Happy spring, Easter, & 34th bday!

I just got back from my birthday "extravaganzapalooza" afternoon / evening. Dave had planned a special day to celebrate my birthday tomorrow. I only had been told to be ready at 3:00 and to get dressed up. As I was getting ready, Dave had my present ready for me. A pair of beautiful diamond earrings was in a lovely wrapped box with a sentimentally sweet card.

We then headed to Phipps Conservatory for their spring flower show. Neither of us had been there for years. It was so beautiful to see so many flowers in such creative ways - and the smell... heaven!!

Next we went to the Gandy Dancer at Station Square for drinks (for Dave) and a small appetizer since I was hungry. We had a little time to kill before our dinner reservations at the secret restaurant.

When the time came, we pulled up to Isabella's along Mt. Washington!!!!!

I'd always heard of how romantic and wonderful the food was here, and we were not disappointed in the least. We had a corner table along the windows overlooking the point and the entire city. As amazing as view was, the 7 course meal was even more amazing! Our courses were:

1. Blue crab & avocado salad with cilantro


2. Caramelized leek and cauliflower soup, crispy Gruyere cheese (for me - probably my favorite course) and Ancho Chile-Cherry braised duck leg, ricotta cheese polenta (for Dave)


3. Halibut fillet, sweet potato gnocchi, crème fraiche (for Dave) and red curried corn crusted sea scallops, sweet mango juice, cilantro-yogurt foam (for me)


4. An intermezzo of pineapple lime sorbet


5. Cabernet braised Kobe skirt steak, Porcini mushroom, poached garlic risotto (for me) and venison leg steak, blood orange jam and potato-parsnip puree (for Dave)


6. A salad of baby greens, dried apple, goat cheese & vanilla-cardamom vinaigrette


7. Blue cheese cheese cake, dried pears and port wine reduction (for Dave which he adored) and house made chocolate truffles (for me which was excellent and I could've had 4 orders!)

And I had a glass of wine as well, which tasted so wonderful. We shared our meals with the exception of the cheese cake, which I wanted no part of. I can't remember when I had such a good meal. And Michelle, I thought of you every single course!! (It started as soon as I saw they had a leek soup, but then every thing tasted so darned good that I knew you'd really appreciate it. You need to leave the Boss with me one evening and take your hubby for any occasion!)

We had an amazing day, and I'm heading to bed soon. Tomorrow we'll have a nice breakfast, head to church and then see Dave's family all day. Being 34 doesn't really feel any different than 33 (or any of my recent years to be honest) but I can say that I'm looking forward to the upcoming year and know it will be one of the best in my life! I hope you all have an Easter that is as blessed as I feel right now (and that just isn't the wine talking).