The fine folks behind Emmaus, PA's Tap and Table just opened a new bar on Bethlehem's south side, The Bookstore Speakeasy. The Bookstore takes over the space previously occupied by Element, which lasted less than two years. Judging by their MySpace page, I honestly have no idea why that could have been.
The Bookstore, a 20's-style pub could come off gimmicky, but it's the real deal (save for the lack of mob beer and prohibition). The basement-level entrance is a plain, gray door with "BOOKSTORE" painted on, and leads to a small room packed with books on everything from "Sex Without Fear" to a 1955 anthology of US wetlands.
Pushing past a double curtain, the speakeasy is a small but plush barroom with dark wood furnishing and gas lamps on each table. The menu is pasted into the front pages of weathered hardcovers and a small chalkboard behind the bar lists their six taps.
When my group stumbled in, a three-piece band was playing hot jazz while the singer channeled Louis Armstrong through an antique microphone. A few couples danced in the limited floor space and soon enough our waitress was bring beer and slabs of cheese.
The atmosphere is smart, yet comfortable and the beer list covers enough ground to keep snobs and their unenlightened friends (approachable beers but nothing trashy) happy. Personally, this is the sort of bar I could stay in until sunrise.
