Restaurant Rewind: Varga Bar w/ Sunshine

Easter came & went and I’m finally resurrected from the blogging dead. Between a full hardrive and an external crash, I was graciously interrupted by a perfect vacation to Miami with Dre. I’m back in Philly now with some catching up to do, so here goes!

In early March, Sunshine suggested meeting up for dinner snacks at Varga Bar. I’ve been wanting to give it a try and surely looked forward to catching up with one of my favorite people. There was some Yelp! drink special going on so I went for the Cadillac Margarita & Sunshine chose the Renegade Root Beer, both $4 apiece.

Soon after our cocktails arrived, the waitress presented a marble slab with 5 cheeses & accoutrements. I’ve blanked on the specific cheese varieties, but I know we had (2) raw goat cheeses, a goat’s milk sharp cheddar, a creamy blue, and a gouda that was definitely not a gouda (but still delicious!). The platter included pairings of garlic dolce de leche, some other dolce de leche, bourbon honey mustard, grapes, granny & gala apple slices, & a fruit relish. We each had our favorites and surely appreciated the server who graciously brought us a 3rd plate of baguette.

Next up, a tower of crisp fries topped with melted white cheddar, parmesan, & tender jump lump crab. With or without the peppery homemade ketchup, they were quite tasty. Overall, the service & ambiance were ok, the food was good, & the company was certainly great!

Cheese Plate & Jumbo Lump Cheese Fries - Varga Bar

@ Sunshine’s: Swedish Meatballs, French Blue Salad, & Curvy Girl Vintage

After a long Wedding Open House at work, I made my up to Fishtown to visit my favorite vintage-crafty fashionista, Sunshine. She recruited me to model some fun vintage clothes for her blog, Blog Full of Jelly, and her Etsy shop, bubblepipe. My favorite was a 1940s German Black Wool Dirndil with ruffled detail that I may have to scoop up for myself! I can def see myself rocking it on a long-overdue visit to my birthplace.

German Black Wool Dirndil

Sunshine’s a great cook, too, so I was pretty pumped to hear she was making Swedish Meatballs. Why so pumped you ask?

A. None of my regular dinner guests eat red meat (except for a burger here and there)

B. Dre refuses to eat meat in the form of a ball (or loaf for that matter!)

Swedish Meatballs a la Sunshine

She paired the meatballs with some crusty bread, rye toasts, and, what I coined, her French Blue Salad. Simply enough, it’s blue cheese crumbles mixed with French dressing over Bibb lettuce. Sooo good and so on my list of regular salad preparations. Tuning into the retro ambiance of her amazing home, our dinner was served on vintage TV trays as we enjoyed classic Simpsons episodes, orange-y cocktails, & each others company!

Swedish Meatballs & French Blue Salad

P.S. I left Sunshine with a pint of Cream of Asparugus Soup that she enjoyed the next day with the rye toasts and French Blue Salad for a Leftover Lightning! of her own.