Making it through Wednesday Hump Day

I had the hardest time getting myself out of bed yesterday morning, so when I got to the train station and I saw the sign for $3 coffee and a bagel w/ cream cheese, I thought to myself - yes. This is exactly what I need because bagels solve all problems. I think if world leaders should consider having more bagels in life and perhaps then, we would have world peace.

Coffee & everything bagel w/ cream cheese

Then when I wasn't even halfway through my bagel, a coworker drops by and drops off this beautiful Chinese pastry - a fried sesame ball with red bean paste inside. And it was all warm and fried and downright DELICIOUS! And I thought to myself, this is exactly the way to start hump day.

Fried sesame ball

I also had a great (early birthday) dinner to look forward to at Vice Versa, which I have been meaning to go to to try the Tagliatelle Al Caffe Con Salsa Ai Tartufi Neri which my sister has been raving about since she went last year. I should have done my research before I went, because much to my dismay, it was no longer on the menu! The waiter recommended instead that I try the Casoncelli filled with veal, raisin & amaretto cookies with sage butter and pancetta (whew! that was a lot of words...). I wouldn't normally go for a dish like that, I generally prefer dishes that are more on the savory than sweet side, but I figured since I had been wanting to try a coffee flavored pasta, that I might as well try one stuffed with amaretto cookies.

It was indeed a tad bit on the sweet side for me personally, and perhaps it was the texture of the veal that made it seem more mushy, but overall my impression was just OK. 

Their chocolate cake dessert however, was delicious. It was all warm and gooey on the inside (gooey is a silly word, but when describing chocolate cake is fantastic). I also asked to substitute the vanilla gelato for pistachio, which they kindly obliged and was definitely the right thing to do - I love me some pistachio gelato! And we spent time ooh-ing and ah-ing over the pretty "Happy Birthday" writing on the plate.

The dinner party - this was one out of 20 pictures that our enthusiastic actor-waiter took while we were getting into photo formation