Pho and Darts

At some point in the last few months A. (my roommate) and I bandied about the idea of a field trip to Bullseye Darts so that A. could get his very own set of darts after a year of using mine or one of our other teammates'. I also was falling a little out of love with my darts and was thinking about getting a new set. Then LW and I also discussed such a trip with the added attraction of having a bit of pho, which would basically be a variation of our 2011 manapus adventure. Of course one often talks about doing something for an extended amount of time before actually doing it. And in this case I think it was at least a month between the idea being brought up and schedules aligning to make it so. I thought I remembered where the pho place we went to in 2011 was...but I was wrong and we ended up at Pho 75. This was a smaller shop than the place I actually meant to take us, and its menu slightly less expansive...no pork rolls to try. Though there were fewer bells and whistles, they still had the crazy coffee.

It turns out this was going to be a day of firsts for A. Not only was he about to get his own darts, he also had his first pho experience. I think it went generally well.

The broth was good, the whole thing was good. I still like our go-to South Philly spot a bit more, but I was glad to try a new place and to introduce the glory that is pho to yet another person. 

Once our meal wrapped up we were on our way east to Bulls Eye. I think the three of us probably tried out a minimum of six different sets of darts each. At one point I was convinced that I wanted one set but then saw a completely different set and all my certainty went out the window. LW was especially dervish-like in her pursuit of a new set of darts. In the end ALL three of us got slightly different weights of the exact same darts. I've been pretty pleased with the new darts they have a different kind of grip that seems to be a slightly better fit in regards to my small little fingers and weak arms. Our league starts up soon, so that will be the real test. It was still very entertaining when we all walked out of the store with the exact same cases. Funny stuff. 

Two Nights Into One: July Fourth Vacation Fun on Lake Champlain

In late winter or early, early spring K. and I connected about a potential camping adventure somewhere between Philly and Boston. After a few emails back and forth a new plan was formed, and that was to meet between Westport and Port Henry New York, at the family cottage of K.'s bf J. I hadn't seen K. or J. since visiting them in 2010 on the way to L.'s wedding, and meeting up at a cottage on Lake Champlain sounded like a really solid way of reconnecting. My drive up was slightly more eventful than I would have liked. My phone charger stopped working, my oil needed to be changed, I went through a toll and my EZPass didn't work. Just little things that stress me out and when piled on top of one another didn't leave me entirely free of worry. But I had written down the directions because I knew we were going to be in a pretty much cell and internet free zone (hallelujah) so I didn't get terribly lost until the very end of the trip, which was not surprising whatsoever. That first night we caught up, snacked on one thing or another, had some drinks and generally eased into a nice rhythm for the trip. At one point K. and I were outside and J. ended up fast asleep in this chair for quite some time.

And then the next day was upon us. K. made us all scrambled eggs with caramelized onions, cheese, and maybe scallions?

Then we drove to Port Henry to do a more thorough grocery shopping trip for the next couple of days. It was a gorgeous area. Lake to the east and Adirondack mountains to the west. Just magic stuff scenes around every bend and curve of the road.

That second day I made my artichoke jalapeno dip and we ate it while playing a game of some kind.

J.'s family has been coming up to this area for a good lot of time. His grandparents, his mother and her siblings, and now he and his sisters. For the majority of our time there it was just the three of us in the cottage itself, but the neighborhood certainly had a bustle to it. Plenty of folks with similarly long histories in the area taking advantage of the holiday week. Not that it was a week of holiday for most. The world certainly went on around us, but I enjoyed more fully unplugging than I've done in quite some time.

So I had a pretty good idea that I wanted to stop in Kingston, NY on my way north to buy some meat to contribute to our meals from Fleisher's, and it's good that I already had that inkling, because about 60 miles south of the Kingston exit my phone died, and about 30 miles south of Kingston my car began telling me it would like an oil change. This was also when the EZPass debacle took place. I just. The thing worked the whole time except going through that exit and now I know I'm going to get some sort of crazy ticket and I'll be mad about it. ANYWAY. I got off at Kingston and eventually was able to find a place to get an oil change and then another place to buy a new car-phone-extension thing. And it was only then that I finally turned my attentions to locating Fleisher's, which wasn't so hard. I arrived at the tail end of the Kingston farmer's market, which was kind of neat. Once I arrived in Fleisher's I tried to flirt with a butcher and make myself seem hardcore by suggesting that me and my three friends wanted to eat a steak that was nearly "blue." This wasn't entirely untrue we did end up with a pretty rare steak, but not blue-rare...though I mean really, how is talking about a willingness to eat nearly raw steak in any way a sign of flirtation? Pretty much it isn't. In any case. He did suggest and give us a really nice cut of steak and I truly did consider inviting him to join us (mostly joking...all joking?) in consuming it. So the second day of our vacation or was it the third? Steak was grilled, never mind the rain that was falling.

And my god. It was delicious. No joke delicious. Seriously. At K.'s suggestion I did almost exactly three minutes per side and then just left it alone to rest. LEFT IT ALONE. I need to get better at leaving my meat alone while smiling at strangers and learning how to flirt. All this meat flirt conversation is confusing, I'm sure. I believe that this was a dry aged sirloin?

K. made an arugula salad with tomatoes, roasted pine nuts and shaved parmesan.

I brought a bottle of wine my father had given me while in North Carolina, which went down easy and well with the steak and salad.

And while it certainly was pink, I don't think anyone would call it quite "blue." My butcher boyfriend might have been relieved. Or disappointed. I'm not sure. In any case, if you have the opportunity to get meat from Fleisher's, do.

And then I taught K. and J. the glory of Catan and we never turned back. I believe I won this first game (I was blue) but they were quick learners and our Catan playing from that point on was often not concluded with a victory on my part. GOOD TIMES.

Grilled Steak, Corn and Asparagus on the Deck

Two weekends back the weather was getting consistently lovely, which always marks a happy turn of events for me: deck and grill times. I decided that I would spend my Saturday enjoying the sunny weather and the many new plants I purchased and planted the weekend before. So I made my way to my local Whole Foods and bought corn, asparagus and a steak. I hardly ever make myself steak mainly because I usually miss the mark as far as cooking it to medium rare, going more often than not to well done. As someone who likes some pink in her steak, it always feels like a waste when I mess it up. But on this particular afternoon I was far more conscious of the temperature of the grill, the amount of time I let each side of the steak cook and the importance of letting it "rest." The result was 100% successful. I didn't fancy the steak up much, just pre-salted and peppered it and let its own juicy goodness and the gas grill do the rest. The asparagus I tossed with a little butter, garlic, lemon and truffle oil and wrapped in tin foil, throwing that packet onto the grill when I knew the steak was nearly ready. I also finally broke out the portable wine chiller that NC Catherine gave me for Christmas. It did a good job of keeping the Vinho Verde I was enjoying nice and cold.

I topped the steak with a dollop of a decent Gorgonzola. It was big enough, the steak, that I only ate half of it. It was perfect, pink but not bloody/'blue' and it was a great addition to salad on a subsequent day. A delightful day and evening on the deck.

Four Course Dinner Plus Extra Treats c/o Marigold Kitchen

A good amount of time ago CPM and I made our way to west Philly to enjoy a dinner at Marigold Kitchen. It was spectacular. We oohed. We ahhhed. We altogether enjoyed ourselves. Soon thereafter LW and I discussed how we ought to go to Marigold for her birthday. And then somehow we didn't. I forget what exactly prevented us from an August visit, but it never came to be. Months later we picked up that dropped ball and traveled on over to enjoy the restaurant's new format. When CPM and I went it was an a la carte design; it was up to us whether we enjoyed proper appetizers in addition to an entree and all their delightful amuse bouches. Now, after getting a lot of good press (I imagine this was a large contributor to the menu change) visitors to Marigold Kitchen have the option of deciding between a few price points and levels of coursed meals. We went with the minimum, but perhaps maximum returns. I must admit that this post will not include a photograph for each and every dish we were given. The lighting was extremely low and while I tried my best not to use the flash and keep my hands steady, the truth is that some photos just aren't at all up to par (and some that I'm including are iffy nontheless). For example, I'm not showing you the opening popcorn we were given that had been frozen/treated in such a way that the first few bites could give you the ability to exhale and have your breath be like steam. Wasn't able to capture that moment. Nope. Similarly, the light was so low that many of the photographs that I am sharing with you aren't entirely similar in appearance. Color correction under these conditions was difficult...but I hope you can see past these issues to the wonderful meal we did indeed enjoy.

This was some kind of tuna with foam.

I've completely forgotten what this was.

Butternut squash soup with foam.

Ravioli with chocolate.

Head cheese terrine with House Pickled Local Fruits & Vegetables, Toasted Baguette, Braised Mustard Seed.  

Hamachi with Wild Mushroom “Forrest,” Puffed Sticky Rice and Mushroom Tea.

Painted Hills beef filet  with Turnip-Horseradish Puree, Seared Foie Gras, Baby Turnip, Pear, Arugula, Caramelized Onion Pudding.

This was a truly tasty plate. The beef was perfectly medium rare, the foie nice and creamy and the radishes were just heavenly.

A little mint chocolate ice cream sandwich.

Carrot almond cake with Goat’s Kefir Ice Cream, Blood Orange, Candied Carrot  

We were seated on the second floor at a small table by a window. We both thought our main server dude was a little brusque, a little less excited than some of the other servers when it came to the magic he was putting down in front of us. Probably just an off day. I can't remember if LW just wanted to high five one of the other servers or if they actually did. I'm sort of leaning towards actually did.

Birthday Magic Times c/o Modo Mio

Ever since my first Modo Mio experience with LB back in 2009, I have always thought that celebrating a birthday at the establishment would be a whole heck of a lot of fun. Even when just a guest with no particular reason for celebration, the meal is in itself just that. I also heartily enjoy the how the bustling space's patrons will all come together and sing happy birthday to a total stranger in a way far more authentic than you might come across at, say, TGIFridays. So when I started thinking about how I might want to mark my 31st year on earth, I decided enough was enough: Modo Mio it would be. I am so happy that a great group of folks were all able to make it and celebrate with me; I really just had the most delightful dinner and overall birthday night. So. To start. We were a table of 9, so there were plenty of opportunities to try other plates than my own. For example, this was the chicken liver creme caramelle with fennel apple jam, gorgonzola and crostini, which CP ordered. The liver remained a revelation free of that extra bite that can make liver go so wrong for some, but we both commented that we were surprised by the temperature of the overall dish, which was cold. Definitely on-purpose-cold, but I believe we thought it might have been better at room temperature. I wonder if the coldness had to do with keeping the liver in shape?

BC tried the beet dish, which seemed pretty satisfying in a more straightforward way than many of Modo Mio's options.

I believe this was a fried cheese concoction that LB enjoyed?

I had this delightful seared scallop, which was served with a potato torta, fontina, and a cherry vinaigrette. Perfectly cooked and tender. And that torta, which you can't see at all, was not your run of the mill potato accoutrement. Truly added its own signature mark on the overall dish. Pleased, was I.

I believe this is CP's goat cheese ravioli, which was really just so very good I don't have words.

R.'s lasagna?

BC's gnocchi.

My bucatini. Oh man. I love this simple pasta with its pancetta, pecorino and bit of spiced up tomato sauce/dressing. While one of the great things about Modo Mio is its oft rotating menu, I am always a bit relieved to find some version of this plate in their pasta section.

CP tried veal for the first time.

And I went with the grilled ribeye steak with aged goat cheese, chickpea crepe, boquerones and jus. By this point I was intoxicated on a combination of wonderful company, fantastic food, and BYO wine, but I still found the energy to make a marked dent in this element of the meal. So good. So very, very, good. The cheese. The chickpea. The jus! Golly oh molly.

Also offered were complimentary sambuca shots.

I think it was around this point, while drinking espresso, that I managed to get coffee on my nose, which lingered there for the majority of the rest of my evening. Literal brown nose.

And then there was dessert. We just ended up getting two sample plates of everything. And man oh man was everything just a wonderful show of how sweet can be mellow and how sweet can be neat. Why yes, it was a wonderful show.

Seriously. Thanks to BC, CM, LB, AS, BM, LW, CP and R for all coming out and making this such a truly special evening!

Bachelorette Pre-Gaming, Dinner c/o Cabo, Dancing c/o Blue Moon

Once I returned to the fold I painted my nails and put on my party dress. LB, the lady of the evening, had quite the hot party dress.

We had dinner plans but before embarking on that part of our night there were first gifts and champagne.

LB got a mix of funny lingerie, things that lit up and a pretty cool sweatshirt. I gave her funny little bracelets and a to-go cupcake container.

The champagne-holding  bling ring was an especially neat gadget.

For dinner LX made us a reservation at Cabo, which wasn't far from our hotel. We got a nice table on the second floor deck and while we were waiting for it to clear I had a margarita. For dinner I chose to try the lobster ceviche and skirt steak. The ceviche wasn't quite right. Too sweet for something that was supposed to have a habenero element, and overcooked. Of course ceviche isn't cooked per se, but I think it sat in its juices too long. The texture was off. The steak, on the other hand, was delicious and cooked nice and medium rare. No complaints on that front.

After dinner we went to Blue Moon...or I think it was Blue Moon. It could have been somewhere else entirely. It was a predominantly gay bar with lots of dancing.

This was the unfortunate moment when an exuberant man lifted LB up and with her went her dress skirt.

Regrouping.

And then finally a few drinks at the Purple Parrot.

The whole weekend was wild. LB has so many good friends from different times and places in her life and it was so nice to finally put faces to some names I've been hearing about for over 15 years. I know I had a lovely time and I hope she did too!