Trader Joe's

Cheesecake hodgepodge from the frozen section.

Things that I miss that have been discontinued from Trader Joe's:
Toasted sesame potato chips- these were the best of the weird fancy flavours (eg goat cheese+roasted peppers)
White cheddar hawaiian style potato chips in the lime green bag
Any kind of sour cream and onion flavoured potato chip- oh wait, you never stocked any of these
Artichoke tortellini (frozen section)
Wasabi tempura seaweed snacks- so crunchy and nasal clearing

portion control

From the 4th Street Delicatessen outpost on 19th Street.

Warm brisket sandwich

hot dog knish (warm)

slab of chocolate marble cake

strawberry shortcake (fresh whipped cream)

not really a fortune

"You have friends and you know it."

Matyson

Matyson is a byob in Center City West.  I like the food but it can get loud because sound just bounces around in there.

Duck inside sausage on top of polenta.

Short rib with fingerlings.

Poached pear on puff pastry with hazelnut ice cream subbed for some other flavour.

Coconut cream pie, chocolate ganache, macadamia nut crust.

Warm chocolate cake, caramelized bananas, hazelnut ice cream.

pumpkin

One of my friends loves this pumpkin dish (tomato sauced, yogurt drizzled) at Sansom Kabob House.

I like the warm fresh bread especially (and the meat on a stick), but I find nothing compelling about the pumpkin. It's good, but it's no bacon.

nyc: from La Bagel Delight, Brooklyn

http://www.labageldelight.com/locations.html

Competition breakfast of champions:

nyc, UES

Upper East Side (bc several of my friends live(d) there) at dinnertime:
Café D'Alsace

The bone marrow, La Moelle, and the sausage trio appetizer (avec trois moutards!)... and the two of us still had mains coming up. Because we are Good Eaters. Or gluttons. Take your pick.

Although the marrow bones were fine, I was a little annoyed that the toast was burnt. Obviously they put it on a grill thing but still, bitter charred = not tasty.

I have since realized that it is simple to actually roast marrow bones at home, as long as you have good ventilation or you don't mind your home being beefy scented.

cupcake truck

Some cupcakes from Buttercream, a cupcake food truck in Philly. The cupcakes were reasonably good and not dry/crumbly, but I don't think I need to seek them out.

Porkalicious v2

Splurged on a Berkshire pork butt from Meadow Run Farm via Reading Terminal Market's Fair Food Farmstand that took 2+ days to defrost in my fridge.

Salt & pepper on the pork for a few hours, then browned on all sides. Sauteed some onions, 2 carrots, then added 1 c. chicken broth, 2 green serrano peppers, some peppercorns, crushed allspice, lightly toasted cumin, cloves in a teaball, juice+zest from 1 giant orange, dropped the orange in for fun, braised for 300 degrees for 3hrs uncovered and another 2 hrs uncovered, chopped up the roast into some giant cubes to break it up. Once a lot of the braising liquid evaporates, the pork starts to fry in its own fat. SIZZLE.

Served with an excess of guacamole (five avocados is apparently too much for 4 ppl), salsas from Prin, sour cream, tortillas and unfortunately no air conditioning (now installed!). Also a pineapple that I made Katherine cut up. Starter of cheese crisps (browned cheese).