Bistro SouthEast (Philly)

On a whim, Jay and Ken decided to visit Bistro SouthEast, 1824 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146 (267-758-2838), on Saturday, February 22, 2020. We took Patco and saved on tolls, parking, and stress. We had a wonderful meal and are planning more outings to Philly!

We shared the Roll Sampler with one tofu, one shrimp, and one lobster summer roll, as well as spring rolls:

We always love the Thai Sweet Chili Wings...

Ken wanted a Banh Mi, so he devoured the BBQ Pork.

Jay wanted to try something different, so she ordered the Rice Plate with Lemongrass Pork Belly, half of which went home for later...

Wine enjoyed:

Everything was fresh and flavorful! We love this place!



While walking back to Patco, we noticed quite a few BYOBs on South Street between 18th and 16th Streets that looked very interesting including:

Pumpkin
https://www.pumpkinphilly.com/

Sophie's Kitchen (Philly)

After a rocky start (parking is ridiculous!), Jay and Ken celebrated George's birthday for lunch at Sophie's Kitchen, 522 Washington Avenue, Philadelphia, PA , on Saturday, February 15, 2020. We enjoyed everything!

We shared the following:

Muhk Bom-Bpong - deep fried calamari tossed in salt and black pepper, served with sweet chili sauce. Fried to perfection!

Slaab-Mohn Bom-Bpong - deep fried chicken wings served with sweet chili sauce.

Bong-Gkeah Bom-Bpong - lightly battered, salted & black pepper season shrimp, served with sweet chili sauce. Yum!

Lobster soup special - LOTS of FLAVORFUL lobster, in a beautifully seasoned broth.

Chha-M'Nauh - Beef with pineapple. Seasoned to perfection and very tender.

Beef skewers

Plov-Gkong-Gkaeb-Bom-Bpong - lightly battered frog legs, served with black pepper and lime sauce. Jay and George were quite impressed!

The wings were so good, we ordered them again!

Wines enjoyed:

We will return!

Centanni Trattoria (Italian)

The celebration of the birthdays of Jay and Karin continued on Saturday, January 18, 2020, at Centanni Trattoria, 563 Haddon Avenue, Collingswood, NJ 08108 (856-858-6666). We enjoyed a wonderful lunch even with the snow! Sam is one of the best servers around - knowledgeable and personable!

The bread was warm, crusty and addictive!

We shared dishes...

Bruschetta - crostini bread topped with marinated tomatoes, with shaved parmesan and balsamic glaze.

Arancini - very light, stuffed with rice and meat, with a flavorful sauce.

Gnocchi - we selected the lobster sauce. Delicious!

Ken and George shared the Veal Saltimbocca - sautéed veal medallions, sage, scallions, topped with prosciutto di parma and mozzarella with a white wine sauce. One of their favorites!

Jay and Karin shared a personal size pizza with lobster and arugula. Crispy crust and lots of lobster. Wonderful!

Chef Giancarlo is very talented!

Looking forward to our next visit!

Wines enjoyed:

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.