It's Easy Being Green

Bistro Pomme Verte

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“If I’m not going to do this like this, I’m not going to be open. Why bother?” says Kevin Spiegler. Such is the conviction of the chef/owner of Bistro Pomme Verte in Palmer Township. Spiegler’s talking about the ethos behind his restaurant: fresh, local and sustainable.

This 33-year-old is young enough to have the energy to take on his own restaurant but experienced enough to know what to do with it. A graduate of LCCC culinary arts program, Spiegler worked in Philadelphia (Caribou Café) for a bit before coming back up to the Lehigh Valley area, where he was behind the line at a number of restaurants including Youell’s Oyster House in Allentown. A few years ago, he started Divine Catering—a business he still runs with Roberto Lopez and which is responsible for 50 to 60 weddings per year. Spiegler wanted to try something different and the space became available (it used to be Moscato’s—the second location). “When the opportunity became available to buy the restaurant...” he pauses, looks around shakes his head in disbelief and says, “I did.” Waits a beat, and mutters almost inaudibly, “I probably shouldn’t have.”

These are not extraordinary words from a first-time restaurant owner.

Many of the purveyors Spiegler now works with at the bistro, which he opened in October 2014, were known quantities thanks to his catering business. Anyone who’s shopped at the farmers’ markets in the Lehigh Valley will be familiar with these names, too: Salvaterra’s Gardens, Primordia Mushroom, Rodale Organic Farm and Liberty Gardens. And that’s just for starters. A little further afield, he sources microgreens (and in the fall, Arborio rice) from Blue Moon Acres across the river in Pennington and amazing tomatoes from Mennonite farmers at Meadow View Farm in Kutztown.

“Everything is from scratch, 100-percent. There’s not one thing in this restaurant that comes in a bag or that is frozen. The produce is local and all meats are organic, cage-free or pasture-raised—at least one of the three,” he explains. (They’re also fairly local—or sourced through local purveyors.) All of the sauces are made from scratch, the meats on the charcuterie are house-made (think bacon, head cheese, chicken liver mousse) and the cheeses come from Valley Milkhouse in Telford and Calkins Creamery in Honesdale.

With a vividly colored wall that reflects the restaurant’s name—apple green—and an another wall of exposed stone, Bistro Pomme Verte is a small but lively space that can comfortably fit about 65 people. Dining here means a leisurely two-hour reservation window. “We can’t get people to leave,” he marvels, shaking his head.

It’s not at all a dig against his customers. The fact that it’s BYOB factors into the leisurely pace—people tend to hang out here. Plus, it’s decidedly kid-friendly. Child-sized portions of flatbreads, salmon and pasta are available (you may run into his daughter, MaeLee, too.) Most importantly, everything is made to order and that takes a little bit of time. “We don’t have things in bain maries, we’re not setting things out and heating them to order. We fire every order as it comes in; we’re searing the fish to order.”

The fresh, seasonal and local approach is becoming increasingly commonplace these days, but it’s nothing new; it’s in keeping with traditional cuisines around the world that haven’t been overtaken by processed food (It’s no accident the Slow Food movement began in Italy.) It’s something Spiegler observed for roughly the first 20 years of his life, living in Ulm, Germany (his dad is German; his mom is American.) “I acquired my love of cooking from my grandmother, who canned and baked and did all that. She cooked southern German cuisine—it’s hearty food, but it’s a mix; it’s not too different from French cuisine, as France is only two hours away.” He came to the United States when he was college-aged. “My mom’s from Pennsylvania, so I went to Kutztown [University], couldn’t figure out what I wanted to do and thought why not try cooking?”

At Pomme Verte, Spiegler changes the thoughtful, one-page menu—which leans French but incorporates other influences—on a quarterly basis, but there are no major overhauls. “There are some things that people like so much, we just can’t take them off the menu,” he says. The duck and salmon dishes are especially coveted, so he alters the accompaniments in keeping with the seasons. For example, the duck entrée takes the form of comfort food as a cassoulet in winter; in warmer months, it’s served with Swabian Spaetzel Primordia mushrooms and pickled red cabbage. It’s worth noting that Spiegler’s duck entrée doesn’t go French or even Asian—another fusion fave for chefs—it receives the full German treatment. (Well, except for the apples.)

A more French preparation, though, is the duck confit over local greens, beets and chevre, brought together by a bright and creamy orange ginger vinaigrette. Pan-seared Scottish salmon is accompanied by organic lentils from a purveyor in Montana and cooked with cumin, along with yellow carrot puree and “seasonal greens.” (Mine was sautéed Swiss chard, with its telltale vibrant red veins.) The wording on the menu for some of the dishes is flexible—if Spiegler thinks the spinach looks better one week, he’ll order that as his choice of greens.

This locally-sourcing chef does the best he can with various water-dwelling proteins. His home in Germany was five hours away from the ocean, he notes. “We had freshwater fish, but I really enjoy working with seafood. It’s so versatile,” he says. On the weekends, you might see specials that include scallops or halibut. Spiegler has also forged an exclusive arrangement with Green-Walk Trout Hatchery in Bangor. “They typically sell to rod and gun clubs, but they sell me the whole fish for the restaurant, and I break it down in house,” he says. He’s the only restaurant with Green-Walk’s trout.

There are seasonally appropriate approaches to the palate, but some inventive twists. Carrot soup is anything but a sweet, one-note taste. With a coconut milk base and ginger, topped with a green apple and onion compote, it is greater than the sum of its parts; no one flavor completely dominates. Whatever you do, don’t overlook the onion soup. Chef Spiegler has resurrected this classic from the dark brown crock topped with an oozy brûléed sheet of cheese, lightening and yet complicating it in the best way possible. In his kitchen, onion soup becomes a puréed base of caramelized onions, cream, thyme, rosemary and chives, with a gentle grating of Gruyere and a swirl of chive oil. It’s like no onion soup you have ever tasted. “We wanted to do something different,” he says. (It’s always on the menu.)

Dessert isn’t neglected, either. Spiegler and his team of Tim Howells and William Marsh make ice cream in house; imported Belgian chocolate transforms a childhood classic into something more deep and luscious, with no arresting hit of sugar. Other standouts are created by Phyllis Follette of Appetique Bakery in Orefield, and range from chocolate ganache cakes to lemon shortbreads to light-as-a-feather cheesecakes. The apple tart, when in season, earns raves.

The green apple motif reflects the restaurant’s name, which was inspired by his aforementioned  daughter MaeLee. “This one loves apples,” he says. She’s been serving me the samples of dishes her father put together for me. He rings the service bell to summon her from her post in the dining room. I can hear them behind the gauzy curtain that stands in for a swinging door into the kitchen; he gives her instructions on how to serve, reminds her to put something back it the fridge right away. She’s shy, sweet and wearing an “I Love Paris” top. Service is in her blood already. “I like being here. I like working,” she says with a quiet smile. Spiegler later tells me that she’s planted corn and veggies in raised beds behind the restaurant. “She wants to serve, soon,” he says. “She claims Wednesday to be her shift,” he says.

Maybe one night if you visit, you’ll encounter MaeLee’s quiet smile when you walk through the door, or Spiegler’s wife, who helps out on the weekends. The first year of any restaurant’s life is a challenging one, but Spiegler’s passion and confidence ought to carry him through. People have a growing appetite for that which is seasonal and sustainable—and the vendors he’s partnered with deliver superior products. (Many of them wholesale to New York and Philly restaurants.) Plus, the bistro, along with a handful of other simpatico eateries, is a restaurant partner with the Easton Farmers’ Market this season, which should boost its visibility, too. “If we stick with what we believe in, we will be fine,” he says. Maybe they’ll even be seeing a different kind of green.