I recently had the pleasure of going out for a first-class meal at Bolete in Bethlehem. Bolete is Latin for “wild mushroom,” although that particular vegetable does not influence the menu in any way. The restaurant, which opened just a few years ago, is situated in the historic 200-year-old building that once was home to Inn of the Falcon.

I started with the seared foie gras appetizer. The warm goose liver was placed over a group of fresh, chilled ingredients including small grapefruit slices, fava beans, red onions, ginger and fennel, all covered in a grapefruit miso broth. This simple yet elegant dish offered a nice contrast of flavors (sweet/tart vs. rich) and temperatures.

Next came the entree: Dr. Joe’s Duck with confit, buck wheat crepes, mushrooms and blood orange sauce. It was quite simply AMAZING! The duck was tender with a crisp skin and cooked just right – rare, the way I ordered it.

I saved room for dessert, and I was glad I did. The first item on the dessert menu sounded perfect, like gourmet comfort food. It was a homemade vanilla ice cream soda with “Katie’s Oreos”- handmade chocolate shortbread cookies filled with white chocolate ganache. This simple and small dessert was the perfect way to finish my meal with its petite portion and oversized cookies.

One very cool thing about this restaurant is that owners Chef Lee Chizmar and Erin Shea, pictured above, believe in buying local. They support local farmers by purchasing as many fresh meats, fruits and vegetables as they can. That means many components of my dinner that night came from farms less than an hour from where I was sitting. It made me feel even better as I indulged in my decadent meal.