Strawberry Balsamic Vinegar - Blue Moon: Collingswood, NJ

Strawberry Balsamic Vinegar - Blue Moon: Collingswood, NJ

Blue Moooon, you saw me standing alone, without a bottle in my hand, now I've got one of my own. Okay, enough of that. (I'm sorry, that was so lame. I've been listening to a lot of older music lately and I couldn't resist.)

Back to our regularly scheduled food blog!

Today I've got a little something from one of my favorite local shops, Blue Moon! I know there's a really popular beer company with the same name, but this is something completely different. (Plus I hate beer.) The Blue Moon I'm talking about is a cute little shop in Collingswood that sells fancy olive oils and balsamic vinegars.

Get ready for a rant and a story under the cut.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Doughnut - Krispy Kreme: Collingswood, NJ

Pumpkin Cheesecake Doughnut - Krispy Kreme: Collingswood, NJ

Welp, the wifi adapter on my main computer is kaput. It lasted over a year and I was really happy with it, but today, out of the blue, it wouldn't connect at all. I thought it might be loose, so I reached to remove it, and it felt like molten lava. I let it cool, then attempted to reconnect it, which worked, but it quickly started reheating and then the internet was gone once again. I already ordered a replacement, so in the meantime I'll be using my older computer that is directly connected to the internet for my reviews. So sorry if things look a little wonky, it's been a while since I've used this one and the monitor might need to be recalibrate.

Anyway, my mother decided to treat my sister and I to some doughnuts, so what better time to try this pumpkin-y limited edition doughnut?

The Pop Shop - Collingswood, NJ

Burger Month at The Pop Shop  - Collingswood, NJ

It's nation hamburger month! (Which is apparently a real thing.) Therefore I plan on reviewing a different burger once or twice a week for the rest of May. 

To kick things off, I decided to check out The Pop Shop in Collingswood because they have a menu featuring a different burger each day.

I ordered:

• The Wild Wild West Burger
  Pepperjack cheese, caramelized onions, ham and bell peppers on toasted sourdough with Texifries. ($13.99)
• Green River (a soda fountain drink)

Table 8 Bistro March Restaurant Week : Collingswood, NJ (Photo Heavy)

Table 8 Bistro March Restaurant Week : Collingswood, NJ 

Sunday marked the end of restaurant week, so I'll be returning to my normal foodie reviews. It's been a lot of fun going to all of these new places to photograph and eat yummy food, but my stomach and wallet are both ready for a break. To end the week, my boyfriend and I went to the Table 8 Bistro for one last dinner. This restaurant is relatively new, it's slightly off the main road, and it doesn't have a website yet. (Although it does have a Facebook page.)

THIS FOOD IS BEAUTIFUL (AKA, I went overboard with the photos)

Revisiting Indiya - March Restaurant Week : Collingswood, NJ

Revisiting Indiya - March Restaurant Week : Collingswood, NJ 

Welp, I'm a bad foodie blogger. Friday night had I planned on reviewing the Table 8 Bistro in Collingswood, but I didn't make a reservation. I always saw empty tables when I walked by, the restaurant isn't visible from the main street, and they don't have a website, so I just assumed I could get a table. I was wrong, so I made a reservation for dinner Sunday night and I walked back to Indiya where I was seated right away.

Akira- March Restaurant Week : Collingswood, NJ

Akira- March Restaurant Week : Collingswood, NJ 

Just in case you missed my last post, it’s restaurant week! If any of you are New Jersey locals, you should already know about Collingswood and it’s restaurants. For restaurant week, participating locations make a special menu for the event (usually 3-4 courses) and list it at a pretty reasonable price. This is something I look forward to every year, and tonight my boyfriend and I ate at Akira.

Indiya - March Restaurant Week : Collingswood, NJ

Indiya - March Restaurant Week : Collingswood, NJ 

It’s restaurant week! If any of you are New Jersey locals, you should already know about Collingswood and it’s restaurants. For restaurant week, participating locations make a special menu for the event (usually 3-4 courses) and list it at a pretty reasonable price. This is something I look forward to every year, and tonight my boyfriend and I ate at Indiya.

It's Collingswood Restaurant Week Again!

Today is the first official day of restaurant week! I already visited one of the participating restaurants (review will be up in a few hours), and I plan on going to at least two more restaurants this week.

If you're in the area, and you love food, this is definitely worth checking out.

Here are some of my reviews from the last Collingswood Restaurant Week:

• That's Amore
• Akira
• The Pop Shop

Quickie Review: Mocha Kreme Doughnut- Krispy Kreme - Collingswood, NJ

Mocha Kreme Doughnut- Krispy Kreme - Collingswood, NJ 

Krispy Kreme's Caramel Coffee Kreme doughnut was pretty impressive, and it actually tasted like coffee and caramel. My coffee addicted boyfriend loved it, and I really enjoyed it too, so I highly recommend grabbing one before this flavor disappears. Now, let's see if the Mocha version is worth checking out.

Quickie Review: Caramel Coffee Kreme Doughnut- Krispy Kreme - Collingswood, NJ

Caramel Coffee Kreme Doughnut- Krispy Kreme - Collingswood, NJ 

Yesterday we lost an hour (due to daylight savings), but Krispy Kreme softened the blow by offering all of their customers a free glazed doughnut!

My friend Joe went to claim his free doughnut and ended up buying 2 dozen of the new coffee themed doughnuts to share, which was really awesome. (Thank you Joe!) I grabbed my cellphone and snapped some pictures just so I could post this quickie review.

The Pop Shop - Collingswood, NJ

The Pop Shop  - Collingswood, NJ

I'm trying out a new watermark, instead of using both my Poison & Antidote and a sometimes foodies logos, I made a new blogspot watermark to replace them both. Don't worry, I'll still be posting everything here on tumblr account, as well as my blog, but the blog seems to be a better platform for my content. (And my posts don't get eaten while I am writing all the time, which is nice.) 

I feel like it has been a while since I posted something from an actual restaurant. This cold weather makes me want to stay indoors like a recluse, but I braved the cold to go to The Pop Shop in Collingswood with my boyfriend.
Apparently we picked a bad night, because a water-pipe burst in the main restaurant and forced customers to go to the side, party-shed, area that is usually reserved for kids birthday parties. Thankfully, the party area was practically the same as the normal dining area, so that didn't both us at all. (It just stinks for the workers and owners.)

I was originally going to order some french fries and a chicken pot pie, but they were out. So I opted for my favorite giant salad.

I ordered:

• Foghorn Country Chicken Salad 
  Crispy chicken fingers, Applewood smoked bacon, tomato, and Jack cheese over romaine with honey-mustard dressing.
• Pop Shop Fries (as a side.)

IndeBlue Farm Fresh Menu - Indeblue : Collingswood, NJ

IndeBlue Farm Fresh Menu - Indeblue : Collingswood,  NJ 

Right now, several restaurants in Collingswood are celebrating local farmers by using farm fresh ingredients to create special menus. At Inde Blue, you can create a 3 course meal from the farm fresh menu for $30.00 and you’ll also receive a coupon for $10.00 off your next order.  (Not too shabby.)
I had actually made dinner reservations for Monday evening, but I had to cancel them due to my ER visit. So I re-booked a table for Friday night.

My 3 course meal consisted of: 

• Aloo Makkai Tikki     
  spiced potato & corn kernel patties / house-made apple chutney
• Twin Bombay Burgers    
  mustard & curry leaf flavored potato patties / tomato onion / green & tamarind chutney pao (indian style buns) / sweet potato pakora
• Lasooni Naan nan withfresh garlic, butter & cilantro (not included in the farm fresh meal, but I ordered it anyway.)
• Banana Nirvana

That’s Amore - Restaurant Week : Collingswood, NJ

That’s Amore - Restaurant Week : Collingswood, NJ 

It’s restaurant week in Collingswood! If any of you are New Jersey locals, you must know about Collingswood and it’s restaurants. For restaurant week, participating locations make a special menu for the event (usually 3-4 courses) and list it at a reasonable price. This is a great way to try something new. I have been looking forward to this for a while, and tonight my boyfriend and I ate at That’s Amore. 

I had never been to this restaurant before, but I had heard very good things. I felt like their restaurant week menu was the best menu available. I was able to get a lovely 4 course meal for $35.00. (You also get a voucher for $10.00 off for a return visit)

I ordered:

• Grilled Caesar Salad with Pancetta Chips and Parmigiano Shavings
• Olive Oil Crostini with Artichoke & Olive Tapenade
• Grilled Citrus Scottish Salmon over Mascarpone Risotto
• Zabaglione Cream over Drunken Strawberries

My Salad was presented in a beautiful and interesting way, which was very enjoyable and easy to eat. The star of this dish was definitely the salty pancetta. All of the flavors worked very well together, but that pancetta was to die for.

Akira - Restaurant Week : Collingswood, NJ

Akira - Restaurant Week : Collingswood, NJ 

It’s restaurant week in Collingswood! If any of you are New Jersey locals, you must know about Collingswood and it’s restaurants. For restaurant week, participating locations make a special menu for the event (usually 3-4 courses) and list it at a reasonable price.

Today my boyfriend and I stopped at Akira for a late lunch. I have actually eaten here before, but the restaurant week menu had a few things I wanted to check out. 

I ordered:

• Avocado Salad -Avocado on mixed green salad served with healthy ginger
• Sexy Jalapeño - Tempura Jalapeño stuffed with Spicy Tuna, Seaweed Salad & cream cheese served with spicy mango sauce
• Sushi Dinner - Tuna, Salmon, Fluke, Striped Bass,Yellowtail, Shrimp, White Tuna with a Spicy Tuna Roll
• Gelato Hearts

Although I am not a huge fan of avocado, I really enjoyed this salad. It’s a basic green salad,  typical of most sushi or hibachi restaurants, topped with avocado, ginger dressing and mango sauce. The only thing I would have changed would be a little less mango sauce. It was incredibly sweet and really overpowered everything else. I would rather have a touch of mango and more ginger dressing.