Isot Authentic Turkish Kitchen (Philly)

Our monthly lunch with Karin and George brought Jay and Ken to Isot Turkish Cuisine, 622 S. 6th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147 (267-457-3622), on Saturday, April 27, 2024. We had a wonderful dining experience! Everything was fresh and flavorful!

We shared the following:

Hot Hummus (cooked in a pan with olive oil, topped with walnuts, and finished with hot pepper oil). Addictive.

Tender Calamari (freshly seasoned and fried tender calamari served with homemade tartar sauce). Cooked to perfection.

Manti (Turkish dumplings stuffed with a ground beef and lamb mix, served with homemade yogurt, red pepper oil, and mint-infused olive oil). Light, pillowy goodness!

Seafood Casserole (jumbo shrimp, calamari, mushrooms, tomatoes, and garlic, topped with mozzarella cheese, baked in a ceramic bowl. Outstanding.

Isot Mix Plates (combination of beef kebab, Chicken Adana, grilled chicken thighs, Kasap Kofte, and Lamb kebab). We chose the one for 2 People, which was more than enough!

Wines enjoyed:

Gass & Main

Still celebrating Ken's birthday, Jay and Ken met Karin and George at Gass & Main, 7 Kings Court, Haddonfield, NJ 08033 (973-721-3179), on Saturday, March 22, 2024. We had a fabulous time, as always!

We were greeted by Jennifer, our favorite server, on this rainy day. Congratulations to Dane on their James Beard nomination! Well-deserved!

We shared the following, and everything was excellent!:

Crispy Brussels (One of Ken's favorites!)

Gnocchi Mac & Cheese - truffle gnocchi, mornay, truffle peels, herb breadcrumb (another of Ken's favorites!)

Deviled Eggs - smoked cheddar cheese, horseradish, chive, and smoke salmon roe

Chips & Caviar - house fried potato chips, French onion creme fraiche, smoked salmon roe - so good!

Slow Cooked Pork Tacos -  braised pork shoulder, salsa verde, onion, avocado, cilantro, on flour tortillas

Brunch Nachos - house fried chips, cheese sauce, bacon, scrambled eggs, salsa verde, jalapeño

Ken devoured the Table Pancakes - buttermilk silver dollars with syrup

George enjoyed the Worlds Best Hot Dog - Snake River Wagyu, house sweet heat mustard, pickled shallot & celery, brown butter brioche

All American Pie - baked in house, turbinado sugar crusted apple pie, vanilla bean ice cream, snowfall of prairie breeze cheddar cheese

Wines enjoyed:

Corey's Crafty Vietnamese Cuisine (Philly)

Celebrating George's birthday, Jay and Ken met him and Karin at Corey's Crafty Vietnamese Cuisine, 1314 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147 (267-703-2299), on Saturday, February 17, 2024. Everything was so flavorful and delicious! A wonderful way to celebrate! Reservations are recommended.

We shared the following:

Money Bags (so good that we ordered another!)

Crispy Curry Chicken Dumplings (Ken loved these so much that we had them twice!)

Homemade Chili Oil Sauce was addictive!

Shrimp and Pork Dumplings

Jay and George shared the Beef Carpaccio

Summer Rolls

Fried Rice with BBQ Pork - so flavorful!

BBQ Pork Bhan Mi - one of our new favorites!

BBQ Beef Bhan Mi

Limoncello Cake - perfect ending to the meal

Creme Brûlée - can't go wrong!

Wines enjoyed:

Looking forward to visiting again and trying items not on the regular menu.

Wanda BYOB

Celebrating the January birthdays for Jay and Karin, George and Ken treated for a special dinner at Wanda BYOB, 116 Kings Highway E Suite 4 (The Shops at 116), Haddonfield, NJ 08033 (856-520-8114), on Saturday, January 13, 2024. Reservations are highly recommended. Everything was delicious!

Warm bread and butter are immediately brought out. So good, we had seconds!

We shared the following appetizers:

Crispy Brussels Sprouts (bacon, roasted pepitas, sun dried cranberries, apple cider vinaigrette)

Goat Cheese Croquettes (panko crust, lavender honey, walnut)

Jay and George shared the Copper Pot Escargot (chartreuse, hazelnuts, garlic, rich demi-glace, toast points)

Entrees:

Karin wanted to eat light so she chose the Classic Caesar Salad (romaine hearts, focaccia croutons, parmigiano-reggiano) and Soupe a l'mignon (crusty bread, gruyere cheese)

Jay and George each chose the Scallops Special with spinach and black rice. Jay added caviar to her meal. Excellent lobster sauce!

Ken enjoyed the Chilean Sea Bass (crispy purple potato, choy sum, miso ginger emulsion)

Dessert:

Jay, Karin, and George shared the Creme Brûlée

Ken was excited for the Belgian Apple Tart (caramel sauce, vanilla ice cream)

Wines enjoyed:

What a wonderful way to celebrate our birthdays!