To paraphrase Mark Twain, “Rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated.” Dealing with the pain of a pinched nerve in my neck (and the lack of sleep that accompanied my pain) it has been very difficult to focus for any length of time. So, as some of you have noticed, I did not post my weekly blog last week. Hopefully, this won’t be an ongoing problem as I have been taking steps to address this issue. I had intended to post this last week, but it was not ready before today.
For those of you who are not familiar with Zaffron Mediterranean Cuisine, it is a small, but lovely restaurant located on the main street in Haddonfield (Kings Highway). It is a unique BYOB restaurant. The last time I wrote about Zaffron it was just before the start of the pandemic. We had a great dine-in dinner. Since we are still not ready to dine in, we decided to take out from there. Their full menu is open to explore and try. I must say their posts on social media always look so good! A recent post on their Instagram account intrigued me. A Lifetime movie had a scene that was filmed there and was aired a couple of weeks ago. Pretty cool to have your business in a brief cameo role in a movie.
Appetizers
We ordered their Garlic Pita bread, a plate of red pepper hummus, pesto hummus, and Baba Ghanouj. We shared these wonderfully flavored gems, as well as their large signature salad and enjoyed them both with a Pinot Gris from Old York Cellars (see more about the wines below).
The Entrees
My entree was the White Wine Lamb Ragu. It consisted of shredded lamb, wild mushrooms, tomatoes, red onions, garlic and rosemary in a white wine sauce, served over homemade pappardelle pasta. This was a large and tasty dinner that was perfectly accompanied by the Rosso Black Label from Turdo Vineyards. The entree portions were generous enough to be enjoyed again for lunch the next day. Unfortunately, the wines were only standard 750 ml bottles!
My wife chose the Shrimp and Scallop Kabob, served with tzatziki, basmati rice, and fresh grilled vegetables. She enjoyed her meal with the Old York Cellars Pinot Gris.
We love the unique menu of items, not offered at many restaurants in South Jersey. Their ingredients are fresh, seasoned to perfection, and beautifully presented. The food is every bit as good as I remembered, though we did miss the presentation and the ambience of dining in. We can’t wait to eat there again, but we will definitely be visiting soon, whether it is eat in or takeout!
The Wine
I opened a bottle of Turdo Vineyards Black Label Red Blend (below on right) and a bottle of Old York Cellars 2019 Pinot Gris (below on left).
The Turdo Vineyards Rosso DiLuca 2018 Black Label is a wonderful blend of Tempranillo (80%) and Syrah (20%). I enjoyed this terrific wine with my entree. It is a medium-bodied blend, with dark red fruit and a hint of vanilla. Sal (Luca’s father) and Luca make some of my favorite red wines in the state (and far beyond). If you have not yet visited them in lovely, historic Cape May, you owe it to yourself to do so this year. Check out their website here: www.turdovineyards.com.
The Old York Cellars 2019 Pinot Gris (which has become my new favorite Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio) has a bit more body than many others I have tried over the years. It has a rich, creamy mouthfeel, light acidity and notes of pineapple and melon. There is always something fun going on at their winery in Ringoes and their satellite sites (Quaker Bridge Mall and Bridgewater Commons Mall). Check out their website here: www.oldyorkcellars.com
Cheers!
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