Last week we took Fitzy out for a birthday lunch at the Lucky Dog in Lafayette Hill. This is my second time there as I got taken there for my birthday lunch awhile back. The place is really cute, a fairly small restaurant with a bar, a small section with high tops, and a slightly bigger section with tables. We were delighted to find out there were tables outside. They had big umbrellas over all of them, so we didn’t get totally beat down with direct sunlight. Although on that day, it didn’t matter because it was so damn hot!

Fitzy decided to have a birthday burger with cheddar cheese. This thing was HUGE. It really looked like nearly a pound of meat. It came with their seasoned fries. R got the Lucky Dog Wrap, which has grilled chicken, fresh mozzarella, marinated peppers, and bacon, which is drizzleed with basil vinaigrette. Sounds good, tastes good.

The last time I was here, I had the pulled pork sandwich, which was actually very good. This time, I went with the Barn Yard, with was like a cheesesteak, only it also had chunks of chicken breast, had thick bacon, grilled onion, red peppers, and provolone cheese. This thing was monstrous, and I ended up having to eat it with a knife and fork. It was really good. The bacon was particularly good, as it was thick cut and chewy. You can order any sandwich with either fries or a salad. I’ve always had the fries and I like them. They’re the seasoned kind, and they come out nice and hot.

We were all stuffed to the gills, and too hot and sweaty to get any dessert. The service is fairly good there, although on this visit, the waitress did mess up the change. But R went and talked to her and got it straightened out with no hassle. For those working in the Conshohocken/Plymouth Meeting area, it’s a nice alternative from Fayette Street or the mall food court.

On saturday night I went to one of my favorite places to see live music – the North Star. Don’t worry, I’m not going to start blogging about bands or live shows I go to see. I’ll only mention that I’ve never eaten there, yet. Since we were in the Art Museum area we decided to grab a bite to eat. Bridgid’s was suggested, and I wholeheartedly agreed, as I’d heard nothing but good things about it.

First we drove around for way too long looking for a place to park. After many rounds around the block, we found a HUGE spot about 5 steps away. It was stupendous. Bridgid’s is a cute little Euro style joint with a great selection of Belgian beers. We had some hefeweisen, which is a German wheat beer, and probably my favorite next to white beers like Hoegaarden or Blue Moon. I hadn’t really eaten all day, and within a few sips, I was seriously feeling it. Yes, I’m an extreme lightweight.

I ordered the Beer Battered Brotola, which is a white fish similar to cod. Two good sized pieces of the fish came on a tomato based sauce, with a bit of salad, green beans, and rice. I loved every bite of it. The fish was cooked great and the sauce was perfect for it. The rice was good, the green beans were good, and so was the salad. M ordered the Cajun Tilapia, which was basically just a blackened fish dish. Hers came with the same sides, and she liked hers as well. Bridgid’s also gives you rolls and lovely softened butter. All in all, it was a great and unexpected meal.

Now the reason I’m a bad food blogger is that I totally forgot my camera. It’s unlike me, because now my camera lives in my purse. But alas, I forgot it. I did take pictures with my crappy-ass camera phone, but now I can’t get to the pictures. I can’t email them to myself, I can’t send them to anyone else, and I can’t download them. They’re stuck in Motorola camera phone purgatory forever…. unless I figure something out later on. So let’s hope I do in the future and I can share my crappy phone pics with you. But if you can’t wait, then head over to Bridgid’s yourself! Even E from Foodaphilia just went there again and loved it, it’s her favorite in the Art Museum area!

With March Madness, St. Patty’s day, and this freak storm, I didn’t dare drive into the city that night. I took the train instead, along with lots of other people, and got to ride for free to boot! We had another Meetup at Devil’s Alley Bar and Grill. It has a devilish/underworld schtick going on, so the decor is very dark, literally and figuratively, especially in the basement’s bathrooms. Check out the sinks too, you turn them on, and they’ll spill all over you so it looks like you peed yourself. That’s fun!

They bill themselves as a comfort food place, which is true. There’s nothing snotty about it at all. They’re big on burgers, and many of my fellow diners got some variety of burger. They also have ribs and other bbq, but I’m a little wary of bbq around these parts. I’ve lived in Texas and had my share of good bbq. I don’t like to eat bad bbq. I’ve also had North Carolina bbq and Kansas City bbq. Philadelphia bbq scares me.

I went for the brisket sandwich though (although I really do love me some ribs) and a bucket of fries. And by bucket of fries, they really mean a bucket of fries! It comes in an adorable tin bucket. I really liked these frieds, they’re the skinny kind of fries, which I love, and not greasy at all. I also like the little end crunchy pieces that you get at the bottom of your fries, and alot of these particular fries were like that. Yum. I don’t like thick soggy potato-y fries. I like em skinny and crunchy.

My brisket sandwich came with thick grilled bread. It was supposed to come with a horseradish sauce but I passed on that. The sandwich was pretty good actually. The brisket was dry. And by dry I mean it didn’t come with any sauce on it. In Texas they call it either dry or wet. Wet means they put sauce on for you. It was a bit plain though, so I did ask for a side of sauce. Their sauce was definitely homemade. It was sweet and sour and spicy and a bit strange, but I liked it.

The highlight of the evening was going to Capogiro for a near religious gelato experience. I’ve had gelato before in Germany and liked it alot. But I hadn’t had any in the States. I’d been to Capogiro before, but only in passing to get quarters for the meter, not to eat. They were nice enough to give me quarters without making me buy anything. That should have been enough for me to know how good this place would be!

It was A’s idea to go, and I am appreciating this suggestion, and also cursing it, as I am now addicted. I am daydreaming about it now. I can’t get it out of my mind! They have rotating flavors, some seasonal. I went with the blood orange and kiwi sorbetto. The blood orange was good, but the kiwi, the kiwi was mindblowing! It’s unlike anything I’ve ever had before. Not fake tasting at all, with real kiwi bits and seeds. And it’s not cheap either might I say! The smallest size is just under $5. It definitely isn’t a 59 cent ice cream cone, but even I have to admit that it’s worth every penny. This is the kind of addiction that I would gladly hand over my hard earned cash for. Now if only I can convince them to open one in the suburbs!