Mercato di Vetro

Holy mother of all that is good and right with food! I think I've stumbled into a delicious kind of heaven and I don't want to leave. Mercato di Vetro might be hip and trendy which sometimes makes me weary of the quality of food, but this is a serious exception. The cocktails were great and clearly I'm a fan of the food! The ambiance is nice- hip, but comfortable. Definitely the kind of place I would happily spend an evening on a weekly basis. My only regret is that I didn't come with 6 people so we could have tried more dishes. I have a feeling that this will be a repeat occurrence and I look forward to the feats that lie ahead. I can't choose a highlight here, sorry. Everything we tried was delicious and I'd gladly order every item again!

Blood orange martini and Uva Bella

Asparagus crostini with truffle, brown butter, ricotto, guanciale
Kale crostini with pine nuts and currants

Artichokes- sadly this is dimly like and pictures don't do
flavor justice, but these were awesome

Burrata with roasted grapes

Blackberry and bacon pizza may sound like an unlikely pair,
but this comes together in a perfect blend of sweet and savory.

Arancini stuffed with pistachio, peas and fontina

A messy look at the interior of an arancini

Basil lemoncello

Truffle salt margarita

Did someone say fresh doughnut holes?

Seriously..my stomach is growling. I need to go now because I can't handle it!

Laurel Hardware

If you're like me it's a tough task to hear about a new restaurant that sounds like it's right up your alley and it kills you to wait hours if not days to go check it out. Such was the case with  Laurel Hardware and it pained me to wait about a month to try this place. I wanted to go the second it appeared on my radar. By the time I finally was able to go, I was fully aware that the back bar was the place to be, I knew all to well I'd NEED to try their pizza,and that their cocktails are a must. Burrata is my dairy kryptonite, I really can't not order it if it's on a menu, and I don't see why anyone would want to forgo burrata. Shame on you! In a world of bigger is better, I was pleased to see the size of their pizzas are perfect for sharing for a party of two paired with a few other treats. We opted in for the apple cider glazed pork belly and just the mere mention of this makes me salivate. I'll have to go back another time to try their cocktails and I think I'll revisit this burrata board when I do. Mixed with avocados and heirloom tomatoes, it was probably my stand out of the night.

heirloom tomatoes, burrata, avocado, plums

marherita pizza- those sea salt flakes are an awesome touch!

apple cider glazed pork belly

I remember going into Laurel Hardware when it actually was a hardware store and I'll definitely be back to it's new delicious incarnation. Have you made it over and sampled the fare? What did you think?

Did someone say burrata?

Burrata...the penultimate cheese- creamy on the center, soft skin on the outside. It's my absolute favorite of the cheese family. So good I could eat it like an apple, but I won't, because that's not ok, and I'd really prefer to eat it carefully to savour it. If you've never had burrata, I beg of you to please do your best to find some and prepare yourself something wonderful and indulge.

Mozza makes a pretty noteworthy caprese salad with roasted tomatoes and burrata. If you've had it, you know just how good it is. If you haven't had it, you should. Can't make it to Mozza, not to worry. The Mozza Cookbook has the recipe and if you can get your hands on good burrata, this is exactly what you should do with it.

My take on the Mozza caprese

Do you love burrata? What's your favorite cheese and your favorite way to eat it? Maybe you should schedule some burrata time this weekend and then come back and tell me all about it post cheese consumption!