BETHLEHEM, Pa. — It's been three years since Pat's Pizza and Bistro introduced its pasta flight.
And it's still a hit.
"It was an experiment that I was working on for a while and we decided to give it a shot," owner Yannis Kyziridis said. "It took us almost a year to finalize it. And since the day we launched it, we never looked back."
Prior to his own creation, Kyziridis said he never heard of or saw another food flight in the Lehigh Valley. It all started because he wanted to do something different, he said, but not reinvent the wheel and put unnecessary stress on the kitchen staff.
After a year of trial and error, the pasta flight was born.
For $45, customers can select three of any signature pastas, including: Tortelloni Alfredo, Fettucine con Fungi, Caccio e Peppe, Gnocchi In Pesto, Penne Vodka, Pappardelle Aurora and Sofia Loren.
In turn, they're greeted by a mound of pasta, topped with microgreens, served on a cutting board.
"When we did the pasta flights, we literally went viral too many times... There was a flight frenzy for a while the Lehigh Valley."Yannis Kyziridis, owner of Pat's Pizza and Bistro in Bethlehem
The trend — which went viral on Facebook and even TikTok — brought in younger clientele, Kyziridis said, and continues to bring new customers daily. Customers from hours away are still coming to try it every week, he said.
"When we did the pasta flights, we literally went viral too many times," Kyziridis said. "...There was a flight frenzy for a while the Lehigh Valley. I know that a beer flight at a brewery or winery is like a common term, but [the pasta flight] was — in a positive way — it was something out of the ordinary."
The pasta flight's social media takeoff serves as an example of why Kyziridis doesn't shy away from an online presence, but embraces it.
In fact, it's a practice the National Restaurant Association even recommends in its What's Hot 2024 culinary trends forecast.
"Through social media and at viral speeds, consumers discover virtually unknown flavors, ingredients, prep methods, and menu hacks," the report said.
"Restaurant dishes become viral sensations and vice versa — in the right culinary hands, viral 'food fads' can successfully translate to menus and [limited time offers]. Social platforms are intrinsic to restaurant marketing today, capturing attention and generating buzz."
The report also suggests social media can serve as a means of sourcing more "creative" and "buzz-worthy" regional ingredients to create unique dishes — a concept food flights also embrace, culinary experts say, which adds to the "flight frenzy" restaurants are adopting throughout the Lehigh Valley.
The food flight scene in the area includes bites of chicken and waffles from The Bayou, a pancake flight at The Raven 96, meatball flights at Fiamma, and a mini bagel flight at Plants and Coffee, among a handful of other unique options.
Will Rufe, associate chef at Northampton Community College, said food flights are better broken down into three categories: sharable, experiential and educational.
Shareable flights offer a more social experience, whereas experiential allow customers to "get a better idea of what a place does and what their options are," Rufe said.
"I think that these flights are a great way to get people out of their box, and allow them some freedom to take a chance."Will Rufe, associate chef at Northampton Community College
Educational comes in two forms — vertical or horizontal — which could look like tasting a variety of beers (horizontal) or different temperatures, cuts or seasoning on a steak flight (vertical).
Regardless of type, Rufe said he doesn't see the trend slowing down anytime soon because the menu option benefits customers and employees alike.
"I mean, imagine you're a young chef in the back, and you really, really want to run something that they're not quite sure they want to put on the menu yet, but you say, 'Would you guys mind putting my honey ginger wings on?' And they say, 'You know what? We'll put it on the flight and just see how it does,'" Rufe said. "So I think it allows options for both consumer and for craftsmen to really kind of explore a little bit and take some chances."
Restaurants from Allentown to Nazareth have their own spin on food flights, ranging from lobster to pancakes to mini bagels.
Between regulars who might want to branch out at their favorite restaurant or newbies looking to take on a new spot, Rufe said he thinks the Lehigh Valley is the prime place for food flights.
"I think we have some people who really want something adventurous in food, and I think that there's a lot of people who don't," Rufe said.
"There's a lot of people who are going to be very satisfied with the things that they've ordered last time. I think that these flights are a great way to get people out of their box, and allow them some freedom to take a chance."
EDITOR'S NOTE: LehighValleyNews.com will be visiting some food flight spots across the Lehigh Valley. If you have a recommendation, contact Makenzie Christman at makenziec@lehighvalleynews.com or on Instagram at makenziemchristman.
