/hibachi/sushi gastropub. Yes, all in one place.

What does this mean, in practical terms? Rather than muted, vaguely Asian-styled music, the soundtrack is unmistakably contemporary. The staff is dressed in all black; the piercings and tattoos are ever-present, which admittedly isn’t so unusual for restaurants these days. There are no bamboo plants or waving cat statues at the register; large works of vivid contemporary art line the walls (lots of fish represented by local artist Bennett Rambo). The televisions over the bar seem destined to become a go-to spot for watching anime. Cocktails are made with fresh ingredients, and local brews and sake are served. (Yes, there’s local sake, from Sango Kura in Delaware Water Gap.)

“All of our cocktails start in the kitchen, and all of our sauces are scratch-made,” says Rob Lewis, one of the owners. The food is fresh, the vibe is lively and the service is friendly.

We will forgive you if you weren’t aware that this restaurant existed; it just opened in January and by this writing, that means just shy of two months ago. It’s a newbie, located on Walnut Street, not far from Twisted Olive, McCarthy’s Red Stag Pub, Ripper’s Pub and Edge. However, the ownership team that runs Steak and Steel also owns seven other restaurants throughout northeastern and north-central Pennsylvania. They each have their own name and vibe.

Some of the crew from Myst, a sister restaurant in Jim Thorpe, came to run Steak and Steel. It’s a dedicated and motivated group, and they take it seriously. The 31-year-old