Andreotti's Viennese Cafe (Eclectic Country French/Northern Italian)

Tonight we visited Andreotti's Viennese Cafe, 1442 State Highway 70 E, Cherry Hill (856-795-0172). Although not a true BYOB, they sell wine at cost.

Each entree comes with toasted French Bread with their "Famous Seven Cheesespread", fresh (not warm) French bread with fresh roasted Italian peppers, , Soup du Jour, Garden or Caesar Salad, Intermezzo (lemon sorbet atop a crunchy cookie), and Viennese Pastry Tray to finish the meal.

Since we love to eat, Jay had an appetizer of escargot which was very nice and Ken had a shrimp cocktail.

Jay's entree was stuffed veal scallopini. The veal was breaded and stuffed with goat cheese and spinach. It came with a very yummy sauce. Mushroom risotto was included with the meal. Very tasty.

Ken had the striped sea bass Three nice sized pieces were lying atop the mushroom risotto. He was happy.

Of course Jay sampled the mini desserts - cream puff, chocolate cheesecake and a fruit tart, all of which were good. There were a few other choices to go around, but she was pretty full.

The wine we chose to go with the meal was a 2003er Weingut Eugen Wehrheim Niersteiner Bildstock Rieling Kabinet. It went very well with the meal.

• Dress - Dressy casual - jeans are OK, but don't be tacky.
• Service - excellent. Our server was constantly clearing plates each time she walked by and was aware of our needs.
• Decor - We sat in the smoking section, where surprisely not too many people were smoking. We'd been here before so we knew we wanted to be close to the bar. They have a piano player, but since we like to eat early we weren't around for the 9 PM showing.
• Portions - Looks were deceiving as we both were full at the end of the meal.
• Price - appetizers were in the $10+ range; entrees ranged from the mid $20s.
• Reservations - Recommended for Friday and Saturday evenings.

A Little Cafe

A Little Café, 118 White Horse Road (in Plaza Shoppes Shopping Center), Voorhees, NJ, 856-784-3344

The father of Ken’s coworker works as a server so we went to visit on Friday, August 5. Lou wasn’t there as he had hurt himself the day before. He must be popular as many people were asking about him.

The 40-seat restaurant was relatively empty when we arrived for our 6:30 PM reservation but QUICKLY filled around 7:15 PM. Reservations are required.
Since we had a choice of seats, Jay chose the table for two closest to the kitchen due to the lovely mural. The ceiling is painted with vines – even the smoke detector is disguised! The salt and pepper shakers were also handpainted with a grape leaf motif.

Upon arrival, your wine is taken to be opened and is returned to your table. Hot, crusty bread is brought out with softened butter and a dish of olive oil and vinegar. Before you know it, you are given fried tomatoes which rest atop an olive oil/herb mixture. Yummy!

Service is prompt, but also allows time to digest each course.

Appetizers:
Ken had the fried calamari. It was big enough for four to share. The sauce drizzled on top was sweet and spicy. Jay helped Ken finish. Jay had crab cigarettes which were "paper thin crepes, rolled with JUMBO lump meat with roasted pepper puree dipping sauce." These also came with a sweet spring roll sauce. You wouldn’t believe the size of the crabmeat.

Salads:
Ken had ordered a salad, but asked that it not be sent out since his appetizer was so huge. Jay had the fresh greens with a nice spicy Asian ginger dressing. Everything was fresh.

Entrees:
Ken had the lobster ravioli and jumbo shrimp. Nice size dish; the shrimp were huge and the ravioli melted in your mouth. The sauce was slightly sweet and spicy.

Jay had the pasta special – pasta purses. These were stuffed with gorgonzola cheese (not overpowering) and included large chunks of crab meat and tomatoes. 2-3 people could have gotten full from this entrée! Of course, she couldn’t finish, so she took it home for the next day’s lunch.

• Dress - smart casual.
• Service - excellent.
• Decor – Very nice.
• Portions - excellent.
• Price - Absolutely worth it.
• Reservations - Required.