Gass & Main (American BYO)

For May's lunch, Jay and Ken met Karin and George at Gass & Main, 7 Kings Court, Haddonfield, NJ 08033 (973-721-3179), on Friday May 19, 2023. We had a wonderful time. Everything was unique and delicious! Jennifer was such a pleasant and knowledgeable server!

We shared the following:

Brussels Chips - flash fried Brussels leaves, lemon pepper spice. We were all surprised that Ken enjoyed them! (He doesn't normally like Brussels sprouts)

Gnocchi Mac & Cheese - truffle gnocchi, mornay, truffle peelings, lemon herb breadcrumb. Addictive!

Jay and George shared a dozen Oysters from Brigantine. They came with mignonette, creme fraiche, salmon roe, and lemon. They were wonderful.

Ken and George split "The World's Best Hot Dog" - Snake River Wagyu Beef, housemate sweet heat mustard, pickled celery, pickled shallot, split top brioche. They were impressed.

Jay and Karin shared Smoked Salmon BLT - Nova lox, green goddess, shredduce, pickled green tomato, and Nueske bacon on grilled sourdough. The sandwich was filling and yummy! Jay couldn't stop eating everyone's fries!

Ken and George also split the Shrimp Po'Boy - New Orleans style cajun grilled shrimp, shredduce, fried green tomato and comeback sauce. It was heavenly.

Fried Green Tomato Chips - slightly pickled, thinly shaved, & lightly breaded with comeback sauce. Crispy deliciousness.

For dessert, we shared All American Apple Pie - baked in house, apple cinnamon filling, turbinado sugar crusted, vanilla bean ice cream, and a snowfall of hand-made prairie breeze aged cheddar. Perfect ending to the meal.

Wines enjoyed:

We will return! The chefs were amazing!

Bistro Southeast (A Philly Favorite!)

Celebrating Ken’s milestone birthday, Jay & Ken met Karin & George at Bistro Southeast, 1824 South St, Philadelphia, PA 19146-1419 (267-758-2838),  on Saturday, March 18, 2023, for lunch.

Since the pandemic, they have changed to take-out/delivery options only, but Van was so gracious and kind to allow us to dine in for this special occasion.

We arrived to find beautiful roses on the table. We were so happy to return!

We enjoyed two orders of Thai Chili Wings, which are the BEST! Crunchy and flavorful.

We also shared an order of dumplings. So good!

George coordinated in advance with Van for the seafood boil, which was AMAZING!

4 lobster tails, 2 pounds of snow crab legs, 2 pounds of shrimp, 2 pounds of crawfish, plus potatoes, corn, and sausage. We chose the cAsian sauce, which was addictive.

We were wowed! And we finished the whole thing!  

We were treated to Mango sticky rice for dessert. What a feast!

Wines enjoyed:

Vientiane Cafe (Philly Favorite)

Celebrating George's birthday, Jay and Ken met Karin and George for dinner at Vientiane Cafe, 4728 Baltimore Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19143 (215-726-1095). We had a wonderful time! Everything was flavorful, fresh, and delicious. Note: bring cash.

We got many of favorites since our last visit in June 2019 (except the Homemade Beef Jerky, which we JUST missed by one order!).

Sid and other servers were very attentive, even though it was almost a full house!

We shared the following:

Duck Crispy Spring Rolls - Filled with silver noodles, cabbage, shiitake mushrooms, deep-fried until golden. Served with house sauce. 

Vegetarian Naam Salad -Marinated rice with coconut flakes tossed with scallions, cilantro, lime leaves, and chill; topped with crush peanuts served with lettuce to wrap

    We were treated to the som moo (cured pork), which was quite good

This is the one vegetarian dish that Ken doesn't mind eating because the texture reminds him of meat

Jay enjoyed the spicy Tom Yum Soup (she requested the Crispy Tofu) - Kalanga root, kaffir lime, mushrooms, broccoli, carrots and tomatoes in a spicy chili lemongrass broth.

Chicken Satay - Grilled on skewers; served with peanut sauce and cucumber salsa

Angel Shrimp - Wrapped in wonton skin and deep-fried until golden; served with sweet chili sauce

Homemade Laotian Sausages (sam-gawk) - Stuffed with chopped pork, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves; served with steam vegetables along with spicy roasted chili garlic sauce (jeow muk phet) and sticky rice

Ken was still a little hungry, so he and Jay shared the Shrimp Fresh Spring Roll - Soft rice paper with herbs and vermicelli, served with tangy tamarind and sweet chili sauce topped with crushed peanuts

Karen and George finished their meal with Banana Chocolate Spring Roll, served with peach sauce

Wines enjoyed:

Looking forward to our next visit...

June BYOB (French)

Celebrating Jay's and Karin's birthdays, Ken and George treated them to June BYOB, 690 Haddon Avenue, Collingswood, NJ, 08108 (856-240-7041). Reservations are a must! We arrived for our 5:30pm reservation and was surprised to see so many people already there. If you want the Beef Wellington, you should probably go before 6pm. Hours are Wednesday-Saturday: 5pm-9pm; Sunday 4:30pm-8:30pm.

Beautiful atmosphere, attentive service, and delicious food. Request Nalini - the way she describes the food is incredible!

The amuse-bouche was parsnip and truffle soup - heavenly.

Delicious crusty bread - we asked for seconds!

Appetizers

Jay and George thoroughly enjoyed Chef Pierre Calmel's Escargot, with sauce bordelaise, royal trumpet mushrooms, haricot vests, tarragon.

Karin and Ken were impressed with the Crab Ravioli, with celery root, butternut squash, chervil, crab beurre blanc, sturgeon caviar.

Entrees

Ken and George shared the Beef Wellington for two, 12 oz filet, mushroom duxelles, spinach, puff pastry, watercress salad, sauce bordelaise - amazing! The presentation was outstanding!

Karin couldn't quite finish the Boeuf - braised short ribs, pomme puree, roasted carrots, Brussel sprouts, sauce bordelaise. Tender and flavorful.

Jay enjoyed the Lapin au Vin, red wine-braised rabbit leg, pappardelle pasta, lardons, mushroom, carrot, pearl onion, rabbit jus.

Dessert - Meringue with lemon curd and blueberries. Perfect ending to the meal.

Wines enjoyed:

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We plan to return for another special occasion.