ALLENTOWN, Pa. - A new restaurant is set to welcome fans of arancini, porchetta, tiramisu and other Italian favorites this week in Lehigh County.
Simpatico, a modern Italian restaurant, will open at 11 a.m. Monday, July 7, at 27 N. Seventh St. in Allentown, owner Jesse Haik told 69 News.
The full-service dining establishment will occupy an updated ArtsWalk space that previously housed other restaurants, including Shula's Steak House, Queen City BBQ and, most recently, Blended, on the ground floor of the Strata West apartment complex.
Haik had originally hoped to debut Simpatico in early June, but some finishing touches pushed back the restaurant's opening.
"I'm beyond excited," Haik said.
"The positivity that we've received about the upcoming opening has been overwhelming. People are so excited about it and stop me in the streets to talk about it. So, I really can't wait."
Haik, a New Orleans native, has been working in the restaurant industry since he was 15 years old.
He's opened and managed restaurants in five states, with former gigs including beverage manager at The Dime restaurant at The Renaissance Allentown Hotel and general manager of the Liberty House in Jersey City, N.J.
Haik has wanted to open an Italian concept for many years, and he finally decided to take the leap after noticing the positive reception of freshly prepared pasta dishes at Pennsylvania Rye Company, a nearly three-year-old downtown Allentown restaurant that he operates with a friend, Dan Gonzalez.
"It's going to be a modern Italian concept focused on fresh pasta and fresh dough for pizza and focaccia," Haik said.
"Everyone at PA Rye responds so well to the fresh pasta. So, we're going to try to piggy-back on that success and build on it. We also will do some pasta classes down the line."
Haik and Gonzalez opened Pennsylvania Rye Company in August 2022 in a renovated Hamilton Street space that was previously home to Grain and Federal Grill restaurants.
The full-service PA Rye Company offers fresh and creative cuisine made from scratch, classic and signature craft cocktails and an extensive collection of rye whiskey.
Simpatico, featuring indoor and outdoor dining, catering/private event space and a rectangular full bar with one side opening to the ArtsWalk, will showcase local fare, fresh pasta, brick oven pizza and innovative small and large plates.
Diners will be able to choose from a diverse menu of hand-crafted appetizers, handhelds, entrees and desserts.
"The pasta will be made on-site, and it will be available to order as an entree or as a small plate," Haik said. "We'll have a solid amount of pastas, between six and 10, including some classics and some rotating seasonal options."
Simpatico's menu will feature antipasta such as crispy calamari, focaccia, mushroom arancini and polenta cake bruschetta; pasta such as linguine and clams (with white wine butter sauce), lasagna Bolognese (with red sauce, beef, pork), pappardelle (with short rib, smoked mozzarella) and gnocchi (with foraged king oyster mushrooms, asparagus, pine nuts); and entrees such as pork chop, braised short rib, roasted branzino, chicken piccata, chicken parmesan, 6-ounce filet and mushroom risotto.
The restaurant also will offer a variety of salads such as Caesar, burrata and radicchio (with pancetta goat cheese vinaigrette, roasted hazelnuts); 12-inch pizzas such as pepperoni, sausage and fungi; and handhelds such as porchetta, muffuletta and classic Italian cold cut sandwich.
Muffuletta, a classic New Orleans sandwich, is a nod to Haik's roots.
"It’s an insane sandwich that’s made with mortadella on a big sesame roll with giardiniera, which is pickled onions, carrots and other vegetables, and a little swipe of mustard and olive oil," Haik said in reference to the muffuletta.
"It’s the best sandwich that’s served cold. On the flip side, we’re also going to make porchetta for the entree menu and the sandwich menu. With porchetta, you take either a pork belly or pork shoulder and butterfly it out to where it’s open. The recipe that we’re going to use is a mix of sourdough bread with fresh herbs, garlic, olive oil and some different spices. We’ll spread it all over the one side, roll it back up and tie it into a big cylinder and then roast it in the oven for like 10 hours so it's super tender and packed with a lot of flavor."
The culinary team would cut an approximately 10-ounce piece of the porchetta for the entree and a roughly 4-ounce piece for the sandwich, Haik said.
Simpatico also will feature a full bar with a focus on craft cocktails and international wines, including several Italian and French wines, Haik said.
"Italy has a lot of components that contribute to some really cool cocktails, and I’m looking forward to exploring the subtleties of certain items, like different amaros and vermouths," Haik said.
Following requests that he's heard from PA Rye Co. customers and community members, Haik decided to feature an extensive wine list at Simpatico.
"We're investing heavily into our wine list," Haik said.
"The focus will be unique wines at affordable price points. We want people to come in, hang out and order wine by the bottle or explore the extensive list by the glass. There also will be some really approachable prices during happy hour, along with deals on small plates."
Over the past few months, Haik and a team of workers have implemented renovations that include updated wainscoting, light fixtures, furniture, curtains and other cosmetic touches in the dining room.
To brighten up the space, the walls were painted an off-white color, while columns and other features were painted a green accent color.
A variety of artwork and photos of family and friends are displayed throughout the space, and a room divider with plants was installed between the bar and dining room.
"We wanted to brighten up the space and bring more life to it," Haik said.
"The artwork plays into this as well. There will be a lot of life in the art - landscapes, photos of people doing things, etc."
Simpatico means "of a like mind" or "in agreement with," and Haik chose it as the name of his new restaurant because it's also a slang term - used frequently in Italian and Italian-American cultures - to describe someone who is friendly or likeable.
Haik's wife, who is part Italian, assisted him in choosing the name, which helps convey one of the restaurant's main pillars: inclusivity.
"I knew that I wanted to open an Italian restaurant, but I also knew that I wanted it to be kid-friendly and inclusive," Haik said.
"I want anyone and everyone to feel comfortable, and I also want it to feel sophisticated at the same time. So, that's why I liked the name, Simpatico, because it represents people of a like mind and bringing people together."
Simpatico will operate in an updated space at the corner of Seventh Street and the ArtsWalk.
Most recently, the space was home to Blended, a full-service restaurant offering hand-crafted food, cocktails and more, which closed in the fall.
“We are excited to have a successful restaurant owner-operator opening an Italian restaurant and bar in downtown Allentown,” said Jill Wheeler, vice president of City Center Group, which owns the property.
“His other concept, PA Rye Company, has been well-received and is thriving. We look forward to seeing the menu for Simpatico and enjoying a cocktail there at the bar on the ArtsWalk.”
Simpatico will feature a full bar, with an extensive wine list, draft and bottle beer and craft cocktails such as a Boulevardier, Negroni, Averna daiquiri and espresso martini.
Simpatico will operate 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Friday (closing between 3 and 4 p.m. to prepare for dinner service) and 4-10 p.m. Saturdays.
For the latest Simpatico updates, follow the business' pages on Facebook and Instagram.