Centanni Trattoria (Italian)

The celebration of the birthdays of Jay and Karin continued on Saturday, January 18, 2020, at Centanni Trattoria, 563 Haddon Avenue, Collingswood, NJ 08108 (856-858-6666). We enjoyed a wonderful lunch even with the snow! Sam is one of the best servers around - knowledgeable and personable!

The bread was warm, crusty and addictive!

We shared dishes...

Bruschetta - crostini bread topped with marinated tomatoes, with shaved parmesan and balsamic glaze.

Arancini - very light, stuffed with rice and meat, with a flavorful sauce.

Gnocchi - we selected the lobster sauce. Delicious!

Ken and George shared the Veal Saltimbocca - sautéed veal medallions, sage, scallions, topped with prosciutto di parma and mozzarella with a white wine sauce. One of their favorites!

Jay and Karin shared a personal size pizza with lobster and arugula. Crispy crust and lots of lobster. Wonderful!

Chef Giancarlo is very talented!

Looking forward to our next visit!

Wines enjoyed:

Bahn Thai (A Favorite!)

On Thursday, January 9, 2020, Ken took Jay to Bahn Thai, 4330 Dearborn Circle, Cambridge Crossing Plaza, Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054 (856-234-4202), to celebrate her completion of a special project. We were pleased, as always.

We shared appetizers:

Phu-Ket Wings (sautéed with butter garlic sauce and sweet chili sauce) - flavorful and crunchy!

Larb Gai (spicy ground chicken salad, roasted rice and chili lime dressing)
Jay ate most of this! It was light, spicy deliciousness!

Martini Shrimp (marinated shrimp wrapped with spring roll skin and served with homemade chili sauce)
Ken's favorite!

Ken was a bit full, so he enjoyed the Firecracker shrimp appetizer for his entree.

Jay Pad Ce-Ew with Squid (stir fried flat rice noodles with egg and Asian broccoli) - 4 chili spiciness. She ate the whole thing!

Wines enjoyed:

June BYOB (French) - Philly!

Since Jay loves French food, and always tries to go to a French restaurant for her birthday, Ken agreed to accompany her to June BYOB, 1911 E. Passyunk Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19148, for her birthday on January 3, 2020. We were both impressed by the food and ambience of this intimate  space.

The amuse bouche was wonderful.

The French butter, which came with the bread, was heavenly.

For appetizers, Ken enjoyed the Scallop Vol au Vent (puff pastry, scallops, crab uni beurre blanc, sweet potato) and Jay enjoyed the Duck Chou Farci (cabbage stuffed with duck, chestnuts and black truffle, with creamy polenta and duck jus). Yum!

Entrees were wonderful...

Ken was quite impressed with the Beef Bourguignon (braised short rib, lardons, carrots, mushrooms, pearl onions, pappardelle). He even devoured the mushrooms!

Jay loved the Lobster Bouillabaisse (half a lobster, PEI mussels, rouget fillet, potatoes, leeks, fennel, pearl couches, lobster saffron sauce, rouille). 

The charred bread with aioli was the perfect accompaniment.

Although full, once Ken saw the Apple Tarte Tatin (caramelized apples, puff pastry, Tullamore D.E.W. with toffee ice cream) on the menu, he had to have it. Jay was surprised with toffee ice cream as well (did they read her mind?), which was so good!

We plan to return. This was the perfect birthday dinner!

Wines enjoyed: