A few years ago I bore witness to the beginning of a tradition - Birthday dinners with the gals.
It started rather innocently, with my friend Denise and I deciding to surprise our mutual friend Jenn with a massage at Oasis Day Spa, followed by drinks with a gaggle of ladies at a Latino restaurant that has since changed hands and morphed several times over. Cocktails quickly turned to dinner and there you have it - a tradition is born.
Dinner plans became more and more elaborate over the years and the tables of revelers got larger and larger.
This year, I put a stop to it on my b-day. I divvyed up my friends and spread out my "special day" into three separate low-key dinners. It was much more civilized. I actually got to talk with all my friends over dinner, instead of dealing with an outsized posse at one massive table. Waiters were much more delighted to deal with tables of six or three than the usual ten or twelve at these fetes. Besides, who can argue with three dinners instead of one?
But, this past weekend, I think my pal Joy's birthday took the cake - literally and figuratively. A do-gooder who is regularly traveling for her do-gooding work, Joy couldn't find an evening to squeeze in an evening celebration and opted for of all things - brunch. Brunch? Eggs? Bagels? What kind of party is that?
Well, guess I plum forgot about how festive a Fresh Horseradish-Asparagus Bloody Mary, a Strawberry Bellini or a bitter, juicy Milano Cocktail can be on a Sunday afternoon. Six of us planted ourselves at Inside in the West Village and ate, gabbed, drank and reveled ourselves silly. Starting off with a platter of still-warm Baking Powder Biscuits (picture above) with Strawberry Butter complete with birthday candles and a round of the aforementioned cocktails and we knew we were onto something good.
When we threw in some Buckwheat Fried Oysters with Lemon Remoulade, brown sugar-dusted Dates with Almonds and Bacon, Matzoh Brei with Dill and Smoked Salmon, Roasted Chicken with Spaetzle and Roasted Red Beets, along with a helping of Stone Ground Grits with White Cheddar, we realized that we were havingmone heck of a party. Topping it off with an assortment of desserts, including an irresistable Fresh Rhubarb Crisp with Pistachio Ice Cream, we deemed it a birthday to remember (and one worthy of an extra hour or two at the gym)!
And so, it was over said dessert assortment that my friend Stacie came up with a brilliant proposal: Let's ditch the difficulties of pulling ourselves together for reservation-required dinners and switch our b-day celebrations into Sunday brunch mode. Hey, while we're at it, how about resurrecting that Book Club a few of us let fall to the wayside and make that a brunch affair too?
It all sounds good to me. But, I do have to worry. Does this change mean that I'm getting "more mature?" Have my friends and I moved onto another "phase of life?" And, what's next? Could it be? Are we all heading into "Golden Girls" territory? If so, I feel I must roll with the times, and I'll end with this concept: THE EARLY BIRD SPECIAL BIRTHDAY
Whaddayathink?
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