A Little Cafe (We saw Lou!)

Yesterday, we revisited A Little Cafe, this time with friends and KNOWING Lou would be there. We had the best time!

We arrived for our 8:00 PM reservation and were promptly seated even though only four of us (the reservation was for six people) were in attendance. In addition to Ken and Jay, Mary invited her friend Diana, who invited her friend Giovanni. Mary's husband, Terry, had to work and was meeting us later for dessert.

Fresh warm bread was brought out. On the table were roasted garlic with oil and vinegar for dipping. Soft butter was brought with the bread. Before we knew it, fried tomatoes with a pesto sauce were brought out. These are soooo good!

We enjoyed the following wines: Freemark Abbey 2001 Merlot, St. Francis Claret (66% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Zinfadel), La Crema 2003 Chardonnay and Turning Leaf Pinot Grigio.

Appetizers
Calimari, of course which Ken loves from here; spring rolls which came with soba noodles and cucumber slaw; and escargot, which came with mushrooms and tomatoes in a delicious cream sauce atop crepes.

Entrees:
Jay and Mary each had the pumpkin ravioli which included fresh tomatoes and chunks of crab meat.
Ken had the Italian Chicken. Jay doesn't understand how he knows to pick the most flavorful entree available. It was a huge chicken breast topped with prosciutto, jumbo lump crab meat, red pepper, and fontina cheese laced with pesto cream.
Diana - Sea bass special.
Giovanni - Duck special?? OR Sautéed boneless duck breast flamed with Grand Marnier and topped with dried fruits

Desserts:
Of course, Jay had to have dessert. She had pumpkin cheesecake which was full of flavor and topped with caramel. It was a nice ending to a great evening.

Terry had bread pudding which was piping hot and accompanied by mango sauce and raspberry sauce. It was good also.

We didn't leave until after 10 PM. It was a great experience as Lou let us eat at our own pace and never rushed us. Service was outstanding. We'll be back and bring more friends!

Bacio Italian Cuisine (Italian)

Bacio, 2806 Route 130 North, Cinnaminson, NJ 08077 (856) 303-9100

Since opening on February 6, 2004, we have heard good things about Bacio, so we went with some friends from Philly, Karin and George.

Warm fresh bread (rolls and foccacia) came with three homemade spreads: eggplant which was Jay’s favorite, hot peppers and pickled.

Appetizers – we shared three: Fritto Misto Bacio's fried sampler platter featuring a jumbo shrimp tossed in a spicy chili oil, a stuffed olive, and a homemade mozzarella roulade with prosciutto and sundried tomatoes; Strudel di Robiola e Mandorla - Italian brie crusted with almonds and baked in feuille di brick, served over baby field greens tossed with a strawberry-honey vinaigrette; and, Calamari Fritti - crisply fried calamari with fresh lemon and marinara, served over a salad of baby field greens tossed in a spicy chili vinaigrette.

Entrees
Ken had Scallopini di Maile Pizzaiola, a scallopini of pork tenderloin with tomatoes, roasted peppers, mushrooms and onions, topped with shaved grana padano cheese. Included was a creamy cheese polenta.
Jay had the rock lobster and divers scallops special with capers, tomatoes, garlic and lemon juice over the most light angel hair pasta she has ever tasted. Yummy!
Karin had Gnocchiette e Pancetta, potato gnocchi tossed in a tomato-pecorino cream sauce with pancetta, roasted peppers and zucchini.
George had Scallopini di Vitello a Piacere, scallopini of veal prepared Saltimbocca style, which came with polenta.
Note: Items no longer on the menu can be requested.

For dessert Karin ordered the chocolate gelati and Jay had the mandarin sorbet, both of which had extraordinary flavors.

Wines we brought:
Arancio Italian Chardonnay 2003
Anestis Babat Zimopoulos Chardonnay 2002
Antonio & Elio Monti Pinotto 2001
Dolcetto 2003

Additional note: Tastings can be arranged with Chef Robert, who will provide small dishes catered to your wine selection.

• Dress: Casual.
• Service: Excellent.
• Decor: Beautiful.
• Portions: Generous.
• Price: Moderate.
• Reservations: Recommended.

Emerald Fish (Seafood)

One of our favorite spots, we visited Emerald Fish this evening. We brought along a 2003 Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc/Viognier/Clarksburg blend and a 2002 Kerner Rheinhessen to drink.

Bread is brought to the table. Warm pita was included. Oil and vinegar reside on the table to mix as you please.

Jay ordered from the Specials board:

Shrimp and roasted red pepper bisque was the first course. This was soooo good. Nice-sized pieces of shrimp were placed on top of the soup which, when mixed into the bisque, provided a nice texture. She ordered the small and a bowl was brought out.

Jay then selected the mixed greens special to replace the house salad. Imagine her surprise when a dinner-sized plate was brought out which had the greens with bacon, candied spiced walnuts, herb crusted goat cheese, apple slices with a lovely sweet & sour vinaigrette. She ate the whole thing.

Jay’s entrée was orange roughy baked “en papillote” which was lying atop sliced potatoes, stir fry veggies, and herbs. Lemon and orange slices were placed on top of the fish. It was excellent – light and full of flavor.

For dessert, Jay struggled through a slice of white chocolate pumpkin cheesecake. The cheesecake won and went home for next day’s breakfast.

Ken ordered from the regular menu:

Ken started with lobster pot stickers. He must have enjoyed them because Jay didn’t get a taste…

Next came his Caesar salad, of which he says Emerald Fish makes one of the best.

His entrée was jumbo shrimp with capers, tomatoes, wine and a gorgonzola sauce over angel hair pasta. He has been looking forward to this for months. He was not disappointed. Jay had a taste and it was absolutely heavenly.

• Dress – Smart casual.
• Service - Excellent. Our server, Louise, is very knowledgeable and provides prompt service.
• Decor – Fish abound!
• Portions – Good.
• Price – Moderate.
• Reservations – Requested.