Anyway, last night I went to The Pop Shop in Collingswood for trivia night. It was so much fun! We did very well, too. Despite being against a much larger team (13 to our 5), we would have won if we hadn’t been so conservative with points in the final round. As it is we came in third and won…a box of canned chicken salad and crackers.

So we didn’t get any money off on our bill, but the food was good. They have a vegetarian section in among their many grilled cheeses, burgers and dogs, and breakfasts (all of which are very good). I debated getting the veggie corn dogs for the sole purpose of being able to post that picture today, but better sense and my love for avocados won the day and I got the Health Nut:

From the menu: "Avocado, tomato, cucumber, cream cheese, sprouts, shaved carrot {Ed.: that was not a shaved carrot, it was a chunky carrot stick! Good, but hard on the roof of the mouth} and spiced pecans on seeded wheat."

It was really good. Especially the pecans. I left feeling full, without that awful stuffed-to-the-gills feeling I would have had with a grilled cheese, and only disappointed that I brain-farted on who G. Gordon Liddy was.

(Seriously. I’m still kicking myself on that!)

My bowl o' fungus and glass of fermented yeast.

This soup (from Iron Hill Brewery) may be the best use of mushrooms possible. Flavorful without being too creamy, filling without being too heavy, mushroomy without being overpowering or rubbery. And yes, that’s a beer in the corner. Together they made a great meal. The only sad thing is that I went a week too soon to try their Oktoberfest release.

But that just means I’ll have to go back! What a hardship.

In the meantime, check out the mini Italian plum crisp I just made:

I only had 6 or 7 of the plums, so I just made a small one. It’s cooling now and it smells delicious. I think I’m going to go eat it now. Ciao!

Edited, a few minutes later: YUM.

Anyway, last weekend (not yesterday) some girlfriends joined me for the “Sunday School” deal, a special menu at Tria Cafe in Philly, and I think it’s safe to say we were kind of blown away by the awesomeness.

It’s the kind of place where you get a bunch of snacky things. All were delicious. I totally hogged the rosemary almonds (not pictured – I ate them). We ordered a cheese plate and a couple of salads, all of which I forgot to photograph but were absolutely fab. Here are the things I did photograph:

Left: Pistachio Herbed Ricotta Bruschetta with Lavender Honey. Right: Chilled Asparagus with Pecorino Pepato, Hazelnuts and Lemon Oil

Both were delicious – and I’m not sure I’ve ever had anything as fantastic as the bruschetta, at least not in years and years. I can’t explain it. That dish is just magic. Pure, sparkly magic.

Also delicious was the dessert we let ourselves get talked into very easily: a Nutella Panino.

And they even used "panino" correctly! I think I'm in love.

One night I ate at a restaurant called Niche. It was dark enough that the photos didn’t really turn out, but I’ll paste descriptions:

1. “Beet Soup: buttermilk, chives, dill, mint, tarragon, cucumber”
2. “Summer Vegetable Tartine Duo: leek, onions, ricotta, beets, oranges, herbs, walnuts”

1. was cold soup, which I should have expected, and the beet part was a sorbet in the middle of the rest that had to be stirred in, which I can’t see how I could have predicted. It was quite good, but honestly was better the less the beets had mixed in. 2. was…just weird. It was basically two long crackers with ricotta on each, one topped with sauteed leeks and onions and the other with beets, oranges, and mint. They were…weird…good, but weird. The beet/orange/mint bit was a new and unexpectedly delicious combination of flavors.

Another night, I went with a smaller group to Top of the Riverfront – a rotating restaurant in the Millennium Hotel, which had been recommended. As I’d never eaten while slowly revolving in a circle 14 or so stories in the air, this was an adventure! Here, the photography was more successful. Here’s the eats:

“Slow Roasted Tomato Tart: fresh buffalo mozzarella, arugula, pesto, black and white balsamic vinaigrette”

Do these tomatoes look roasted (slow or otherwise) to you?

I’ll give them one thing. The tart shell at the bottom had gone into an oven, so strictly speaking they didn’t lie. Other than the description being, if not a total crock, at least half a crock, this wasn’t bad. You can’t compare to Jersey tomatoes and it’s not like I don’t make something very similar at least once a week at home, so once I prepared to be disappointed I ended up being pleasantly surprised. The two vinegars were good.

Then I got a seafood pasta. Holy cream sauce, Batman! I must be getting too old for this kind of food. I think I have to turn in my fatty card, because while this was good, it ended up being far too heavy, and I was sick that night and the entire next day.

They had to milk an entire cow to make this sauce.

All in all, I’d like to see more of St. Louis. It seemed like a pretty cool city, with the look of a big city but the crowd of a suburb, and there’s a lot of history there. I’m sure I could eat my way through all of that too.

Next up: a wine bar makes a big hit on snacks. Coming attractions: Michigan.

Caprese salad; radishes on baguette with butter and salt. OMNOMNOM

Panzanella with the stale half of that baguette. This recipe needs perfected, but it was a good first try!

While it’s the season where I don’t feel like cooking, it is still fun to make a lot of delicious meals, and there is so much to make them with!

Disgusting, as you can see.

So awful that I forgot to take a pic before I inhaled most of it.

I went for the Rainbow Roll (different fishes, crab, avocado) and Volcano Roll (spicy tuna, spicy sauce, and some other stuff I forget). Meh to the Rainbow, but the Volcano I loved. Nagoya is a hit! Definitely a repeater.