Truffle Me Gently

I'm a little in love with the cafe down the street.  Cafe by day, restaurant by night.  I've spent a fair amount of time there in the last few weeks as that's where I go when I need a change of scenery from my dining room table.  Common Roots Cafe has good coffee, good cream cheese, and good cookies (that's all I've actually eaten so far, but have a list of menu items that I'll get around to.)

The moment the infatuation began happened one day last week.  I spent a few hours working there next to Fuzz, started with a cup of coffee, then got a little hungry.  I wanted something more snack then entree size, and saw the Truffle Mac and Cheese on the menu.   
Now, here's the thing - seeing truffle anything on a menu item makes me thing "cop out".  I know truffles and their oil is earthy and perfumy and unctuous and wonderful, BUT, it can be just too much.  Want to make french fries gourmet?  Throw some truffle oil on those bad boys, charge at least twice as much, and boom, you've got got gourmet.  I'm just saying - use it well, use it sparingly - don't wear out the truffle.  I digress. 

If any dining establishment is going to make it onto my favorites list, and they offer a mac&cheese, it has to be good.  While the truffle aspect made me a skeptic, the Brie listed as the ingredient made me order it.
Ohhh it was so good.  The truffle was present but subtle (as it should be!), the cheddar and brie cheeses were balanced and melty but not too gooey or liquidy, the mushrooms added a nice texture and earthy aspect, and there were just enough panko breadcrumbs to add a little bite.
  

(Not the best picture, but you get the idea.)
 
With that goodness in my belly, we powered through another hour or so, before Fuzz said, "Should we have a glass of wine?"  We should have.  We did.  (A cabernet, Chilean I think, which was pretty light for a cab but lovely during a weekday happy hour.)
  

Worked through that, then began a weekend of friends visiting, crapples to crapples, brunches, thai food, walking in heels, music, funny one-upmanship, and lots and lots and lots of drinking.  It was the perfect way to start.