Our Guests Speak….

Robyn:

Thank you for putting up with my mother-in-law and thank you for her birthday cup cake. She will rave about that for months at Kirkland! Every time we come to Sagra you make us feel special. Everyone’s meal was exceptional and I loved my wine. Thank you for everything.  

Moe

My husband and I dined at Sagra last night with two friends who had been there before. What a jewel in Hellertown! Not only was the food delicious, but the service was outstanding. I lived in Boston for a number of years, and last night I felt like I was eating in my favorite bistro in the North End! Thank you for one of the best meals I’ve had in a very long time.

Sincerely,
Jessie

Robyn -

Just wanted to drop you a thank you note for a wonderful evening. Our friends really enjoyed themselves and are looking forward to coming back and eating downstairs.  Thank you again for being so accommodating and bringing in the Tanq 10.

Regards,
Robert

Good Morning,

Everything was great! That is a very nice room with a good atmosphere.    Thank you,   Ken

My fiancee and  I just wanted to let you know our dinner was EXCELLENT
today.  From the service (Ashley) to the food, it could have not been
better.  We are still raving about it 5 hrs later!  We will be back!!!

-Michael Kearse
   update…they hired Sagra Catering for their July 2011 wedding!

In The News

Contemporary flair lifts standards at Sagra Bistro in Hellertown

Hellertown’s new Sagra Bistro, which opened about a month ago in the Main Street spot formerly occupied by Zabower’s Restaurant, easily fulfills the promise of the second half of its name, serving up fine casual and comfortable fare in a similarly styled setting.

Co-owners Robyn Cavallaro and Jim Zebert, also proprietors of Sagra Cooking and Sagra Catering in Easton, have added a bar. But the smart, contemporary tone remains, reinforced by black-topped tables and black napkins in sharp contrast with the bronze-like walls.

From filet mignon to spaghetti and meatballs, the menu, which offers a handful each of starters and main courses, tantalizes contemporary tastes with good old standards executed with flair, and touched by ingredients of international cuisines.

”Kickin’ Southwestern mac & cheese,” for example, features blue corn, red chile, jalapeno and maize-flavored pasta tossed with fire-roasted onion and peppers, along with the usual cheese sauce. Spanish manchego cheese, baked in pockets of phyllo, gets headliner treatment in one starter selection.

From Holland, Bemmer’s aged Gouda, which Sagra serves as its amuse-bouche, was successful as an addictively good accompaniment to mulling the menu.

A signature appetizer — ancho chili and red pepper cheese torte ($8) — was ample enough for sharing. With a bottom layer of crumbs, a jelly-like topping and texture in the cheese layer in between, this torte yielded lots of piquant flavor that was not spicy, just lusty and full.

Chopped salad ($4.95 as a side) was good enough in execution, but I would have appreciated a more robust combination of vegetables.

High on my list of all-time memorable breads is Sagra’s foccacia ($2). The Italian flatbread, made daily in the kitchen, was chewy, dense and warm with distinct grill marks that imparted wonderful flavor.

Two seafood entrees were savory and succulent. Tender and sweet sugar-roasted diver scallops ($18), finished with a drizzle of aged balsamic vinegar, were served on a bed of caramelized onions, so tender they melted on the tongue.

Large, wild-caught, fire-roasted shrimp ($18), with olive oil, seasoning and onion, were cooked just right. Also cooked just right was the vegetable of the day, roasted cauliflower and broccoli.

Sagra’s desserts were exceptional — no exaggeration. Blueberry pie ($7) boasted the biggest, most beautiful blueberries ever as well as a near-perfect crust. Few calorie investments would be so deserving — unless it was Sagra’s coconut cake ($10), which turned out to be just as worthy. With an awesome nine layers, the gargantuan slice of moist yellow cake, in lovely balance with its just-sweet-enough frosting, would easily satisfy three diners in search of a sugar fix.

Dinner for two, including tax and tip, but no alcoholic beverages, totaled $88.

Susan Gottshall is a freelance restaurant reviewer for Go Guide. Gottshall attempts to remain anonymous during restaurant visits. All meals are paid for by The Morning Call.