At a typically weathered Warrington Avenue intersection in the city’s Allentown neighborhood, across from a laundromat and a Family Dollar and next to a bunker of a medical building, a bright blue and orange sign exclaims the name of a ray of culinary cheer, the proverbial flower growing out of an asphalt crack: Sweet Peaches!
Founded two years ago by proprietor and Baldwin native Bek Hlavach as a catering company, late last summer it started offering a weekly Sunday brunch, and the Hilltop is all the better for it.
Inside a pleasant space with light fixtures that look like whisks and glass art by her partner, Drew Bayless, Ms. Hlavach creates a unique menu each Sunday.
Previous brunches have featured items such as chocolate mole pancakes with a raspberry compote ($9), bourbon-braised pulled pork on a pretzel croissant with a Brussels sprout and baby kale slaw ($10), and chai spice French toast with caramel and pecans ($8).
Some of the specials last weekend included mixed berry pancakes ($8), the Sweet Peach omelet with red onions, arugula and goat cheese ($6.50), and chicken and curried rice ($10).
I had the Lumberjack omelet ($8), a nicely comprised dish with the standard eggs, bacon, mushrooms and sausage plus a bit of a gourmet touch with the inclusion of broccoli rabe and a hard, aged cheddar cheese.
My girlfriend had the kale and eggs — a pair of dippy eggs with steamed kale lightly sauteed in butter ($7.50) — and a few strips of crispy bacon ($4).
Not to be missed are the ceregi, a Slovak fried-dough treat topped with powdered sugar and sometimes called “Angel Wings” but which Ms. Hlavach affectionately bills as “Hunky Donuts.” A plate of a half-dozen was $5.
French press coffee and housemade juices are available, but if you require a bloody Mary or mimosa, there is no fee to BYOB.
Sweet Peaches serves lunch from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and I was able to pop in this week to try the “Roadster,” a massive roast beef sandwich on ciabatta with pepper jack and cheddar and a horseradish mayo and a side of excellent fresh cut sweet potato chips ($6). Other options include the “South Side Smokehouse” ($7.50) with sliced chicken, pepper jack, roasted red peppers, toasted corn relish and cilantro on sourdough or the “Curry Co-op” ($5.50), an open-faced pita with house curry tofu salad, raisins, sliced almonds, celery and mixed greens.
Ms. Hlavach has led cooking classes for neighborhood kids through the Brashear Association and on Wednesday, her food will be featured along with cocktails from the Strip District’s Bar Marco for a pop-up event called “Open in Allentown” to be held in a refurbished and available commercial space at 816 E. Warrington Ave.
The event runs from 5 to 10 p.m. and will feature artwork and the live recording of a comedy podcast all with an eye on promoting development in the neighborhood, which is showing a pulse with new businesses like startup incubator The Hardware Store and Leon’s Caribbean Restaurant as well as the venerable Alla Famiglia.
There could hardly be a better ambassador than Ms. Hlavach — a woman who literally has her own bucket list tattooed on her upper left arm, not to mention a few more oddly appropriate for a risk-taking entrepreneur: She also has ink of St. Jude, the patron saint of lost causes; an Arabic phrase that roughly translates to “in time things will be better” — a good ethos for a fledgling business; and the words “MAKE” and “LUCK” above the knuckles of each hand.
Because as the saying goes, you make your own luck, and Ms. Hlavach certainly is with this venture.
Sweet Peaches! is at 639 E. Warrington Ave., Allentown; 412-219-3121; https://www.facebook.com/eatsweetpeaches.
Dan Gigler: dgigler@post-gazette.com and on Twitter @gigs412.
First Published: March 26, 2015, 4:00 a.m.