Corey's Crafty Vietnamese Cuisine (Philly)

Our monthly lunch with Karin and George brought Jay and Ken back to Corey's Crafty Vietnamese Cuisine, 1314 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147 (267-703-2299), which is becoming a favorite. Friday, August 15, 2025, we celebrated the anniversary of Karin and George, which we didn't get to do last month. We had a delicious lunch!

We arrived a bit early for our reservation but were seated in a timely manner.

We shared the following:

Golden Bags - stuffed with shrimp and colossal crab, with a sweet chili sauce

Pork and Shrimp Dumplings - pan fried, with ginger-scallion sauce

Summer roll with pork and shrimp, with Hoisin infused peanut sauce

Crispy Curry Chicken Dumplings, with garlic-soy glaze

Vietnamese Style Fried Rice with Seafood - shrimp, calamari, and mussels

It was so good, we then tried the Vietnamese Style Fried Rice with BBQ Pork - WOW!

We ended our meal with BBQ Pork Bahn Mi

Excellent! Everything was fresh and full of flavor!

It was nice speaking with Corey and meeting his wife. Rob was pleasant as well.

Wines enjoyed:

You can't go wrong with anything here. We plan to return in October for some special dishes. We also want to try the Vietnamese style fried rice with grilled BBQ chicken. Looking forward to our next visit!

Please support these wonderful people!

Allora (Italian) - New Location

One of our favorites, Jay and Ken met Karin and George at Allora, 42 East Main Street, Marlton, NJ 08053-1228 (856-596-6882), for lunch on Friday, June 20, 2025. We had a wonderful time! Laura was the best even though she had to cover an event as well as the regular dining area. Wow!

Bread was so good, we asked for more!

Appetizers shared:

Sicilian Arancini - crispy rice balls with meat, cheese, peas, and tomato sauce

Fried Calamari served with a side of marinara sauce

Crispy Artichokes with lemon, olive oil, and parmesan cheese. Not as crispy as we thought they would be.

Short Rib Fries with melted cheddar, braising jus. Outstanding. More like a meal than an app. Be ready to share.

Pizza

"Our" Margherita brick oven pizza with San Marzano tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and house made basil pesto. Yum.

Dessert

Jay was too full for dessert, but the others shared a lemon cake, which they loved.

Wines enjoyed:

Looking forward to trying more dishes! It was nice speaking with Mark. We wish him the best!

Bhan Thai (A favorite!)

We hadn't been in a while, so Jay and Ken enjoyed an early dinner at Bhan Thai, 4330 Dearborn Circle, Cambridge Crossing Plaza, Mount Laurel, NJ 08054 (856-234-4202) on Monday, June 2, 2025. Everything was delicious!

Appetizers:

Ken loves the Martini Shrimp!

Jay enjoyed the Chicken Curry Puffs - 4 to an order. So good!

Since Jay's appetizer was filling, she went with the Steamed Mussels appetizer as her entree (3 spicy chilis heat) - with Thai herbs, garlic, fresh chili and lime sauce. She used the sticky rice from Ken's entree and was quite satisfied.

Ken thoroughly enjoyed the Crying Tiger Chef's Special - grilled marinated skirt steak and veggies served with sticky rice and spicy dipping sauces.

Wine enjoyed:

Sophie's Kitchen (Philly)

Our monthly lunch with Karin and George brought us back to Sophie's Kitchen, 500 Washington Avenue, Philadelphia PA, 19147 (215-271-0888), on Friday, April 25, 2025. As always, everything was delicious! Thanks to Donovan, our server.

We shared the following:

A3) Slaab-Mohn Bom-Bpong (Deep Fried Chicken Wings) - with Sweet Chili Sauce, Lemongrass, and Tamarind Sauce

A4) Muhk Bom-Bpong (Fried Calamari) - tossed in salt and black pepper, served with sweet chili sauce

A2) Sach Mohn Aang Jong-Gkac (Chicken Skewers) - marinated in coconut curry

A5) Bong-Gkeah Bom-Bpong (Fried Shrimp) - lightly battered, salted & black pepper seasoned shrimp, served with sweet chili sauce (so good that we had a 2nd order!)

N1) Mee Kon Tang (stir fried Chow Ho Fun [flat rice noodle] sautéed with vegetables): We chose Beef.

T8) Trey Jearn Juorn (Fried Fish with Ginger) - Whole Fish - Dorado with Black Bean and Garlic Sauce

We were stuffed! So good!

Wines enjoyed:

Kunkel's Seafood & Steakhouse

Celebrating Ken's birthday took us, including George and Karin, to Kunkel's Seafood & Steakhouse, 920 Kings Highway, Haddon Heights, NJ 08035 (856-547-1225) for our monthly lunch on Friday, March 21, 2025. Everything was delicious! It was nice seeing Carol, who is always welcoming!

For appetizers, we shared the following:

Jay (dozen) and George (1/2 dozen) had the Raw Oysters, of course! Beach Plumb (Buzzards Bay, MA) and Laughing Gull (NJ). So good!

Fiery Thai Calamari - crispy fried calamari tossed in a spicy-sweet orange chili sauce with fresh scallions.

Steak Ravioli - steak and cheese ravioli, tossed and served in a mushroom and onion Demi glaze.

Kunkel's Killer Shrimp - peeled and deveined shrimp with the tail on, sautéed in spicy killer sauce, served with garlic bread.

Entrees enjoyed (each came with the house salad):

blue cheese dressing

balsamic dressing

Ken had the Rib Eye, medium rare, with mushrooms and onions. It came with cheesy mashed potatoes and asparagus.

Karin enjoyed the Bordelaise Beef - braised boneless beef slow roasted, finished with a bordelaise sauce served with honey roasted carrots and cheddar and leek mashed potatoes, topped with frizzled onions.

Jay and George each devoured the Seafood Au Gratin Special - scallops, shrimp, and lobster in a creamy, cheesy sauce.

Everything was seasoned to perfection.

We appreciate that we can dine at our leisure, without being rushed. Looking forward to our next visit!

Wines enjoyed: