Siri's Thai (French Thai)

In celebration of Ken's birthday on Thursday, we went to Siri's Thai on Sunday. We had a wonderful time.

Appetizers:

Jay - Escargot baked in puff pastry with duxelle mushroom with champagne beurre blanc.

Ken - Chicken satay with peanut sauce; shrimp won tons, cooked to perfection.

Since this wasn't quite enough, he also ordered the shrimp wontons.

Entrees:

Jay - Tried the special - roasted sesame encrusted rack of lamb with organic mushrooms in a madiera wine au jus. Scalloped potato cake and asparagus came with the meal. Jay devoured everything; it was tasty.

Ken - Seafood medley, which came with rock lobster tail, shrimp, diver sea scallops and atlantic salmon over pasta. He wasn't crazy about the sauce, but the wine went well with the meal.

Wines enjoyed:
2007 Juan Gil Jumilla Red Wine (Spanish) - Thanks Karin & George
2007 Louis Jadet Pinot Noir Bourgogne

We wondered why we didn't dine here more often. We will return as prices were reasonable and the food was delicious!

Pho Xinh (Vietnamese)

In the midst of the storm yesterday, we ventured to Pho Xinh again (this WILL be a regular occurrence) and had a delicious time.

We ordered Cha Gio (spring rolls) and Thit Nuong Cuon (BBQ pork rolls). Ken thought the pork rolls were the most flavorful of the summer rolls.

Ken had the Com Tam Thit Nuong Bi (broken rice with charbroiled pork and shredded pork). He wasn't crazy about the shredded pork because it was cold, but Jay loved the flavor.

Jay had Bun Bo Nuong Xa (charbroiled beef with lemon grass on rice vermiceli). It was filling and delicious.

We enjoyed the spring rolls so much that we had another order before we left!

No wine this time, but Jay had a mango shake, which was very refreshing.

Elements (repost April 26, 2008)

We visited Elements Café on Saturday, April 26, 2008, with our friends Mary and Terry.

Since the dinner tasting menu was very descriptive, our server allowed Jay to write on, and take, the menu.

Warm, crusty bread was brought out first, along with soft butter.

Starters
Pita bread and crostini accompanied the three starters that we selected: herb marinated olives, roasted garlic hummus and tomato bruschetta. Everything was fresh and delicious.

First Course
Mary ordered the crispy ravioli du jour, Ken had the spicy grilled shrimp w/tomatillo & feta cheese salsa, Terry had the crispy Asian vegetable dumplings w/sweet chili dipping sauce and Jay had the petite crab ball w/arugala salad & red wine vinaigrette (actually three nice-sized balls). Although Mary wasn’t thrilled with her ravioli, everything else was tasty.

Second Course
Mary, Jay and Terry ordered the soup sampler which contained grilled chicken & vegetable soup, shellfish bisque (a bit salty) and the soup du jour – black bean w/salsa fresco. By putting the shellfish bisque into the black bean, Mary and Jay were able to finish.

Third Course
Ken & Terry enjoyed the heart of romaine w/black pepper parmesan dressing & roasted garlic crustini; Jay had panzanella – warm Italian bread salad topped with asiago cheese & reduced balsamic vinegar; Mary devoured the endive salad w/roasted beets, toasted walnuts & blue cheese vinaigrette.

Main Course
Mary – sautéed asparagus, tomato & potato gnocchi with herb butter sauce
Ken & Mary – pan roasted scallops w/apple smoked bacon, granny smith apples & watercross salad
Jay & Terry – grilled rack of lamp chop w/potato puree & romesco sauce
Terry – venison special
Ken – Suzuki special (Japanese fish)

Dessert
Mary – Flourless chocolate torte w/vanilla ice cream & crème anglaise
Jay – Mint chocolate chip sundae with chocolate sauce
Terry – Bread pudding w/crème anglaise

Wines Enjoyed:
2006 Kali Kart Chardonnay
Chestnut Hill Winery Merlot (not the best)
Assorted red & white leftover from other tables

Pho Xinh (Vietnamese)

After Jay's colleague, Paula, mentioned this restaurant at work today, Jay visited Pho Xinh (Centerton Square, Mount Laurel), intending to get a menu and maybe take out. After glancing at the decor, and the wonderful smells emanating from the kitchen, she called Ken to meet her at the restaurant, if he was so inclined. He was, and it was such an enjoyable experience.

While waiting for Ken, hot tea was brought to the table. It was very soothing.

This storefront restaurant had tables lined on either side, but don't that fool you. The food was very good. Almost as good as Little Saigon in Upper Darby used to be.

Appetizers shared:
Cha Gio (spring roll)



Goi Cuon (summer rolls with shrimp)



Bi Cuon (shredded pork rolls)



The Goi Cuon and Bi Cuon came with peanut sauce.
Everything was delicious!

We were given Pho Tom (shrimp) by mistake, but we enjoyed it anyway and Ken doesn't really like soup. It was very flavorful. It was on the house, but Jay offered to pay anyway.

By this time, even though we were getting full, we ordered entrees:
Jay - Mi Xao Don Thap Cam (deluxe crispy egg noodles topped with sauteed fish balls, shrimp, squid, chicken and mixed vegetables) - had to take half of it home.



Ken - Com Tam Thit Nuong (broken rice with charbroiled pork).



Ken ordered another order of shredded pork rolls by mistake, but loved the fish sauce that came with it. He ordered spring rolls to go.

Wine enjoyed:
2005 Marmesa Vineyards Chardonnay

We'll be back - much more to try. For under $40, we were quite satisfied.

Marcello's Fresh Catch Bistro

On Saturday, February 20, we craved seafood and revisited Marcello's Fresh Catch Bistro. This is our favorite restaurant for seafood. It was packed, but we were promptly seated, although we arrived about 15 minutes early for our reservation.

After an initial medical emergency concerning another customer of the restaurant, our server came to the table. She was a bit flustered because, although she opened our wine, she neglected to bring glasses. We had already received menus from the hostess and thought the single sheet contained the specials. We later found out that our server forgot to mention the specials (Jay loves specials!)

We still had an enjoyable evening, with delicious food and pleasant company.

In addition to the bread basket, we also received servings of warm garlic bread - delicious!

Appetizers:
Jay - crab fingers; 12 crab claws sauteed in garlic and oil. Very meaty and well seasoned.
Ken - shrimp kisses - with mozzarella and proscuitto. Also, well seasoned.

Entrees:
Jay - Amy's seafood Newburg with shrimp, crabmeat and scallops. Much better, and fresher tasting, than Barnacle Ben's (which we later found out had closed).
Ken - surf & turf with garlic mashed potatoes. The steak was perfectly cooked to the "medium" that Ken loves.

Wines enjoyed:
2008 Salamander Chardonnay (From MyWinesDirect.com)
2008 Vins Las Tizas Malbec/Mendoza (From MyWinesDirect.com)

Before leaving, we asked the gentleman at the next table what he had ordered, because it smelled so good. He ordered the shrimp scampi over pasta. We may order next time we go.

This restaurant never disappoints!

Dream Cuisine Cafe

We visited Dream Cuisine Cafe tonight, since Jay had a birthday certificate, and we had a great time!

We ordered from the prix-fixe menu, which was quite extensive - the only restriction was the salad: house salad, soup OR small bite, entree and dessert.

Jay ordered the house salad, pig crepinettes (pig's feet - yummy), whole Pennsylvania trout and chocolate tart for dessert (take home).







Ken ordered the house salad, grilled jumbo shrimp over rattatouiellle, Dream Cuisine surf and turf scallops and the apple tarte for dessert (take home).



After suggesting that they offer a cheese tray, Beth offered the following cheeses complimentary: boursin, goat cheese, gorgonzola (the creamiest ever!) and brie. They were a wonderful end to a nice evening.

Wines enjoyed:
2004 Marigny-Neuf Sauvignon (from Moore Brothers)


2005 Jean-Luc Columbo Les Abeilles Cotes du Rhone


We will definitely return and request a cheese platter. They may want to add crudites and fruit, as La Campagne does.

Monsoon (Indian)

After yesterday's disappointing meal, Jay had a hankering for some Indian food, so we visited Monsoon and had an enjoyable evening. Jay was hungry after work, so we went to Monsoon a bit early, arriving about 5:45 PM. We were promptly seated with no reservations.

Appetizers - Tandoor wings, which we'd had before, as takeout. We weren't disappointed. The wing pieces were huge and tasty.

We each ordered our own naan. Ken ordered the Lasooni Naan - with lots of garlic. Jay loves the Keema Naan - stuffed with minced lamb. Delicious and hot.

Entrees:
Jay ordered the Lamb Vindaloo, which was spicy and hot, but tolerable. She struggled, but finished the whole thing. Ken ordered the Kadai Shrimp, which he enjoyed. He couldn't finish and had to leave some on his place.

Wine enjoyed:
We finished the 2007 Ravens Wood Zinfandel from last night.

Even though we've ordered the takeout a few times, and Jay has been twice for the buffet lunch, dinner was a wonderful surprise. Ken's already talking about friends we can invite...