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.

Tarantella Ristorante (Italian)

Wanting to try a restaurant that our friend, Mary, suggested, we went to Tarantella Ristorante, Route 70 & Hartford Road (Medford Plaza Center), Medford, NJ 08055 (609-714-9050)

While looking over our menus, we were brought the bread basket. Nice warm Italian bread, but also garlic rolls which were outstanding! They melted in your mouth. We wanted more but forgot to ask.

THEN they brought two pieces of tomato pie. It was cold so Ken wasn’t feeling it, but Jay was happy!

We ordered the Antipasto Freddo alla Tarantella which included imported prosciutto, salami, provolone, fresh mozzarella, artichokes, mushrooms, roasted red and yellow peppers and olives.

A huge bowl of salad was also included in the meal, from which we could select fixings to create our own personalized salads. Dressings brought to the table were Creamy Italian, French, and Blue Cheese. Freshly grated parmesan cheese made the salad special.

As an entrée Jay had the Shrimp and Veal Sinatra which was sautéed with white wine, garlic, fresh tomatoes and mushrooms, topped with cheese. Yummy. The veal was tender and the shrimp were huge. She had enough left over for the next day’s lunch.

Ken had the Gamberoni ai Scampi – Jumbo! shrimp breaded and fried, topped with tomato sauce & mozzarella cheese. He enjoyed every last bit of it.

We brought our own wine (La Crema Pinot Noir 2003), although they do sell Valenzano wine.

For dessert, Jay had the Coconut Sorbet which was served in a coconut shell. Nice, light ending to a perfect meal.

The owner was kind enough to send over champagne glasses which contained Sambuca with four coffee beans in each. That made the meal extra special. We will return.

• Dress - Casual
• Service - excellent. Our “staff” of servers were constantly aware of our needs.
• Decor – Grape vines and grapes (not real) hanging from the ceiling in the first room gave a nice feel to the room. There are three different rooms available. Bring the family!
• Portions – Huge.
• Price - Reasonable. Jay was more than happy to pay the bill!
• Reservations – Requested.

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.

Siri's Thai French (Again!)

Siri’s Thai French

We visited Siri’s again on Friday, July 22, in celebration of our friend Mary's birthday. A great time was had by all.

All four of us shared appetizers: Skewers of grilled marinated chicken satay with a Thai peanut sauce, Spinach and pork dumplings served on a bed of roasted bell pepper sauce, Escargot baked in puffed pastry and Vegetable spring rolls with a sweet chili sauce. Everything was done to perfection.

On to the entrees - everyone had specials except for Ken. Everyone had scalloped potatoes, except for Jay, who had rice. The scalloped potatoes were awesome.

Terry: Rack of lamb
Mary: Wild boar
Jay: Half duck
Ken: Filet mignon pan seared in a pinot noir pink peppercorn demi glaze.

For dessert we shared a yummy mango cheesecake, banana tartlet with almond brittle and an apricot tart.

Wines enjoyed: St. Francis ld Vines Zinfandel, Louis Jadot 2001 Pinot Noir Bourgogne and Louis Jadot 2002 Chardonnay.

Everything was delicious. This restaurant has become one of our favorites. We will return.