Bistro SouthEast (Vietnamese) - Philly

Our monthly 3-hour lunch took us to Bistro SouthEast, 1824 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146 (267-758-2838), since Ken wanted to celebrate his birthday there. It was a wonderful experience!

Appetizers:

We ordered two different types of wings. The wings are crunchy deliciousness!

Spicy Curry Wings (fried wings tossed with a blend of curry, Thai basil, lemongrass, Thai chili peppers, and finished off with a drizzle of curry mayo). This is our new favorite! Ken took an order home!

We also enjoyed the Thai Sweet Chili Wings (coated with mild Thai chili sauce).

The ENTREE:

We ordered the Seafood Boil Combo 4 in advance (1 pound of crawfish, 1 pound of shrimp, 1 pound of clams, 2 lobster tails, 4 corn, 4 potatoes, and 4 sausages). We chose the Crasian sauce, which is flavorful, full of garlic, and addictive!

The crawfish was the largest Jay had ever seen!

We enjoyed the seafood so much that there was very little wine drinking going on at the time. So good!

Next, we tried the Lobster Summer Roll (includes purple & white cabbage, carrots, peppers, mint, Thai basil, and vermicelli noodle; rolled up in thin rice paper). Came with peanut sauce and house made hoisin sauce. Very refreshing!

Ken loves the Bahn Mi, so Ken, George, and Karin shared the Lemongrass Pork Belly Banh Mi (served on toasted French baguette with pickled carrots, cucumber, cilantro, spicy mayo, and jalapeño peppers).

Ken took home the Vietnamese BBQ Pork Banh Mi. There was enough meat for 2 sandwiches! Delicious!

Dessert was Fried Bananas, which Ken, who normally doesn't like dessert, enjoyed:

Wines enjoyed:

 2015 Cotes du Rhone (White)

People kept looking at the menu, and walking away. If they only knew how fresh and delicious this food is, they would pack the place!

Pho Barclay

Ken took Jay, who was fighting a cold, to Pho Barclay, Barclay Farms Shopping Center, 65 Barclay Farms Shopping Center, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034 (856-216-8050), for lunch, on Monday, March 6, 2017.

Hot tea was good!

Ken loves the BBQ pork rolls...

He was craving the Pork Banh Mi, which is so flavorful.

Jay ordered the Hot and Sour Seafood Pho, which helped to soothe Jay's throat.

The Black Olive Greek Cuisine

Ken treated Jay to dinner (yes, again!) on Saturday, March 4, 2017, at the Black Olive Greek Cuisine, 910 Haddonfield Berlin Road, Voorhees, NJ 08043 (856-435-5500). We had a wonderful time! Jay was glad that she made an Open Table reservation, because the place was packed! Even so, we only had to wait a few minutes for a table by the window.

Appetizers

Ken loves that the Charcoal Grilled Jumbo Shrimp comes with the shells on to add even more flavor to the dish!

Ken loves the Pork Souvlaki - tender and flavorful!

The Octopus, marinated and charcoal grilled, was tender and addictive!

Entrees (we both ordered Specials)

Fresh salad came with both meals...

Jay ordered the Surf and Turf (lamb and scallops), which came with potatoes and green beans. Excellent!

Ken ordered the Branzino, filleted, and was not disappointed...

Coffee capped off Ken's meal.

Wines enjoyed:

The Little Tuna

Our monthly lunch with Karin and George was held Saturday, February 25, 2017, at The Little Tuna, 141 Kings Highway East, Haddonfield, NJ 08033 (856-795-0888). Since it was unseasonably warm for February (70+!), Haddonfield was quite busy with shoppers, but we didn't need a reservation for lunch.

We had a wonderful time, as usual.

It was nice seeing our server, Kai, again, as he is extremely knowledgeable and pleasant.

Appetizers shared:

BBQ Bacon Wrapped Jumbo Shrimp - HUGE! Tasty sauce...

Flash Fried Calamari, cooked to perfection - so tender...

Indian Rock Oysters (Virginia)

After a short break, we enjoyed more apps:

Shrimp cocktail

More oysters

The cocktail sauce for both was wonderful - so full of fresh horseradish!

Salad came with the lunch entrees; everything was so fresh.

Entrees:

Ken and George & Karin (who shared theirs) enjoyed the Honey Jalapeño Sea Scollops, stuffed with crab meat. Very flavorful and spicy. Came with mashed potatoes and steamed veggies (carrots and broccoli).

Jay was satisfied with the Spinach Salad (candied nuts, crumbled blue choose, granny smith apples, sundried cranberries, tossed in a pomegranate vinaigrette), topped with Rosemary and Ginger Sea Scallops. Tasty and filling.

Wines enjoyed:

Two Fish BYOB

Ten of us met for dinner on Saturday, February 18, 2017, for a 5:30pm seating at Two Fish BYOB, 26 S. Haddon Avenue, Haddonfield, NJ 08033 (856-428-3474). Reservations are highly recommended, as there is only seating for 24 (5:30pm and 8:30pm seatings).

We had a wonderful time!

The bread, although not warm, was quite tasty. A nice spread accompanied it.

Starters

Baby Kale salad with radicchio, feta, walnuts, apple, and black pepper vinaigrette...

Chargrilled Octopus, with garbanzo, morcilla, eggplant, fresno chili, and packed egg vinaigrette...

Carolina Shrimp, grilled with potato, and aioli...

Sicilian Style Calamari, with tomato, black olive, caper, pine nut, raisins and pasting. The calamari was so tender, it was almost like eating pasta!

Crab Cake, romesco with salad

Entrees

Most, including Ken, enjoyed the Red Drum, with saffron gnocchi, beech mushroom, snow peas, and vinaigrette

Mahi Mahi with rye berry pilaf, asparagus, whole grain vinaigrette, and grilled red onion relish...

Flat Iron Steak, with fingerling potato, leeks, cotija cheese, and chermoula...

Jay enjoyed the Spanish Mackerel, with creamy white beans, merged sausage, artichoke, and charred cherry tomato...

Coffee

Desserts

Jewish Apple Cake and Chocolate Mousse

Lemon Bar

Wines enjoyed:

Homemade and Delicious!

Another:

Didn't get pictures of all wines, as we were having too much fun drinking them!

Interesting Lighting

Everyone was satisfied with their meal, and we look forward to our next dining adventure in April.