ITA101

Dinner with friends, Zach and Diane, brought us to ITA101, 20 S. Main Street, Medford, NJ 08055 (609-654-0101) for dinner on Saturday, April 14, 2018. We had a wonderful time.

Since it's a small place, reservations are REQUIRED. We arrived for our 7:45pm reservation, and were promptly seated.

Our server, Mike, was very attentive.

Delicious crusty bread was brought to the table. Olive oil was poured. So good, we asked for more...

Appetizers shared:

Carpaccio di Manzo (filet mignon served raw and thinly sliced with mache, parmesan and extra virgin olive oil)

Mozzarella di Bufala & Barbabietole (fresh buffalo milk mozzarella served with beets, asparagus and prosciutto over a sun-dried tomato purr and topped with aged balsamic)

Torta di Ceci (thin unleavened pancake made of chickpea flour)

Entrees:

We all enjoyed our wonderful entrees. Everything was cooked and seasoned to perfection!

Jay - Spaghetti con Nero di Seppia (black squid ink spaghetti with snow peas, razor clams, black bass, shrimp and scallops in a lightly spicy garlic and oil sauce)

Ken - Pesce del Giorno (black bass with grilled squid, sea beans and snow peas over an almond puree)

Diane and Zach - Brasato di Manzo (slow roasted grass-fed short ribs braised in Barbera d'Asti wine served with mushrooms & red bliss country mashed potatoes and asparagus)

Dessert:

Jay was quite happy with the Mouse di Cioccolato & Nocciole (dark chocolate and hazelnut mousse topped with an almond crumble and served with cherries braised in red wine and whipped cream). A flavorful and light ending to a wonderful meal.

Diane loved the Tiramisu al Tavola (created table side with homemade lady fingers and cream of mascarpone, espresso and cocoa powder.

The presentation for the espresso was equally impressive!

Zach enjoyed the Pan di Spagna con Composta di Fragole e Mouse al Cioccolato (sponge cake layered with fresh organic strawberry compote and topped with chocolate mousse)

Wines enjoyed:

We will return, as there are other dishes we wish to try.

Two Fish

Celebrating Ken's birthday, we visited Two Fish BYOB, 26 S. Haddon Avenue, Haddonfield, NJ 08033 (856-428-3474), with friends Zach and Diane, on Saturday, March 17, 2018. We arrived 15 minutes for our 7:45pm reservation, and were seated at a corner table (excellent spot!) around 8pm. It was worth the wait!

Our server, Dylan (Dillon?), was attentive and knowledgeable.

The first batch of bread was not warm, but the second batch was - crunchy crust and soft inside, served with chimichurri sauce.

Starters:

Jay enjoyed the Crudo, with olive oil, chive, and pink peppercorn

Zach loved the Hot Smoked Salmon, served cold, with giardiniera, seeds, poached egg vinaigrette. The smoky taste of the salmon was heavenly.

Diane enjoyed the Chargrilled Octopus with chickpea, chorizo verde, radish, and tomatillo. Cooked to perfection.

Ken was pleased by the Scallops, served with butternut squash, ginger, garlic, jalapeño, and celery.

Entrees:

Jay (and Ken) loved the perfectly cooked Icelandic Cod, with fennel, celery root, leeks, lemon-thyme, buerre blanc, and black olives.

Zach enjoyed the Tuna, with smoked potato, green beans, and sauce gribiche.

Diane, who had the Spanish Mackerel a few weeks ago, ordered it again and was not disappointed. Served with white beans, broccoli rabe, romesco, and corn relish.

Ken liked the Steelhead Trout, with grains, roasted red beets, whole grain mustard sauce, and pistachios, but declared that he likes Jay's better.

Desserts:

Lemon Pound Cake (Jay missed this picture), was light and flavorful, surrounded by whipped cream and blueberries.

Flourless chocolate cake served with mint ice cream - decadent!

Apple Walnut Tart

Wines enjoyed:

2015

Since we were the last ones left, chef/owner Mike kindly came out to discuss possible offerings for the future. We will return!

Dolsot House (K-Town BBQ Korean Restaurant)

Our monthly lunch with Karin and George took us to Dolsot House, 404 Marlton Pike East (Route 70), Sawmill Village, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034 (856-216-0090 or 0095). Reservations are highly recommended! The place was packed!

We enjoyed a 3-hour leisurely lunch, and truly appreciated the service given. Everything was delicious!

We shared appetizers:

Dumplings

Honey Sesame Wings and Spicy Wings - crunchy deliciousness!

Banchan - eggplant, zucchini, boh choy, bean sprouts, corn with tomatoes and eggs, and kimchi...

Rib Dolsot

Spicy Pork Bulgogi

Wines enjoyed:

We will definitely come back during the week, when it's less busy!

Circles Thai (Collingswood)

We enjoyed a nice dinner with friends on Saturday, March 3, 2018, at Circles Thai, 8 Powell Lane, Collingswood, NJ 08108 (856-869-0001). Delicious food and good company!

We shared many tasty appetizers:

Fried calamari - perfectly cooked!

We also enjoyed Crab and Pork Dumplings, but Jay must have forgotten to take the picture - they were so good!

Chicken satay

After the first round, we then tried the Thai Rolls:

and the Summer Rolls with Shrimp - very fresh!

Entrees:

Ken enjoyed the Garlic Basic Fried Rice with Pork (medium spicy). By this time, he was getting full, so half went home for next day's lunch:

Jay enjoyed the Roasted Rohan Duck Curry (medium spicy). Again, half went home for next day...

Other entrees enjoyed were the Crab Fried Rice...

and the Amazing Stir Fry with Chicken, which truly was amazing!

Dessert included Coconut Ice Cream

and S'mores Banana Spring Rolls

Wines enjoyed:

We had a wonderful time and look forward to returning to try other dishes. Service was excellent as well! Very casual (TV displayed Thai cooking and popular music was playing)