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CROSSWICKS: Coltello to move to Old Mill

By David Kilby, Special Writer
   ALLENTOWN — The Old Mill on Main Street in Allentown, which is about 300 years old, has seen many changes over the centuries, and this summer, a new chapter will begin when the Coltello Ristorante Italiano of Crosswicks moves into the building, which has been called the heart of the small Colonial-era borough.
   Anthony Gervasi, restaurant proprietor, said Coltello definitely will be open in the Old Mill by June.
   ”We think it’s gonna be a great town to be in,” he said, adding he looks forward to working with the other businesses in the building.
   He said, “We’ll all support each other. We’re looking forward to being part of Allentown. We will definitely support the community.”
   Coltello opened in Crosswicks on Sept. 1, 2009, and already has outgrown its current location on Main Street there, selling out every weekend. For weekend reservations, one must book at least a week in advance.
   The restaurant hand slices its meat and cheeses to order and imports its salami from Italy, gouda from Holland and manchego from Spain, Mr. Gervasi said.
   The menus change slightly every day, and everything is homemade. Nothing is canned, he added.
   The restaurant, open evenings and for brunch Sundays, is looking to be open for lunch as well in its new location in the Old Mill, which is owned by Corky Danch.
   Mr. Gervasi, who’s from Hamilton, said he wants the restaurant to keep its “energetic atmosphere.”
   ”I grew up in an Italian family,” he said, adding that dinner with the family was always a lively event. “We want you to be able to relax and enjoy dinner with your family, to share and enjoy time with your friends here.”
   ”We’re very excited to have Old Mill back up again,” said Ericka O’Rourke, owner of the Copper Frog, which the restaurant will share the Old Mill with.
   The last restaurant to be in the Old Mill, The Black Forest, closed five years ago, she added.
   ”I think it’ll help the whole town,” she said. “The mill has been the heart of Allentown for hundreds of years.”
   Another business taking up shop in the Old Mill is The Green Lace Lion, owned by Ellen and Meg Sortor, which sells vintage antiques, furniture and home décor.
   Ms. O’Rourke, who has lived in Allentown for 13 years, said she has retrieved some of the old copper wiring from the building and has made jewelry from it.
   Moving from its small Colonial house in Crosswicks, Coltello will be able to spread out a little more in the Old Mill and offer customers a full-size restaurant and café.
   When reopened, the Old Mill also will offer creative art workshops in painting, jewelry and pottery. There will be live music and other art demonstrations throughout the mill — inside and outside — Ms. O’ Rourke added.
   The current Coltello location will be converted into apartments. Mr. Gervasi said it should take only about a week to move into the Old Mill.
   He said many of his customers already come from Allentown, and he added that people from as far as Delaware and Philadelphia come up to the Italian restaurant.
   ”We have people who drive an hour and a half just to eat here,” he said, and he believes the turnouts could be even better in the Old Mill.
   Considering how the building used to be home to a German restaurant, he said the old-fashioned architecture can be interpreted as a Tuscany-type style as well.
   ”The Old Mill offers great ambiance,” he said. “It’s a great building. It’s easier to get to and gives us the opportunity to grow a little.”