Here’s something you might not know about me: I was Bat Mitzvahed twice. Why? Well because I went to summer camp for 13 years and it’s tradition that if you make it to year 13 you have a camp Bat Mitzvah and invite your old camp friends, a few family members, etc.

In my 13 summers at camp, I was lucky enough to meet amazing people who would become some of my best friends in the whole world. While we are now dispersed across a variety of states, we have still managed to remain close, planning trips to see each other mini-vacations together, and our annual Thanksgiving gathering in Boston . Jamie (see above), despite stealing my coveted Avoda t-shirt many years ago, became one of my closest friends at camp. We have shared so many laughs over the years and were lucky enough to be co-counselors for 2 summers in a row.

This past weekend, Jamie decided to Bolt from New York to DC for a nice weekend visit. As per usual, I had to go into thinking mode and figure out where the best places for us to eat would be. While it is always nice to try something new, I wanted to guarantee we would have a flawless, delicious meal, so I went to one of my staples: Matchbox.

I recently did a guest post about Matchbox for City Girls World, but I decided that this meal was just too good NOT to write about.

So here’s what we ordered:

•  scallop gratin
  manchego / goat cheese / shallots 

(Sorry no picture of this one – we just dove right in!)

• crab & avocado salad
  tarragon aioli / roasted corn / red bell peppers / crostini

• prosciutto white
  fresh garlic puree / ricotta /extra virgin olive oil / mozzarella
• chicken pesto
  grilled marinated chicken / house-made pesto sauce / mozzarella

We got half and half of these two!

• chocolate chip bread pudding
  banana / rum caramel / fresh whipped cream

Not the best picture ... this was towards the end of the wine bottle we got to accompany our meal.

Per usual, everything was delectable. The crab and avocado salad came highly recommended from my boss, and I am so glad she mentioned it because I had never had it before, but I can tell you I will absolutely get that appetizer every time I go.

Jamie and I were on a slight seafood kick so we went with the scallops as our second appetizer. While tasty, this dish was a little too heavy for a starter and really needed an extra spice or two to really round out the flavor. Perhaps adding a bolder cheese since goat is so mild.

In terms of pizza, you can never go wrong with a chicken pesto pizza. Often times the pesto can be overwhelming or there might not be enough chicken, but this had the perfect balance of both. The prosciutto white originally came with olives, but Jamie and I 86′d those. The base white pizza was delicious, but, as you can see from the pizza, the prosciutto was just slapped down on top of the pizza and I feel that Matchbox could have gotten a little more creative with integrating that ingredient into the pizza. Still yummy, but I expected a littttlllleee more.

The dessert was fabulous! Beware of the sauce though – it is very rich and there’s a slight chance the rum in it will give you a slight buzz. This is definitely not a dessert to eat on your own, but is great to share. Finish it off with a side of vanilla gelato and you are guaranteed to leave Matchbox satisfied!