Vientiane Cafe (Laotian-Thai Cuisine)

Wow! Finally got to try the restaurant that serves the yummy Naam salad that Jay devours and Ken doesn't get to try! It's not Jersey, but worth the trip!

We met our friends, Karin and George, and walked to Vientiane Cafe, 4728 Baltimore Avenue, Philadelphia, PA, 19143. What a nice walk to a fantastic restaurant!

Be warned - cash only - but the prices are very reasonable!

So excited that Jay neglected to get photos of the first two appetizers:

Shrimp spring rolls - soft rice paper with herbs & vermicelli with sweet peanut sauce
     Very fresh and delicious!

Duck spring rolls - deep-fried until golden, served with House sauce

We feasted on appetizers and were extremely happy when we left:

Vegetarian Naam Salad - marinated rice with coconut flakes then tossed with mint, scallions, lime juice, lime leaves and crushed peanuts; served with lettuce to wrap. Cannot begin to describe how good this is!

Shrimp skewers served with 2 sauces.

Home-made beef jerky - marinated pieces of beef with steamed vegetables, served with chili paste. Who knew beef jerky could taste so special?

We all shared Banana-Chocolate Spring Rolls with mango sauce - a perfectly light, flavorful ending to a wonderful meal!

Wines enjoyed:

2011 Pionero Mundi Colleita Albarino

There was a 3rd wine, but Jay neglected to take a picture. She's slipping. LOL

We must return to try more appetizers and entrees!

Kunkel's Seafood and Steakhouse

We were so impressed with our anniversary dinner, that we took the moms to Kunkel's in Haddon Heights for Mother's Day dinner on Saturday, May 11, 2013. We were not disappointed.

There were 8 of us and we arrived a bit early for our 6 PM reservation and were promptly seated.

Our server, Chris, promptly introduced himself and gave us time to peruse the menu.

Warm, fresh bread was brought to the table; oil and vinegar was already set out.

Appetizers enjoyed:

Jay - Oysters ( Connecticut-left; Chesapeake-right)

Ken - Bacon wrapped scallops; Bert and Mom Geri shared the scallops

Mom Lou - Fried calamari

Maurice - BBQ short ribs potato skins

Roscoe and Mike decided not to have an appetizer...

Each entree came with a house salad; Jay chose warm poppy dressing

Entrees:


Jay - Buffalo salmon special, with roasted potatoes and spinach

Ken - Rib eye, medium with a lobster tail (surf and turf)

Mom Lou - Tilapia with mashed sweet potatoes

Bert - Crab stuffed shrimp over succotash

Mom Geri - Crab cakes

Roscoe - Crab with pasta

Mike - New York strip (well done), with crab cake

Maurice - NY strip (medium), with mashed potatoes and an onion ring

Chris made sure everyone's steak was to their liking before leaving...

We were too full for dessert. A good time was had by all. We weren't rushed, even though the restaurant was full.

Wines enjoyed:

Bhan Thai (Yes, Again!)

Thursday, April 25, 2013, we were trying to decide where to eat because Jay didn't want to cook. We went back to Bhan Thai in Mount Laurel without a reservation and were able to get a seat by the window!

Love this place!

Appetizers enjoyed:

Jay enjoyed the chicken curry puffs. Note to self - don't order pastry-type appetizers - they are normally not warm inside. Had to send back and they heated up in microwave so they were no longer crispy. Good flavor though.

Of course, Ken had the martini shrimp. It goes without saying...

We shared the chicken satay. Ken loved the cucumber sauce; Jay ate the peanut sauce by itself, it was so good!

Entrees:

Ken ordered the jumbo garlic shrimp. Huge shrimp and just the right portion size.

Jay had the tilapia masaman curry. Many fried tilapia pieces. 3 chili hot. Very flavorful. She was able to finish, but it took some time...

Wines enjoyed:

Jay's favorite Zinfandel!

Ken's favorite Chardonnay!

So glad it's close to home!

Pho Xinh (Vietnamese) [Marlton Location]

Must pay close attention - the Marlton location is the place to go! Marlton Crossing Plaza, 101 S. Route 73, Marlton, NJ 08053, (856) 988-1666

Since we were wine shopping at Wineworks, we decided to find the Marlton location of Pho Xinh, since we weren't too happy with the Centerton Square location the last time that we went.

We were happy to see a familiar face! Unfortunately, we were the only ones dining during the time we were there. What's wrong with people? Go and try this location. You won't be disappointed!

Ken was tired from having to attend a meeting for work on his day off and Jay was a bit pooped from shopping, so we only ordered appetizers, but they were worth it! Yum!

Sweet Onion Beef Wrap - tender slices of marinated steak wrapped around a sweet onion and topped with crushed peanut accompanied with house carrot sauce.

Grape Leaves Wrap - grilled ground beef on grape leaves, served over romaine lettuce, basil, cucumber, and vermicelli. Ask for the rice paper.

Salt Pepper Shrimp - Battered flash fried shrimp seasoned and wok fried in fresh garlic butter, onions and bell peppers, served over a bed of iceberg lettuce, tomato and cucumber. Wow!

Of course, we had to order the Crispy Spring Rolls (2), which we struggled to finish, since we were so full.

Everything was sooooo good and flavorful!

Twice as large as the Mount Laurel location, so think of this place for not only everyday dining, but also for special events.

Wine enjoyed:

Mirko's A Taste of Europe (Western European)

On Saturday, April 6, 2013, we arrived at Mirko's in time for our 7:30-7:45 reservation, which was made just an hour earlier. It was such a treat to be able to secure reservations at this busy restaurant on such short notice.

This time, we brought our friends, Mary and Terry, since we hadn't seen them in a while.

Asha was our server! She has such a pleasant personality and we always enjoy good conversations with her. It was Germany week, so we were excited about the offerings.

Appetizers enjoyed:

Smoked fish special

Antipasto for two!

Warm rolls (which the men devoured) and pickled veggies (cucumbers and celery) were brought with the appetizers. Delicious!

Entrees:

Terry enjoyed the assorted sausages special with Mirko's potato salad and sauerkraut. Jay told Ken that the potato salad was close to his mom's. He was impressed.

Mary had the duck special, which she couldn't finish, because the appetizers were so good.

Jay enjoyed the pork belly marinated in beer, with spaetzle and green beans and carrots. Half went home for the next day's lunch. Ken and Terry couldn't get over how good pork belly was, which Jay knew all along...

Ken had the cannelloni, which he has been craving for months. He kept mentioning how fresh the seafood was!

Dessert

Mary and Terry shared the rhubarb bread pudding with vanilla sauce special.

Jay had the lemon torte, and even Ken, who normally doesn't like dessert, couldn't stop tasting it. It was yummy and had a wonderful lemon flavor.

Wines enjoyed:

Everyone will return. We couldn't stop talking about how good the meal was.

Mirko even stopped by the table a few times. Such a nice person. We wish him well!

This is becoming one of our top 5 restaurants. If it were closer, we would visit more often!