I Got Birfday

December 22, 2005

It was my birthday yesterday (December 21) and I'm in the last stretch of my 20's (I'm 29!).

My birthday started like most other days...ignoring the alarm until Will can't take it anymore and tells me to wake up. But I was quickly reminded of what day it was with Will's constant "You got birthday!" and my mom's annual early morning phone call of "It feels like it was just yesterday when I gave birth to you..."
(Sure Mom, yesterday + 28 years + 364 days)

Anyway, as it's the last couple days at work before the holidays, everyone is very festive and I keep coming to my desk to find piles of cookies and chocolates...mmm! We had a holiday social complete with treats and eggnog!

Wendy and the gang planned a great birthday dinner for me at 1550 Hyde Cafe & Wine Bar, a nice little joint that's on the 2005 Top 100 Restaurants in the Bay Area list compiled by the food reviewers of the SF Chronicle (Michael Bauer). We've been trying to go to this restaurant for a while now, but it's quaint and we never seemed to find a reservation to fit our big group.

The wine: 2003 Fritz Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley

The starter:
Bea - Curried butternut squash soup with creme fraiche
Will - Antipasto with la quercia prosciutto americano with warm bread salad and tapenade

The meal:
Bea - Hoffman Farms pollo frito with chanterelles, farro salad and baby spinach (that's fried chicken, baby!)
Will - Rabbit braised in mustard sauce with spätzle and bloomsdale spinach

Unfortunately, none of us had the capacity for dessert, so we wisely decided not to have any.

Ashley & Wendy

Katharine, Key & Bea

Courtney & Cyrus

Bea & Will

The gang outside 1550 Hyde

On a side note: at some point, we realized that we were dining in the same establishment as James Spader, the actor currently starring in the ABC sitcom Boston Legal. Although, I will always fondly remember him as the rich-prick, Steff, in Pretty In Pink.

On another side note: Did you know that December 21 is Winter Solstice? Winter solstice marks the shortest day and the longest night of the year...woohoo!