Always looking for sunshine, figuratively and lite Always looking for sunshine, figuratively and literally. Sometimes we don’t have to look very far and it finds us. ☀️
It didn’t take much to get me to @mikespastasand It didn’t take much to get me to @mikespastasandwichshoppe when a friend texted me a screenshot of their cheese butter. Up until last week I had never even heard of cheese butter but just two days later, I’m driving an hour round trip to get some. 😂 I was never one to succumb to peer pressure (I didn’t have my first drink until I was 21!), but when it comes to food finds, I am very easily intrigued. After all, that’s how I’ve discovered some of my favorite bites over the years … lardo from @butlerandtheboard, a spicy Italian sausage, and my love of chicharron. If you haven’t visited Mike’s in Nutley, it’s worth a visit. While there, I also got a small tray of meatballs (a bargain at $10!) and a delicious mortadella sandwich that is worth a round trip. ✨
The long, dreary and grey months of the Winter nee The long, dreary and grey months of the Winter need a little bit of color, so here you go. 😍 Love this chest of drawers. Discovered it buried in a local shop and bought it specifically for the green color (one of my favorites). Vintage Coke crate was a $10 score from a garage sale place on Facebook some ten years ago. And the assorted markers in Roy G Biv order (natch) that aren’t used anymore because my kids have sadly left that phase. 🙃
Weekend Photos in Review, old school still photo s Weekend Photos in Review, old school still photo style, hope you had a good one! ✨
A friend was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if A friend was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if I wanted her to bring me back anything. Would you believe me if I told you I asked for salt? I love picking up different varieties, whether we’re traveling or I’m just visiting a new shop. Maddie grabbed me a super cute one from her trip to Paris last year, and the Magic Unicorn Salt I get locally is another favorite. What’s yours?
One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a serious case of FOMO on the daily, gets hiccups more than anyone we know and has perpetual bed head. She’s quite the unique roommate but may be exactly what our home needed. 💛
I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw th I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw that @njdotcom had picked six bagel shops at the “best in the state,” and one was reasonably local, all the sudden I needed one. I was never one to fall prey to peer pressure, but I’m very definitely a marketer’s dream. 😂 Alfa Bagels is on Route 10 in Randolph and has a good assortment of bagels, including all the usual suspects, but with a few others like rainbow, Asiago and French Toast throw in for good measure. Their bagels always seem to have a nice chew, which I appreciate and I love their sesame one. My go-to order lately is a double toasted flagel with lox spread and tomato. Their lox spread is a little ho hum, but the bagel is delish. Check them out next time you’ve got a craving (or get motivated by a local news story 😝). What’s your bagel order?
✌🏻 ✌🏻
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Sweetnicks

Food and Life

Review: The Pop Shop {Collingswood, New Jersey}

December 28, 2012 · Narrative

PS - Outside sign
Now if you happen to find yourself at the Adventure Aquarium and need a bite to eat, you’re in the perfect area to check out The Pop Shop. Located just four miles away in the cute downtown of Collingswood, it’s a little throwback joint that has received some national acclaim by being featured on Food Network’s Throwdown with Bobby Flay. If you’re not familiar with the show, the chosen restaurant dishes up the dish that they are most known for, and Flay then competes, using all of his chef prowess (and two helpers) in a throwdown, to see whose end product really is the best. When The Pop Shop competed, it was with their grilled cheese (they offer 31 varieties of it!).

PS - interior-001

But beyond the brush with fame, The Pop Shop was popular in its own right. Soda fountains, decorating reminiscent of the 1950s, and breakfast served all day, it’s a cute spot with a fun, cheery vibe. They have won numerous “best of” awards for their pancakes and their grilled cheese. On street parking and an easy-to-find location, we were lucky enough to snag a booth with no waiting. Although we had to ask for them, they have soda jerk hats and crayons to keep the kids busy while waiting for food.

PS - front counter-001

PS - cuteness-001 - Copy

The menu is exhaustive. So many different combinations. Breakfast. Sandwiches. Grilled cheese in every combination. Comfort food at every turn. Two pages just devoted to milk shakes. It’s one of those menus that you need to close once you decide on something that looks good, because if you keep looking, you’ll keep changing your mind.

PS - menu-001

PS - more interior-001

Madeline went very old-school with a PB&J, and Nick ordered a cheeseburger. They have three sections of the menu just for kids … baby squirts, little squirts, and big squirts. A word to the wise, be clear which section you’re ordering from when you do. I ordered Nick a cheeseburger, and he was served the “adult” cheeseburger to the tune of $7.99, versus the $4.59 and $3.99 big/little squirt versions. Color me not happy. I mean, does he look like an adult? Even worse when they add an additional 0.99 for the cheese, and 1.99 for the fries (which we didn’t order). Beyond ridiculous. The burger was quite bland, with no seasoning at all on the meat. He did manage to eat 3/4 of it though, and lost a wiggly molar on it in the process.

And darn that Tooth Fairy for forgetting to come last night!

PS - my sandwich-001

Since The Pop Shop is well-known for their grilled cheese, that’s, of course, the way I had to go. I ended up choosing their 5B’s Grilled Cheese, which was inspired by the sandwich that Bobby Flay made while he was there. I’m still lost on why it’s called 5B’s (Bobby, Brie, Bacon … and?), and meant to ask our waiter, but he kept sitting down with another table. Along with the bacon and Brie, the sandwich also had goat cheese, and, really, warm goat cheese and I am so there. The bread was a thick country white and was perfect for the sandwich. My only complaint about the sandwich was the rather anemic looking tomatoes and the bacon could have been cooked more. Unfortunately red tomatoes are hard to come by this time of year in the Northeast, but then you just need to outsource them from a little further out.

PS - pop fries-001

The order came with fries, and I am admittedly picky about fries. Not so much fries, but if I’m going to ingest something reasonably unhealthy, I want it to be worth it, you know? They were mostly meh; limp and under-seasoned. I ended up leaving most of mine, as did the kids, so I’d take a pass if you go.

Nick has a soft spot for milk shakes, and his eyes all but glazed over when he saw all the choices they had. He ended up going with the S’mores Milk Shake, and it was delicious.

PS - nick instagramming-001
*can you tell he’s my kid? he’s instagramming his shake

They have a large selection of other drinks, as well as many soda concoctions, but surprisingly no ginger ale (which happens to be my drink of choice since giving up Diet Coke back in April).

PS - my kiddos

If you’re in the area, it’s worth a stop.

PS One thing of note that was nagging at me – if you use the restroom, you’ll want a partner to cover for you. Literally. There are large gaps between the door and the panel that it is attached to (for both stalls), enough that you can pretty much see everything that’s going on behind the door. Which is totally not cool.

The Pop Shop
729 Haddon Avenue
Collingswood, NJ 08108

856-869-0111

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Posted In: Narrative · Tagged: Adventure Aquarium, Bobby Flay, Collingswood, Food Network, grilled cheese, New Jersey, The Pop Shop, Throwndown

Comments

  1. Joanne says

    December 28, 2012 at 7:20 am

    Okay so The Pop Shop and I have a date with destiny. I’m such a sucker for grilled cheese lately. mmmm. :)
    Joanne recently posted..Recipe: Broccolini with Tofu, Sesame and Coriander

    Reply
  2. patsy says

    December 28, 2012 at 1:48 pm

    My in-laws live close to Collingswood, so this may have to be on our list of places to try in the coming months… I’ve got to check out those grilled cheese offerings!
    patsy recently posted..Cookie time! {recipe: Gooey Chocolate Sensation Cookies}

    Reply
  3. The Neighbor Wife says

    December 29, 2012 at 9:38 am

    Our friend owns it. That’s so funny how you end up there. Small world.

    Reply
  4. Jenn says

    December 30, 2012 at 4:14 pm

    Bobby, Brie, Bacon, Bread & Butter, maybe?

    Reply

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Always looking for sunshine, figuratively and lite Always looking for sunshine, figuratively and literally. Sometimes we don’t have to look very far and it finds us. ☀️
It didn’t take much to get me to @mikespastasand It didn’t take much to get me to @mikespastasandwichshoppe when a friend texted me a screenshot of their cheese butter. Up until last week I had never even heard of cheese butter but just two days later, I’m driving an hour round trip to get some. 😂 I was never one to succumb to peer pressure (I didn’t have my first drink until I was 21!), but when it comes to food finds, I am very easily intrigued. After all, that’s how I’ve discovered some of my favorite bites over the years … lardo from @butlerandtheboard, a spicy Italian sausage, and my love of chicharron. If you haven’t visited Mike’s in Nutley, it’s worth a visit. While there, I also got a small tray of meatballs (a bargain at $10!) and a delicious mortadella sandwich that is worth a round trip. ✨
The long, dreary and grey months of the Winter nee The long, dreary and grey months of the Winter need a little bit of color, so here you go. 😍 Love this chest of drawers. Discovered it buried in a local shop and bought it specifically for the green color (one of my favorites). Vintage Coke crate was a $10 score from a garage sale place on Facebook some ten years ago. And the assorted markers in Roy G Biv order (natch) that aren’t used anymore because my kids have sadly left that phase. 🙃
Weekend Photos in Review, old school still photo s Weekend Photos in Review, old school still photo style, hope you had a good one! ✨

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Always looking for sunshine, figuratively and lite Always looking for sunshine, figuratively and literally. Sometimes we don’t have to look very far and it finds us. ☀️
It didn’t take much to get me to @mikespastasand It didn’t take much to get me to @mikespastasandwichshoppe when a friend texted me a screenshot of their cheese butter. Up until last week I had never even heard of cheese butter but just two days later, I’m driving an hour round trip to get some. 😂 I was never one to succumb to peer pressure (I didn’t have my first drink until I was 21!), but when it comes to food finds, I am very easily intrigued. After all, that’s how I’ve discovered some of my favorite bites over the years … lardo from @butlerandtheboard, a spicy Italian sausage, and my love of chicharron. If you haven’t visited Mike’s in Nutley, it’s worth a visit. While there, I also got a small tray of meatballs (a bargain at $10!) and a delicious mortadella sandwich that is worth a round trip. ✨
The long, dreary and grey months of the Winter nee The long, dreary and grey months of the Winter need a little bit of color, so here you go. 😍 Love this chest of drawers. Discovered it buried in a local shop and bought it specifically for the green color (one of my favorites). Vintage Coke crate was a $10 score from a garage sale place on Facebook some ten years ago. And the assorted markers in Roy G Biv order (natch) that aren’t used anymore because my kids have sadly left that phase. 🙃
Weekend Photos in Review, old school still photo s Weekend Photos in Review, old school still photo style, hope you had a good one! ✨
A friend was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if A friend was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if I wanted her to bring me back anything. Would you believe me if I told you I asked for salt? I love picking up different varieties, whether we’re traveling or I’m just visiting a new shop. Maddie grabbed me a super cute one from her trip to Paris last year, and the Magic Unicorn Salt I get locally is another favorite. What’s yours?
One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a serious case of FOMO on the daily, gets hiccups more than anyone we know and has perpetual bed head. She’s quite the unique roommate but may be exactly what our home needed. 💛
I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw th I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw that @njdotcom had picked six bagel shops at the “best in the state,” and one was reasonably local, all the sudden I needed one. I was never one to fall prey to peer pressure, but I’m very definitely a marketer’s dream. 😂 Alfa Bagels is on Route 10 in Randolph and has a good assortment of bagels, including all the usual suspects, but with a few others like rainbow, Asiago and French Toast throw in for good measure. Their bagels always seem to have a nice chew, which I appreciate and I love their sesame one. My go-to order lately is a double toasted flagel with lox spread and tomato. Their lox spread is a little ho hum, but the bagel is delish. Check them out next time you’ve got a craving (or get motivated by a local news story 😝). What’s your bagel order?
✌🏻 ✌🏻

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