Bahn Thai (A Favorite!)

On Thursday, January 9, 2020, Ken took Jay to Bahn Thai, 4330 Dearborn Circle, Cambridge Crossing Plaza, Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054 (856-234-4202), to celebrate her completion of a special project. We were pleased, as always.

We shared appetizers:

Phu-Ket Wings (sautéed with butter garlic sauce and sweet chili sauce) - flavorful and crunchy!

Larb Gai (spicy ground chicken salad, roasted rice and chili lime dressing)
Jay ate most of this! It was light, spicy deliciousness!

Martini Shrimp (marinated shrimp wrapped with spring roll skin and served with homemade chili sauce)
Ken's favorite!

Ken was a bit full, so he enjoyed the Firecracker shrimp appetizer for his entree.

Jay Pad Ce-Ew with Squid (stir fried flat rice noodles with egg and Asian broccoli) - 4 chili spiciness. She ate the whole thing!

Wines enjoyed:

June BYOB (French) - Philly!

Since Jay loves French food, and always tries to go to a French restaurant for her birthday, Ken agreed to accompany her to June BYOB, 1911 E. Passyunk Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19148, for her birthday on January 3, 2020. We were both impressed by the food and ambience of this intimate  space.

The amuse bouche was wonderful.

The French butter, which came with the bread, was heavenly.

For appetizers, Ken enjoyed the Scallop Vol au Vent (puff pastry, scallops, crab uni beurre blanc, sweet potato) and Jay enjoyed the Duck Chou Farci (cabbage stuffed with duck, chestnuts and black truffle, with creamy polenta and duck jus). Yum!

Entrees were wonderful...

Ken was quite impressed with the Beef Bourguignon (braised short rib, lardons, carrots, mushrooms, pearl onions, pappardelle). He even devoured the mushrooms!

Jay loved the Lobster Bouillabaisse (half a lobster, PEI mussels, rouget fillet, potatoes, leeks, fennel, pearl couches, lobster saffron sauce, rouille). 

The charred bread with aioli was the perfect accompaniment.

Although full, once Ken saw the Apple Tarte Tatin (caramelized apples, puff pastry, Tullamore D.E.W. with toffee ice cream) on the menu, he had to have it. Jay was surprised with toffee ice cream as well (did they read her mind?), which was so good!

We plan to return. This was the perfect birthday dinner!

Wines enjoyed:

Little Fish BYOB (Philly)

For the first night of our "Philly Tourist" weekend, Jay and Ken met Karin and George at Little Fish, 6th and Fitzwater Streets, Philadelphia (267-455-0172), on Friday, December 6, 2019, for a wonderful dinner. Our reservations were for 5:30pm. We arrived early and were promptly seated.

Oysters

Of course, Jay and George both wanted oysters. George ordered 3 West Coast; Jay ordered 2 East Coast/2 West Coast. Barnstabe (MA) came with shallots and sherry vinegar; Royal Miyagi (WA) came with lime, cucumber, and white soy. Both were fresh and delicious!

First Course

The Octopus came with lotus root, celery, cilantro, peanuts and chili. Just the right amount of heat and it was cooked to perfection! Wow!

The Scallops came with brussel sprouts, herb, peanuts, and lime. Sweet pillows of heaven!

Second Course

Karin and George split the Halibut; Jay enjoyed her own. With yukon, kale, shellfish cream, this was perfectly cooked.

Ken enjoyed the bronzino, with eggplant, caper, leek, pine nuts and sherry.

We were treated to olive oil cake and cinnamon ice cream. A wonderful ending to a delicious meal.

Wines enjoyed:

It was a unique experience in that we could see our food being cooked. The aromas from the open kitchen made us appreciate our meal even more.

Bhan Thai (Again!)

We enjoyed dinner at Bhan Thai, 4330 Dearborn Circle (Cambridge Crossing Plaza), Mt. Laurel, 08054 (856-234-4202) on Thursday, November 21, 2019. We were able to get a window seat!

We shared appetizers:

Martini Shrimp - Ken's favorite! Surprised that he didn't get another one for "dessert."

Phu ket wings - delicious!

Ken enjoyed 2 orders of the Spicy Chiangmai Sausage, which were quite spicy.

Jay couldn't finish the Tropical Duck Curry, crispy half boneless duck in red curry with pineapple, onions, bell peppers, green peas, tomatoes, and basil. She ordered the 4 chilis spiciness level, which didn't seem very spicy, but it was very flavorful and the duck was cooked to perfection.

Wine enjoyed:

Mare Monte Ristorante Italiano

Jay and Ken's monthly lunch with Karin and George brought us to Mare Monte, 1 Kings Highway East, Haddonfield, NJ 08033 (856-528-2712), for a lovely 3+ hour lunch, on Saturday, November 9, 2019. We ordered off of the dinner menu, since this was the third visit for Karin and George, and we relied on their suggestions.

Izzy was awesome and accommodated our dining needs! If you want your meal to come at a slower pace, just ask! Try it for yourself - you have your own opinion and are entitled to it!
The bread came out HOT and crusty. Yum!

We shared appetizers and entrees:

Fried Calamari, which was cooked to perfection, served with a warm marinara sauce.

Sausage and Broccoli Rabe: the sausage was a little salty for those of use with high blood pressure issues, but still very flavorful. We love the bitterness of the broccoli rabe.

The Caesar Salad  (Romaine hearts, served with Grana Padano cheese and croutons), was perfectly dressed with a homemade dressing. A nice refreshing way to break up the meal.

Four cheese Gnocchi. Delicious ricotta gnocchi.

Mushroom Ravioli, stuffed with wild mushrooms, fontina cheese, cream sauce, and topped with tomato bruschetta.  Since we were sharing, it arrived on four plates, which was greatly appreciated. The ravioli was light and delicate and the mushroom sauce was addictive!

Beef Ragout with Homemade Pappardelle. Again, served on separate plates. The homemade pasta was light and wonderful!

Karin enjoyed the espresso and Ken enjoyed his coffee...

Dessert

Lemon Tart - Ken was not impressed. There was not much lemon flavor. But the Honey Panacotta was fantastic!

The complimentary Vanilla Chai Cello was very good!

The Chef/Owner stopped by our table. Please visit!

Took a snap of the owners/servers. Hope they were OK with that.

Wines enjoyed:

2016

2017

The decor was nice and the restrooms were clean.

We plan to return, as there are other dishes we wish to try. It's extremely close to the Haddonfield Patco station!