ALLENTOWN, Pa. — It's often said that food brings people together.
Even perfect strangers who were among the first in line to welcome a beloved restaurant back to the area.
The Allentown Fairgrounds Farmers Market officially added The Brass Rail to its list of merchants Thursday morning — the first time the eatery has been in operation since it shuttered on Lehigh Street in June 2022.
“I’m a self-proclaimed foodie,” said Rachel Kennedy Holmes, a West End resident who arrived at 8:15 a.m. and was excited to be “Top Five in line and the first to order a breakfast sandwich.”
“I was born on the south side of Allentown and grew up with my parents taking me to The Brass Rail.”Phil Rambo
Her dining companion was Bill Rambo, who at 9 a.m. ordered the one thing on the menu for which the Brass Rail is famous — a steak sandwich.
“I was born on the south side of Allentown and grew up with my parents taking me to The Brass Rail,” Rambo said.
“Then when I got older, I got married, and then I started taking my children to The Brass Rail. And then I had the opportunity, before the restaurant closed [in 2022], I got to take my grandson. So this was exciting for me.
"I wanted to be the first one here, but I was number two, so I'm fine with it.”
A family affair
It wasn't just Rambo who had stories to tell about his family’s connection to The Brass Rail.
The anticipation for the reopening was palpable, and as customers poured into the family-owned eatery, many had their own recollections of a business that has served customers in various locations around the city for more than 90 years.
"We love all the stories of families coming, and for year after year."Pam Ray, sister of Brass Rail owner Mark Sorrentino
“I think we’re kind of calling it BR3, because it started on Hamilton Street when my grandfather started it,” said Pam Ray, who came up from Virginia to help her brother, Mark Sorrentino, with the reopening.
“First it was a little stand, which evolved into the restaurant. Then we had Lehigh Street, and now here, and it really means so much to the family.
“It took some time to figure it out, but we really think the Allentown Farmers Market is the perfect place for them, and they're so excited, and just means so much to them, just to even just to be able to bring it back to the community, because they know how much it means to people in the Lehigh Valley.
"We love all the stories of families coming, and for year after year,” Ray said.
'A perfect fit'
The new location, which features a handful of tables and counter-style seating on both sides, will serve a customer base used to the Brass Rail classics, including a steak sandwich served with sauce and pickles.
That’s “the only way to go,” according to Rambo, who shrugged off a common Lehigh Valley controversy over what, exactly, belongs on a steak.
The menu also will feature cheesesteaks, specialty hot dogs, French fries, pierogies and more, along with breakfast sandwiches served on a steak roll available until 10:30 a.m.
Amid the hubbub Thursday, Sorrentino said he’s proud to carry on the legacy of the business, and in many ways, return to how it all began: a smaller stand and a line of hungry customers, along with many former employees behind the counter.
“The interest, the excitement, the customers and of course some of our old employees working with us. It’s all been wonderful."Brass Rail owner Mark Sorrentino
“It’s humbling," he said. "It’s really humbling.
“The interest, the excitement, the customers and of course some of our old employees working with us. It’s all been wonderful. I’ve probably said it three or four times already, but it warms my heart.
“Our initial plans were to downsize, and it took us a while to figure out what exactly that was going to be. But we would come here about once a week, and every time we came here we would run into like at least half a dozen regular customers.
"Somebody suggested, ‘Why don't you just try and open a stand?
“It’s really a perfect fit for us. We love being a part of the family here.”
