Tuesday, April 1, 2025

In the Former "Steel Capital of the World": Dinner and Oldies at the Tap Room of Iconic Hotel Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA, March 2025






Ahead of a presentation (The Wines of Germany) led by Annette Schiller Ombiasy Public Relations and Wine Tours at the American Wine Society in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Annette and I stayed a night at the iconic Historic Hotel Bethlehem in Bethlehem and had dinner at the Tap Room Restaurant of the hotel. 

See:  A Journey Through Germany - Tasting 13 Wines (Sparkling, Dry White and Red) at the Lehigh and Northampton Chapters of the American Wine Society in Allentown, Pennsylvania, led by Annette Schiller, ombiasy WineTours






Bethlehem Steel

Pennsylvania, particularly Pittsburgh and Bethlehem, played a pivotal role in the American steel industry, becoming known as the "steel capital of the world" for a century, driven by technological advancements, abundant resources, and the rise of prominent industrialists like Andrew Carnegie, an immigrant from Scotland.

Bethlehem Steel existed for 150 years, from 1857 to 2003. At the hight, it was a symbol of America's manufacturing leadership in the world. The company's steel was used in the construction of many of the nation's most famed structures, like the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. It played an instrumental role during WW I an II.
 
In 2001, Bethlehem Steel filed for bankruptcy, becoming the 25th American steel-making company in the span of four years between 1998 and 2001 to file for bankruptcy protection. Bethlehem Steel, once a giant of the American steel industry, disappeared due to a combination of factors including increased foreign competition, rising labor costs, and the rise of "mini-mills" that could produce steel more efficiently and cheaply.
 
The Wines
 
I brought a 2007 Weingut Friedrich Becker Kammerberg GG Spaetburgunder from my cellar (corkage fee was US25) and bought a bottle of Red Tail Ridge Winery Chardonnay Pat Nat there. 
 
The wine searcher average price for the Kammerberg is US$138. Our bottle was at its prime and showed why Germany is becoming a serious competitor for Burgundy. Friedrich Becker is one of the pioneers of German Pinot Noir. He passed away a few days ago. RIP Friedrich Becker. 
 
The Pat Nat from the Finger Lakes was an outlier in an otherwise disappointing wine list (uninteresting, though reasonably priced wines).
 
Arriving
 





Historic Hotel Bethlehem
 


 
Garden Terrace Restaurant
 
We had a choice between the Garden Terrace Restaurant and the Tap Room Restaurant.
 


Tap Room Restaurant
 





Food
 



Wine
 





Music
 





 
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