Dream Cuisine Cafe (French)

Since Ken is not crazy about French food, he reluctantly went to Dream Cuisine Cafe, 1990 Marlton Pike East (Route 70 - Tuscany Marketplace) in Cherry Hill, NJ, for Jay's birthday on January 3, 2014. Friends Mary and Terry came along for the celebration.

The prix fixe menu is a bargain. For $50, you get the house salad, an appetizer ("small bite"), an entree and dessert. They do not skimp on the portions here.

Even with the snow, we arrived in time for our 6 pm reservation. Since no one else was in the restaurant at that time, we had our choice of seats. We picked a spot near the back away from the door. Excellent choice.

The bread was awesome! Crusty French bread warm from the oven, with olive oil. Yum!

3 of us selected the prix fixe option - Mary, Terry and Jay; Ken went a la carte, since he didn't want a salad or dessert.

Mary and Jay enjoyed toasted brie with their salads. It tasted like grilled cheese - so good! Terry wished he had ordered it for his ($2 upcharge - worth every penny!)

Small bites (appetizers)

Terry and Jay had the French Onion Soup, topped with cave aged Gruyere - flavorful and cheesy. A Dream Cuisine specialty.

Mary enjoyed the Escargot on Toast. Cooked to perfection.

Ken enjoyed the Raclette & Prosciutto Melt - excellent combination. Fontania cheese was used and went well with the prosciutto.

Entrees:

Jay had the Grilled Free Range Lamb Chops, cooked to medium rare, in a Provencal sauce with a black olive Nicoise and capers.

Mary had the Duck Confit & Foie Gras special, served in a port wine Portobello mushroom truffle sauce.

Terry had the Filet of Skate special, served in a lemon caper Provencal sauce. The sauce was wonderful.

Ken had the Dream Surf & Turf with Shrimp, filet cooked medium. He enjoyed the shrimp, but wasn't impressed with the filet.

All entrees came with scalloped potatoes and snow peas.

Dessert:


Mary had the Apple Tarte Tatin, without ice cream. It was so big, she ended up taking some home.

Terry enjoyed the Flourless Chocolate Torte, without ice cream. It looked lonely, but was very chocolatey.

Jay enjoyed the Cheesecake Brulee, with a candle for her birthday! Nice touch!

Wines enjoyed:

Nice ambience

Excellent guitarist, with a wonderful voice - Stephen Crespo. We didn't want to leave...

We will return. Ken is softening up on his feelings towards this wonderful restaurant. Jay enjoyed everything (and she tasted each dish). Yay!

Ginger Asian Cuisines (Becoming a Favorite!)

Before her mom and daughter went back home, Jay and Ken visited Ginger Asian Cuisines, Medford, NJ, on Friday, December 27, 2013. Once again, we were pleased with our meal.

We love the fried noodles with hot mustard and sweet and sour sauce:

Appetizers:


Coconut shrimp with honey wasabi sauce - HUGE shrimp, lightly breaded. Very tasty.

Veggie spring rolls - Mom and Ken enjoyed their spring rolls.

Vietnamese Beef with Grape Leaves -still the BEST ever!

Vietnamese Grilled Shrimp with Sugar Cane - we munched on the sugar cane afterwards. So good!

Chanelle enjoyed the Egg Drop Soup.

Entrees:

Ken had the Korean BBQ beef - he devoured it. Although it was spicy, he kept munching on the hot peppers!

Jay had the Korean Stir Fried Pork in Hot Sizzling Plate - flavorful and delicious!

Chanelle enjoyed the half duck - she made Chinese burritos!

Mom had the Pad Thai. There was so much, she took half home.

Mom enjoyed the tiramisu for dessert:

Refreshing honeydew and fortune cookies:

Wines enjoyed:

We will return. It's very convenient and there's so much more on the menu to try.
The tempura looks tasty and there's Hawaiian chicken, which comes in a half pineapple.

Vientiane Cafe and Vietnam Cafe (2 for 1!) - Not Jersey, but who cares? So GOOOOOD!

In spite of the forecast for snow, Jay and Ken ventured to Philadelphia to lunch with friends, Karin and George. We had a most wonderful time!

We started at Vientiane Cafe for appetizers, which we enjoyed with our white wines.

Duck spring rolls and Vietnamese Naam Salad - so flavorful and addictive!

 

Shrimp spring rolls with two different sauces - yum!

Tom Yum soup with shrimp - spicily delicious!

Beef jerky - yes, we said it! Awesome!

Shrimp skewers - not on the menu. Ask for it. Very tasty.

Sticky rice and mango. Refreshing end to a meal!

We then ventured to Vietnam Cafe, 816 South 47th Street, Philadelphia, PA,  for the rest of our meal, which we enjoyed with our red wines at Karin and George's. What a wonderful way to spend time with friends!

 Charbroiled pork with broken rice. The best that we have tasted! Love broken rice. You must try it!

The crunchiest, spring rolls ever! So tasty!

Grape leaves - very good, but not as good as Ginger's! Sorry Vietnam Cafe.

Wines enjoyed:

Our whites:

Our reds:

No need for dinner. LOL

We will do this again! Looking forward to next month's adventure!

Ginger Asian Cuisines

On the recommendation of Jay's talented hair stylist, Dannielle (owner of Salon Harmony), we visited Ginger Asian Cuisine in Medford, NJ, on Friday, November 22, 2013. We will be back! So many delicious choices! Many Asian Cuisines - Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Korean, and Vietnamese.

We made a reservation for 7 PM. Since we arrived early, we had a short wait, but it was worth it - we got a booth!

Appetizers enjoyed:

We both enjoyed the fried noodles with hot mustard and sweet and sour sauce:

Jay enjoyed the fresh salad that came with her entree:

Vietnamese Mini spring rolls - delicious!

Vietnamese Beef with grape leaves. Ken proclaimed these to be the best he has ever had! So flavorful!

Entrees:

Jay enjoyed the Rock N Roll Lamb (a Ginger's Signature Dish) - prepared perfectly. Leftovers taken home.

Ken devoured the Mongolian pork

Again, the flavors of each dish was outstanding!

Everything came out at a nice pace, giving us an opportunity to enjoy each course with our wine.

This is a gem of a place. You must try! Make reservations on the weekend. There are 3 rooms for private parties.

 Fish in the tank above the tables!

They covered up this beautiful table for dinner service.

All of this food for less than $45! Wow!

They opened in September 2012. How did we miss this?


Wines enjoyed:

2012 Collezione Di Paolo Rosato Di Toscana (rose)

2012 The Huguenot Chenin Blanc