Let me go backwards. We had already made plans to go dinner (which I've mentioned,) but Nate surprised me at lunch time with some flowers and a balloon. Thank goodness our OM wasn't here, because it meant I didn't have to wear the hideous birthday hat, once everyone in the office besides Brian found out it was my birthday.
He took me to Jimmy Johns for lunch and it was delicious. Because it always is.
After work, I came home to Nate baking banana bread, because the pan that he ordered for my birthday cake still hasn't arrived and we have two bunches of overripe bananas that need to be used. It works out better this way, anyway, because we will be able to eat the cake when it's fresh! It's white Funfetti cake, with chocolate Funfetti icing.
We went to the restaurant for our 7:45 reservation. It's basically above one of the Public Market buildings on Pike and 1st, so we followed the signs upstairs, around corners and down hallways until we found it. The space was tiny, but the wall facing the Sound had huge bay windows, which made it feel bigger. I would love to go back when it's nice outside, and you can actually see out across the water.
First course was Raw Oysters and Beef Carpaccio -- because apparently these are our staple appetizers, now -- and they were excellent. The oyster appetizer came with two different toppings: preserved meyer lemon and cucumber with salmon roe. The second was my favorite, because the roe was giant and salty, and paired perfectly with the fresh cucumber and the fresh oysters. I am a sucker for super-fresh, raw food.
(all the pics at dinner were taken by tealight)
Second course was Pan-Seared Halibut Cheeks with Potato Confit, an Apple Parsnip Puree and Lentil and Wilted Green salad, which was very good, especially when you ate the potato, halibut and puree together in one bite. Our other entree was a Strip Loin Steak with green beans, baby carrots and potatoes, which was also good. I am not a fan of steak, however, so I preferred the fish =)
Dessert was a Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee (served cold with flambed top -- I can't understand why they don't serve hot cremem brulee, but maybe that's just me) with berries and a Bitter Dark and White Chocolate Mousse Cake with a Raspberry Sauce. They were gone very quickly.
Nate saw them put a candle in someone else's dessert while we were eating, so he had them put one in my creme brulee, which was very nice of him, though the waitress said she was going to do it anyway, since she saw my birthday when she checked my ID for our wine pairings. They also gave me two chocolate truffles to take home in celebration.
(see? tealight)
FedEx came this morning with my present from my Mom!
Yay for Apple products! Except that I have to hide them away while I'm at work, because I'm in Microsoft land.
See? It came in a little box. A perfect disguise. I also got my birthday present from my Aunt yesterday in the mail, a giftcard to here. Wooh, wooh!
Nate also packed me enough banana bread to feed a small country this morning for breakfast.
Which is really just fine by me!
Don't forget to check out A Mess of Dresses, or my new list of fave blogs (on the right-hand side of the page.) It's gorgeous outside, so I hope if it's nice where you are, you're going out to enjoy it after you read this post! Because I can only watch from the conference room window.
-C
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