Yet Another Bar in Bethlehem

Those Lehigh University students sure do love their beer...this is the second good pub to make an appearance on the food blog from Bethlehem, PA.

Machs Gute Pub and Grille is not too far from either the Comfort Suites or the Best Western there in town, so it's a good choice if you're looking for typical pub fare (really tasty chicken cheese steak sandwiches) at reasonable prices. Decide beforehand how you're getting home because the daily beer specials are cheap, including the daily $2 pints. Thursdays are $0.35 wings and $2 draught beers (forgot which ones), too!

It may be a cheap college bar, but with recent renovations, this place now has a fairly modern look to it and, during my dinnertime visit, was very clean and quiet. Everyone in the bar (all five of us) were watching Jeopardy on the big flatscreen TVs above the bar, hah!

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Pizza, beer, and green thinking

Scattered across Wisconsin, the Glass Nickel Pizza Company has some incredibly tasty pizza as well some pretty inventive sauce/topping combinations. They have at least seven different locations, which include two in Madison and one in Milwaukee, so you've got multiple opportunities to eat and drink there.

To the left was my 10" small pizza with 1/2 chicken alfredo and 1/2 their 'famous' fetalicious (many reviews on Yelp mention this one). 'Twas mighty delicious with very fresh toppings, the ability to do half-and-half on even a small pizza (including sauces, which most places won't do), and some mighty good fresh-minced garlic on the alfredo half.

It may have been one of the many microbrews they have on tap talking, but I very much enjoyed my pizza at the Madison East (Atwood Ave.) location. It was some of the best pizza I've had in recent times, so I'd suggest swinging by if you've got time; heck, it's even a few minutes' drive from the capitol building!

Also, from the "Growing Green" section of their website, it looks like they're putting in some decent effort into changing their operations to be a little more sustainable and energy-efficient. They've got my vote.

Midland Munchies

Formerly a bank and then a steakhouse, Chug N' Chew is right across the street from the Valley Plaza and the Best Western hotel in Midland. Apparently open for business since June, 2009, this place stands up to the reputation its sign out front creates: "good food, huge portions, low price."

The main lobby has a futon facing a large flat-screen TV next to an old-school arcade machine, not to mention the still-installed vault door from the building's previous purpose as a bank. The decor is an amalgamation of Mexican, Halloween, midwest Americana, and other random kitsch.

The food is great, though, and cheap! I had the Southwestern Burger combo with waffle fries (an extra $0.50) that came out to less than $8 after tax, holy cow. The bun and fries were both delicious and were both crispy to perfection. The burger itself was a half-pound patty with cheese, pico de gallo, red onions, and slices of avocado; a unique take on the American classic.

If you're passing through Midland, think about stopping by this joint for a great bite to eat at an incredibly low price. My only qualm is that they don't serve alcohol; only a nice cold brew would've made this experience any better.