Asian Goodies (Philly Again!)

On Saturday, September 18, 2016, our monthly lunch with Karin and George took us back to Philly to Ken's favorite restaurant, Vietiane

Duck spring rolls

Naam salad

Green curry with crispy tofu

Sticky tamarind wings

Banh-Xeo crepe

Homemade Lao sausages

Homemade beef jerky to go


Vietnam Cafe

We ordered takeout of spring rolls and pork rolls and enjoyed them on the porch

Wines enjoyed:

We always have such a wonderful time with Karin and George!

The Little Tuna

For our monthly lunch with Karin and George, Jay and Ken met them at The Little Tuna, 141 Kings Highway East, Haddonfield, NJ 08033 (856-795-0888), today for an almost 3-hour lunch, which was wonderful as usual. Good food, good friends, and good wine.

Since we know some items are not available on the lunch menu, we also asked for the dinner menu as well.

Appetizers:

Jay and George enjoyed 6 oysters each - fresh and delicious!

Ken requested the BBQ Bacon Wrapped Jumbo Shrimp (from the dinner menu), which he had been craving all week. Yum!
 

We all shared the fried calamari, which was lightly breaded and cooked to perfection, served with a warm marinara sauce.

Hot rolls were brought out just before our entrees.

Karin enjoyed 20 steamed clams (dinner menu appetizer), a bit salty, but still tasty.

Jay was extremely happy with the Spinach salad (dinner menu), tossed in a pomegranate vinaigrette with crumbled bleu cheese, candied nuts, and apples. The Creole Crab Minis (dinner menu appetizer) were just enough as they sat on a creole lobster bisque.

George's Honey Jalapeno Sea Scallops, stuffed with crab meat, were just what he wanted. A house salad came with his lunch entree.

Ken requested the Bleu Steak and Bacon Bites (dinner menu appetizer) as an entree, which came with mashed potatoes, broccoli and carrots. The beef tips are stuffed with bleu cheese and wrapped in bacon, then broiled, and served with a creamy horseradish sauce.

Although full, we shared the Bananas Fosters Bread Pudding, which comes warm with vanilla ice cream, and whipped cream. So good!

Wines enjoyed:

Pho Xinh (Vietnamese)

Having a sore throat, Jay visited Pho Xinh, 34 Centerton Road, Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054 (856-439-0606), on Monday, August 22, 2016. She hadn't been in a while, and was happy that the food was just as tasty as before. It appeared there were new owners/servers, but the experience was nice nonetheless.

She enjoyed the Pannang Curry, with coconut milk and panang flavoring served with bell peppers. Spicy, flavorful and delicious. She asked for the rice which is supposed to come with it, and it completed the dish.

Ken requested the #33 Jasmine Grill with BBQ pork strips for dinner. He thoroughly devoured it. Grilled lemongrass garlic - tender and flavorful, with steamed rice. Tomatoes and cucumber salad with house carrot sauce was included.

Dolsot House (K-Town BBQ Korean)

Hot outside, but we made our way to Dolsot House, Sawmill Village, 404 Marlton Pike East (Rt. 70), Cherry Hill, NJ 08034 (856-216-0090 or 856-216-0095), for lunch on Saturday, August 13, 2016.

We shared a 4-piece order of Spicy Korean Fried Chicken Wings:

and an order of pork and chive dumplings:

Both were crunchy bites of deliciousness! The wings weren't too spicy, but very flavorful.

Ken enjoyed the Spicy Pork Korean Hoagie, but now realizes that he now prefers the Vietnamese Banh Mi (spoiled by Bistro Southeast). He still devoured the hoagie!

Jay enjoyed the Spicy Pork Bulgogi Dolsot (spicy pork with carrot, onion, and zucchini). She could only eat half - the rest went home for dinner!

No wine, but we had cans of Lipton Iced tea. Refreshing, but we will definitely remember the wine in the future!

Bistro SouthEast (Philly Again!)

Since we enjoyed ourselves so much last month, we revisited Bistro SouthEast, 1824 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146 (267-758-2838). The owners recognized us and welcomed us back. Once again, everything was flavorful and delicious. We enjoy our monthly 3-hour lunch with friends, Karin and George.

We shared many wonderful dishes:

Shrimp and Pork Potstickers:

Spicy Curry Wings - crispy, spicy goodness!

Thai Sweet Chili Wings:

Crispy Shrimp Roll (similar to Martini Shrimp at Bhan Thai):

Lobster Summer Roll:

Soft Shell Crab Bun:

Ken has been craving the Banh Mi since our last visit. We shared 2:

Vietnamese BBQ Pork:

Lemongrass Pork Belly:

BBQ Pork wins! Extremely flavorful.


Wines enjoyed:

Karin and George took home Mushroom Fried Rice; Ken took home another BBQ Pork Banh Mi.

Wish there was a place this tasty near home, as everything is so good.

Allora by da Soli (Italian)

After a rough week (month!), Ken took Jay to Allora, 892 NJ-73, Marlton, NJ, (856-596-6882) for a lovely dinner on Saturday, July 23, 2016. Mark did it again! Everything was fantastic!

The bread was soft and fresh.

We shared Suppli Roman Style - the Italian risotto balls were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

Ken enjoyed the Veal Italiano, breaded cutlet with char grilled red peppers, Italian long hots, garlic, and extra virgin olive oil.

Jay devoured the Sea Bass Filet Salmoriglio. The light dusting of bread crumbs stayed crunchy until the end of the meal. Just the right amount of seasoning. Love the risotto (more please!).

It was a little strange to see some tables with tablecloths and some without (and a little sticky), but it was nice to see the restaurant was busy. We love this food! Ken puts it #3 on his list.

Wines enjoyed:

Homemade wine by the Esposito family: Alicante / Zinfandel blend

 And a white...

Megan was a wonderful server. We have to remember to request Mark, our favorite.