rave reviews
Lehigh Valley Style Decadent Dish 2007 Review
Category: Best Overall
Category: Atmosphere
Category: Dessert Menu
When Grille 3501 opened in the former Trinkle’s Cetronia Hotel six years ago, the place gave off a high frequency buzz heard throughout our Lehigh Valley. The parking lot was always full. Folks lined up three deep at the bar. Reservations for prime seatings were hard to come by. And if you missed those famous Trinkle crab cakes, at least you could find Charlie Trinkle behind the bar.
Buzz is nice, but buzz doesn’t last for six years and buzz doesn’t earn a restaurant the designation of Best Overall. To be the Best Overall, you have to offer consistent, creative fare. Co-owner and Chef John Pukanecz learned his craft in some of the Valley’s most renowned kitchens. He’s been at Grille 3501 from the beginning and has honed his particular brand of Asian/ Mediterranean/ French fusion to a high art. To be the Best Overall, the service has to be well trained and attentive. Co-owner John Trapani insists his servers be personal and personable. Not, in his words, “cookie cutter corporate.” To be the Best Overall, it doesn’t hurt to serve half-priced martinis during Happy Hour either. Grille 3501 garnered the most votes in the Atmosphere and Dessert Menu categories as well.
Grille 3501 was on the cutting edge when it opened, hip and high-end urban. That edge is still razor sharp.
Grille 3501 a fusion of classy, urbane and modern
By Susan Gottshall
Special to The Morning Call
July 21, 2005
Funny that a restaurant once a bastion of tradition in the Lehigh Valley could morph into one of the area's cutting edge eateries — and rather quickly, too.
Known for decades as Trinkle's Cetronia Hotel, this restaurant's reincarnation as Grille 3501 was a success practically from the day its doors opened only about three and a half years ago. Now that success has come full circle, transforming the Allentown area tradition into a bastion once again, this time of contemporary sophistication and innovative, exciting cuisine.
 News that the restaurant was introducing a new menu drove me back to Grille 3501 recently to get the dish on the new dishes and see how the restaurant's fared since my first visit three years ago.
In all ways, despite just a few minor imperfections, Grille 3501 offers the same classy, urbane and thoroughly modern sensibility now as it did then.
Its sleek, upscale and minimalist interior still sets a hip, trendy tone. Its casual ambience is still there as well, signaled first by the lack of fussy tablecloths, then by a quick glance — at this establishment, khakis and polo shirts appear as often as jackets and ties.
Grille 3501 was just as busy, too, at this visit as it was at my first, judging from the few empty tables I witnessed both times. Its electric, supercharged energy suggested a capacity clientele that counts on the restaurant as an exciting place to let loose, let go and party hearty after a long week.
 A big part of that excitement is the grill's food, and it's the thing, upon closer examination, that's not the same as it was three years ago. Since my initial visit, ''J.P.'' Pukanecz joined the restaurant as co-owner and executive chef, bringing with him a resume that has built a reputation of high expectations.
Locally, this chef has commanded kitchens at Glasbern, along with the former Campagna and Ballietsville Inn, and his culinary savvy has earned a James Beard Foundation ''Top Country Inns'' designation, along with Mobil's Four Star Award.
Clearly, Pukanecz has delivered at Grille 3501 as well, where the new menu showcases a matured fare that's developed a stronger identity. At my first visit, the cuisine was self-described, with a broad sweep, as ''contemporary, metropolitan, and fusion-type.'' Now, its ''Asian Mediterranean fusion menu'' points with more clarity to its ultimate goal.
There's more focus to this menu: Selections of entrees, salads and appetizers have decreased from one-third to one-half of the number offered at my first visit, suggesting, perhaps, a deliberate intention to do fewer things well.
 Along with the cuisine's maturation come new levels of innovation, intrigue and complexity. Consider crispy ginger breast of duck with poached pears (on the menu at my initial visit) that's transformed into the current offering of pan-roasted duck breast with yam hash, baby bok choy and cranberry pistachio sauce. Grilled ahi tuna with mango sauce, offered at my first visit, now becomes coriander-cumin seared tuna with quinoa-tomato salad, stir-fried long beans, chili oil and tempura baby corn. And yesterday's grilled pork chops with apple raisin chutney grew up to become today's grilled pork rib chop with creamy pancetta hominy, Chinese broccoli and soy-miso sauce.
On the sweltering night of my recent visit, chilled melon cilantro soup from the specials list proved to be an oasis of refreshment. This amazing potage, colored the palest green because of its honeydew base, was translucent and thin; even so it offered a hint of the fruit's texture. Dark green flecks of fresh cilantro accented the soup's mild nature with a pungent edge.
The oyster martini from the printed menu turned out to be less than the sum of its parts — four raw oysters served in small, martini-style glasses with yuzu (sour Japanese citrus fruit) cucumber salsa. From Nova Scotia's cold waters, the oysters were supple and tasty — and the salsa was bright and fresh. In partnership, however, the oysters' flavor drowned in the bold salsa.
 A half order of spiced pecan and goat cheese salad with dried cranberries and white balsamic vinaigrette was top notch. There was fine balance in the interplay of tastes and textures — and the dressing was just tart enough to awaken taste buds, rather than shut them down with biting acidity. Another of the evening's specials, grilled sockeye salmon in leek saffron butter sauce, was successfully paired with wasabi lobster mashed potatoes — the wasabi a subtle, swirled addition that contributed a bit of bite just here and there.
Halibut, brilliantly crusted with popcorn, and partnered with scallion-coconut milk emulsion, was sublime with gentle flavor, sweetened just enough with the touch of coconut. Braised leeks added intelligent counterpoint, but the edamame cake, on which the fish was served, didn't have the character to enhance this dish.
Grille 3501's desserts are temptations to be reckoned with. Who resists fried ice cream with chilled strawberry vanilla soup? Who turns away from the creativity of such a sorbet trio: mango, blue ginger and wasabi-mint? I passed over both — as well as the chocolate lava cake, still on the menu from my first visit (when I sampled this ode to chocolate with great pleasure).
 This time, it was tempura pound cake with fruit compote and vanilla ice cream that seduced me. Believe it or not, these batter-dipped, deep-fried cake slices were a light finish, and didn't tip the scale on the sweetness gauge. Pecan caramel tart, on the other hand, my companion's choice, was sticky sweet with chocolate, nuts and gooey caramel — a high-octane decadence worth its weight in calories.
Dinner for two, including tax, tip and nonalcoholic beverages, totaled $91.
Susan Gottshall is a freelance restaurant reviewer for Go Guide. Gottshall, who tells it like it is, attempts to remain anonymous during restaurant visits. All meals are paid for by The Morning Call.
GRILLE 3501
By Cathy Kiley
When Grille 3501 opened in 2001, a 75-year-old Lehigh Valley tradition, Trinkle’s Centronia Hotel, was transformed into a trend-setting, upscale eatery that continues to have a strong, loyal following. This, I believe is due to the fact that here you will find both delicious, consistently-prepared food and a lively, unassuming atmosphere that lends itself to a good time.
I suggest that you spend time at the bar before sitting for dinner. Charlie Trinkle (yes, that Trinkle) was more than willing to share stories with us about the old days against the backdrop of new, very “cool” surroundings. The bar décor gives an “icy” impression. It is very comfortable and Charlie shook up a couple of martinis for my husband Tom and me that were among the best we have had in a long time. Tom Gillen was also manning the bar and this combo will keep you entertained whether you are there for a pre-dinner cocktail, the daily happy hour, a post-dinner nightcap or a specialty coffee.
Upon entering the dining rooms, you will immediately notice the eclectic, minimalist décor. Aside from a few posters and prints, vases and table candles, there is very little to take up space; however, please notice the lovely orchids that are placed throughout. If you are a fan of white linens (as I am), you will not find them here but the bare tables, along with jazzy, soft music and muted conversations only add to the ambience that Grille 3501 has succeeded in attaining—one that is modern and fun.
Chef/Owner John Pukanecz hails from Whitehall, PA and graduated from Johnson and Wales College of Culinary Arts in 1983. He brings to Grille 3501 nearly 25 years of executive chef experience at such reputable restaurants as Campagna, The Glasbern and The Ballietsville Inn (one of my all-time favorite restaurants). He has earned a James Beard Foundation “Top Country Inn” designation as well as Mobil’s prestigious Four Star Award and the Best of the Best Five-Star Diamond Award.
Grille 3501 boasts a fairly large, interesting American/Asian and Mediterranean fusion menu. You must be experimental when eating here and try something new. The multi-layer preparation of each dish includes classic as well as inventive ingredients and flavors to enhance the many meat and fish selections. As an appetizer, I ordered the evening’s special Korabuta pork bellies prepared in a pear and yam hash with a port red wine reduction. The medium sliced bacon was delicious and the red wine sauce added great flavor to the accompanying hash. This was a very tasty combination. Tom ordered the seared Hudson Valley foie gras—served with brioche French toast, roasted pears and red onion gastrique. The self-proclaimed foie gras fanatic loved this preparation. The bar did not have a sauterne to accompany this dish but the chef was quick to send over a sweet Bonny Doon Muscat Glacier wine which complimented this dish perfectly. We then shared a wonderful salad of spiced pecan and goat cheese, mixed greens, cranberries and roasted beets with a white balsamic vinaigrette.
For my entree, I had to try the braised veal cheeks served on a bed of red onion, portabellas, asparagus and fingerling potatoes in a red wine reduction. The meat was so tender it cut with the fork. The sauce, although rich, did not overpower the delicate veal or the perfectly cooked vegetables. Tom, under duress, only allowed me to try a bit of his grilled free-range chicken served with a soy and honey glaze, ginger mashed potatoes and baby bok choy. Together with a great bottle of Estancia Meritage, we enjoyed two exceptional dishes topped only by the exceptional attention by Annie, our server for the evening. Annie recommended the trio of coconut, fresh ginger and strawberry sorbets and the molten chocolate cake from the dessert menu which we tried with coffee to top off our evening.
The dishes served at 3501 are different than most you will find elsewhere in the Lehigh Valley and Chef Pukanecz strives for that in his menu preparation. The service is excellent and professional but not at all formal. Prices are moderate. Our bill including appetizers, shared salad, entrees, desserts and coffee was $90.40 before tax and gratuity (not including wine.) I must also mention that this is one of the cleanest eating establishments I have seen in a very long time. The only minor criticism if I may is that I do like white table linens—which probably
wouldn’t go in this dining room anyway. Also, the atmosphere is very casual so don’t be surprised to be sitting next to someone in shorts while you have on a suit…just take your jacket off and enjoy yourself!
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