La Campagne (Jay's Birthday)

After much deliberation, La Campagne won for Jay's birthday on Sunday! We were not disappointed.

We requested, and were seated, by the fireplace. It was perfect on such a cold evening.



Our server, Heather, brought focaccia bread with herbed butter, to the table. Even Ken enjoyed the butter.

Both of us had specials as appetizers: Jay had the lobster tourine (pate) with a delicious lemon whipped accompaniment.



Ken enjoyed the smoke duck ravioli and he doesn't normally order duck.



Entrees were equally delicious. Jay enjoyed the venison with homemade pasta. It was just the perfect portion size and quite light.



Ken had the fish du jour - Mediterranean Sea Bass which came with three large shrimp with the heads on - so flavorful.



We finished with the cheese plate for 2 - Purple Haze (NJ sheep), Beemster (like gouda), Gorgonzola, Shepherd's Pillow (Goat), sliced pear, crudites, mustard, fig spread and strawberry spread - so good that Jay wanted more.



We enjoyed a 2005 Acacia Pinot Noir, which Jay doesn't normally like, but this was velvety. We also opened Jay's Christmas gift, Moet & Chandon Nectar Imperial, which is always delicious.

Tarantella Ristorante

In celebration of the New Year, we visited Tarantella Ristorante with our friends Terry and Mary. We had 6 PM reservations and were promptly seated. Everything was fresh and delicious!





Warm bread and bruschetta were brought to the table. Fresh salad - three different salad dressings provided.

Appetizers - mussels in white sauce - huge platter! Fried calamari, perfectly cooked, with a delicious gravy.

Jay had the crab and lobster bisque, thinking it would be a small cup, but it was a huge bowl and very creamy and delicious.

Ken ordered the scallops imperial - he barely finished his plate.



Mary enjoyed the veal oscar and had to take her lefoverss home.



Terry had the osso bucco - although there wer a lot of bones, he couldn't finish his either.



Jay was not very hungry and ordered the antipasto appetizer (prosciutto, salami, provolone, mozzarella, olives) and the fried smelts appetizer - she had to take most of both home!





Dessert was a berry tart - very light and delicious!



We also had complimentary homemade limoncello - it was smooth and lemony.

Wines enjoyed:
2005 Sterling Vintner's Collection Chardonnay
2001 Selvole Sangiovese Toscana



This was a great way to end 2009!

La Campagne (Jay's Favorite!)

In the parking lot to Marcellos' Fresh Catch Bistro, we discovered that La Campagne WAS open and we immediately redirected our vehicle to La Campagne in Cherry Hill. (Urban Spoon [iPhone] was WRONG!)

Our server, Lauren, brought warm foccacio bread with herbed butter. It was great.

Appetizers
Ken had the Crabcake salad - nice-sized crab cake topped with a smoked tomato, over spinach with an aioli sauce. Delicious.



Jay ordered the oyster special - 6-medium sized oysters with delicious sauce and topped with fish eggs. It was heavenly!



Entrees
Ken ordered the Grilled Veal Paillard with eggplant salad and lemon caper sauce. It was very tender and flavorful.



Jay had the fish du jour Provencal - grouper, which was perfectly cooked and deliciously seasoned.



Both entrees came with roasted potatoes and green beans.

Lemon sorbet was brought to the table to cleanse the palate.





We love the cheese platter, so we left room and were not disappointed:
Italian cheese - similar to sharp provolone
Blue cheese
Brie
Gouda
Fig spread
Mustard sauce



Wines enjoyed:

2009 Georges DuBoeuf Beaujulais Nouveau
2008 Kali Hart Chardonnay

We brought these wines originally intending to visit Thai Basil in Collingswood. We were truly satisfied that La Campagne was open!

MaraVillas Grill (Italian) Revisit

As promised, we revisited MaraVillas Grill today and weren't disappointed. The food looked and tasted so good that we forgot to take pictures!

Joe was busy in the front, so Matt was our server. Service was still excellent. We were brought slices of warm bread with a unique dip - oil, parmesan cheese, and other spices. We didn't eat too much because we already knew what we wanted.

As promised on Friday, the seafood risotto special was still on the menu so we started with that. Lots of mussels, shrimp and clams over a deliciously creamy risotto. We devoured it.

We each wanted to try a different brick oven pizza, so Ken had the Loretta Margherita – Marinara, mozzarella, olive oil and basil. Jay had the Sam - sharp provolone, Asiago & goat cheese, chopped plum tomatoes, garlic and basil olive oil. Both were personal sized and most of each was devoured.

We will return often.

We enjoyed a Relax Riesling, which pretty much goes with anything.

MaraVillas (Italian)

We visited MaraVillas Grill in Medford for lunch. It's larger than it looks from the outside, with two large rooms separated by drapery.

Appetizer was Nicholas Bruschetta, six nice-sized pieces of crunchy bread topped with a flavorful bruschetta mixture.



Salads were fresh and the dressings, balsamic vinaigrette and creamy Italian, were delicious and plentiful.

Entrees enjoyed were the Baked Shrimp Oreganato by Ken and the Veal PieZano by Jay.





Our server, Joe, was a true salesman; Jay even took home dessert!

We plan to return on Sunday for the seafood risotto special and to try a brick oven pie.

Wine enjoyed:
2005 Zingari Toscana Red

Marcello's Fresh Catch Bistro (Love this Place!)

Last night (Friday), due to miscommunication, we actually went out to dinner! We chose Marcello's because Ken had a craving for seasfood. We were not disappointed (we never are when we come here).

Our server Tina was prompt and responsive throughout the evening. We love their bread, especially the warm garlic bread.

We ordered the calamari bruschetta and salmon skewers for appetizers. The calamari was a large portion, but we got through. The salmon skewers were lightly seasoned with a lemon marinade. Both were delicious.





The lettuce wedges provide such a refreshing change between the appetizers and the entree.

Ken was very happy with his stuffed flounder, with roasted potatoes and mixed vegetables. The top part was a bit dry, but he still devoured his meal.



Jay had the special - basil pesto pasta. Instead of linguine, she requested angel hair. It was fabulous!



We were so full that Jay had to take most of her pasta home for next day's lunch.

Wines enjoyed:
2004 Tomasello Winery Cabernet Sauvignon
2002 Alsace Riesling Tradition (from Moore Brothers)

Ted's on Main

For a change, we revisited Ted's on Main on Friday, August 14, 2009, thinking it wouldn't be as crowded as on the weekend. We had a wonderful time.

We love coming here and were not disappointed.

Jay had the West Indies lobster fritters, which were 5 nice-sized fritters. She shared two with Ken so as to not be too full for the entree.



Ken had the lobster tail appetizer, which he thoroughly enjoyed.



For her entree, Jay enjoyed the Louisiana Lemonfish, which was hearty and came with shrimp and asparagus spears. Delicious!



Ken selected the Herb Grilled NY strip steak, which was cooked to perfection.



We were full, so we didn't get to enjoy the Bananas Fosters (which Ken loves) this time.

Wines enjoyed:

2008 Relax Riesling
2006 Candelaria Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon