Tarantella Ristorante

Celebrating a friend's birthday, we visited Tarantella Ristorante, 128 Route 70, Medford, on Saturday, October 2, 2021. We had a wonderful time! There were five couples so we took up a lot of space, and the food was plentiful and delicious! We were seated at a long table, so we weren't able to get pictures of all the food, but most of us had enough leftover to take home for another meal.

Homemade wine - very good!

Fresh salad

Scallops, asparagus, ravioli

Warm rolls

Veal alla Francese

Fried mozzarella, zucchini, and calamari

Veal alla Piccata

Bhan Thai (First time back since March 2020)

We visited Bhan Thai, 4330 Dearborn Circle, Mt. Laurel, 08054, on Saturday, September 24, 2021. They are moving to a larger location (in the same shopping area) in November, so it was nice to visit for the first time since March 2020. Everything was delicious, as usual.

Ken enjoyed his Martini Shrimp, his favorite!

Jay enjoyed the Steamed Mussels (the green ones!) which came in a flavorful broth that she took home for next day's lunch (with rice). Five chili spiciness was perfect! 

Entrees

Ken enjoyed the Grilled Jumbo Shrimp, which came with two sauces (cilantro soybean sauce and spicy chili sauce), steamed rice in a banana leaf, and grilled veggies (carrots, squash, green beans). Very tasty.

Jay enjoyed the Grilled Squid, which came with the same as Ken. Enough for 3 meals! Yum!

Wine enjoyed:

Looking forward to dining in their new, larger space.

Ginger Asian Cuisine

We were so happy to return to indoor dining at Ginger Asian Cuisine, 7 Wilkins Station Rd, Medford, NJ 08055 (609-953-7888), on Saturday, July 17, 2021. And they were happy to see us!

We shared the BBQ ribs appetizer, which was even better than ever!

Love the fried noodles, with sweet and sour sauce and spicy mustard. Ken ordered a spring roll with his entree; Jay ordered the hot and sour soup with hers.

Ken ordered the Saigon Bull (cubed filet mignon wok grilled sautéed in lemon grass and special seafood sauce), which is his new favorite:

Jay ordered the Ocean Treasure, which came with 1/2 lobster tail, a lobster claw, clams, shrimp, scallops, white fish, tomatoes, in a delicious broth (Thai Basil white wine sauce). Very filling!:

Everything was delicious!

Sparkling wine enjoyed:

Even the fortune cookies were unique!

Il Villaggio (Birthday Celebrations)

Celebrating three birthdays (Jay, Jay's Mom, and Karin), we visited Il Villaggio, 211 Haddonfield-Berlin Road, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034 (856-795-1778), for lunch on Saturday, January 9, 2021. We had a wonderful time. We were seated near the fireplace and everything was delicious! Erid, our server, was fantastic.

Warm bread was brought to the table, which we devoured...

We shared appetizers:

Fried calamari and Truffle fries

Jay and George each enjoyed an order of the oysters.

Entrees:

Jay - Capellini Granchio (jumbo lump crab meat, basil, garlic, fresh tomato sauce)

Ken - Scallops Risotto (diver scallops, pan seared, over mushroom risotto, truffle essence. He added grilled shrimp to go with his meal

George - Pasta Special of leeks and goat cheese ravioli with Bolognese sauce

Karin - Shrimp Scallops Bianco (sautéed with jumbo shrimp, clasps, white wine sauce over tagliatelle)

Mom - Crab Cake Appetizer (jumbo lump crab meat imperial, over sautéed spinach, and beurre blanc sauce) and a side of Broccoli Rabe

Dessert:

Karin and George shared the cannolis

Jay enjoyed the Marscapone gelato

Mom loved the Chocolate Lava Cake with vanilla gelato

Wines enjoyed:

Magnum of Prosecco

It was nice to get out of the house to celebrate our birthdays!

Allora (Dining In!)

When 2020 arrived, Jay and Ken had high hopes. Dining out, hitting the beaches, etc. Alas, COVID-19 put a dent in ALL of our plans.

So happy that we could dine in at Allora, 892 Route 73 North, Marlton, NJ 08053 (856-596-6882), on Friday, September 11, 2020. With friends Karin and George, and Jay's mom, we enjoyed a leisurely lunch, and we were so happy to get together again. It was great to see Mark! Thanks to Taylor for a wonderful dining experience!

Appetizers shared:

Suppli and Calamari - so excited to see them again that Jay forgot to take photos. The suppli were wonderful and the calamari was cooked to perfection!

Entrees shared:

Crab Cake Salad Special, with apples, goat cheese, and walnuts. Everything was fresh and flavorful.

Shrimp and Crab Meat Fra Diablo - just the right amount of spiciness. Again, very flavorful.

Veal Saltimbocco - tender. Instead of pasta, we selected the risotto, which was creamy and a perfect complement to the veal and spinach. George and Ken shared a portion. Shown is a 1/2 sized portion.

Everything was wonderful. Social distancing guideline were met. We look forward to our next visit.

Wines enjoyed:

Il Villaggio (We’re Back!)

Finally able to dine outside, we visited Il Villaggio, 211 Berlin Road, Cherry, Hill, NJ 08034 (856-795-1778), with friends Karin and George, on Friday, June 19, 2020. So happy to enjoy a 3 hour leisurely lunch again.

Hot, fresh bread was brought to the table, with tomato pesto. So good.

Ken enjoyed the Broccoli Rabe Sausage, sautéed in a roasted garlic olive oil, with grape tomatoes. Jay and George enjoyed 6 Blue Point Oysters each, which were fresh and delicious. Yummy!

Karin enjoyed the cucumber gazpacho, which was perfect for this warm day.

Entrees enjoyed:

Jay focused on the Veal Mare Monte, with jumbo lump crabmeat, spinach, roasted peppers, white wine, in a citrus lemon sauce, with capellini. Very good.

Ken had the Chicken Parmigiana with a side of scallops, which were cooked to perfection.

Karin enjoyed the pasta special - ravioli.

George enjoyed the homemade gnocchi with porcini cream sauce.

We finished our meal with cannolis (Karin and George) and strawberry gelato (Jay).

Wines enjoyed:

We were so happy to be able to get together for lunch again. Dining al fresco was wonderful!