Vientiane Cafe (Not New Jersey, but it's my blog!)

You should definitely visit Vientiane Cafe, at 4728 Baltimore Avenue, Philadelphia, PA, for Laotian-Thai cuisine! Where else can 4 people eat for $60 and be pleasantly satisfied?

We met friends Karin and George and walked to the restaurant for the best meal we have had in a while! It was a relaxing 3 hours of just trying different dishes. No disappointments!

The Urbanspoon menu cannot begin to describe how delicious everything is!

Duck spring rolls - delicious!

Shrimp/tofu summer rolls. The guys enjoyed the shrimp summer rolls. So fresh! The sauces were a good complement.

Naam salad - Jay's favorite!

Ken has been looking  forward to the Beef Jerky for weeks! We had two orders. It's so unique, it can't be described. The sauce even went well with the veggies.

Sticky wings - crunchy and full of flavor!

Pork dumplings, light and flavorful.

Banana, chocolate spring rolls - a perfect ending to the meal!

Wines enjoyed:

 2012

 2012

The Little Tuna (Seafood)

For Father's Day, Ken selected The Little Tuna, 141 Kings Hwy E, Haddonfield, NJ, for dinner. Excellent choice! We arrived a few minutes early, and were offered our choice of tables.

Our server, Joe, was very good. Bread came right from the oven, and we immediately devoured it all.

 



Appetizers:

Jay ordered the Creole Crab Minis. The crab cakes were delicious, but the lobster crème sauce was too salty, so she focused on the crab cakes, which had very little filler.

Ken enjoyed the Bleu Steak & Bacon Bites, which were quite tasty.

Entrees:

Jay enjoyed the Catfish Special, which was topped with lump crab meat and three cheeses. The mashed sweet potatoes could have gone in a pie, they were so good. Broccoli and carrots were nicely done as well.

Ken ordered the Rainbow Trout special, which was stuffed with lump crab meat and spinach. Along with his vegetables, he ordered the rice. Another hit!

 

We were too full for dessert, but took home a slice of the bananas foster bread pudding for later.



 

Wines enjoyed:

 

Il Villaggio (Italian)

We never take the mothers out ON Mother's Day, so we we all agreed to Saturday, June 7, 2014. Il Villaggio was the selection. No disappointments. We arrived for our 6:30 reservation and, after a brief wait, were seated.

Our server, Nick, was outstanding and attentive. We will request him again.

Everything was delicious!

Bread / ricotta cheese and red pepper spread

Appetizers:

Mom Lou enjoyed the crab cocktail. Nice sized lump crabmeat with a delicious homemade mustard sauce.

Bert and Mom Geri shared the crab/cod cake special, with red and yellow beets. They enjoyed them.

 Roscoe had the clams with the red sauce. He enjoyed them, but is not used to the little neck size.

Ken (and Jay) were impressed with the grilled calamari. A wonderful smoky taste and grilled to perfection.

Jay enjoyed the Burrato cheese and tomato appetizer. Very refreshing!

Mike (and Berlinda) were happy with the Classic Caesar salad...

Entrees:

Mom Geri enjoyed the scallops in the Scallops Risotto. Jay and Ken took the mushroom risotto home. So flavorful.

Berlinda and Roscoe ordered the filet mignon, which came with vegetables and a mashed potato ball.

Bert couldn't finish the tasty Shrimp and Scallop Bianco, served over homemade tigliatelle.

Ken specially requested veal parmigiana, which is not on the menu. He was pleased.

Jay and Mom Lou enjoyed the halibut special, which was wrapped in prosciutto, with cannelloni beans and asparagus. Delicious!

Mike's Veal Mare Monte looked delicious. He enjoyed every bite.

Desserts:

Although many were full, a few tried the yummy desserts:

Jay enjoyed the pistachio gelato.

Mike and Berlinda shared the chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream.

Roscoe had the creme brulee cheesecake, but he wasn't impressed. It wasn't as creamy as he thought it should be.

Mom Lou enjoyed the berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries) with gelato.

Wines enjoyed:

Plus Spring Wine (Chadds Ford Winery) and Sutter Home White Zinfandel.

We will return. So many dishes to try; not enough time!

Ginger Asian Cuisines (OK, OK, OK)

Arriving a bit early for our 7 PM reservation, we were warmly greeted by Lisa at Ginger Asian Cuisines, 7-100 Wilkins Station Road, Medford, on Sunday, June 1, 2014. A booth was waiting for us. Yay!

We love the fried noodles, with hot mustard and sweet sauce.

Dannon greeted us, and Mark (our server), as well. Everyone is so friendly.

It's been a few weeks since we've visited and everyone missed us.

Appetizers:

Ken had the Vietnamese Grape Leaves (of course!)

Jay tried the soft shell crab tempura. Beautiful presentation. It was good, and came with lots of veggies (onion, red pepper, green bean, and more), which she tried, but she realizes she still doesn't like tempura.

Entrees:

We both ordered the vegetable spring roll to go with our meal...

Hot and tasty!

Ken enjoyed the BBQ Beef Signature Dish. Eyes too big for his stomach, he couldn't finish. Lunch tomorrow!

Jay enjoyed the Triple Crown, which came with chicken, shrimp, and scallops. The scallops were a bit chewy, but still flavorful. Since she ordered spicy, lots of hot peppers were included. The tempura filled her stomach, so she took a lot home. Dinner tomorrow!

We always select the House Special Fried Rice (in place of white or brown rice), which is very flavorful...

Of course the refreshing cantaloupe went home as well.

Still a favorite!

Wines enjoyed:

The Chardonnay was very refreshing. Ken noted it was more like a Sauvignon Blanc.