Eatfest2010: Food Photos For You to Drool Over
Usually I make a big deal out of my birthday. I spend months researching the perfect restaurant for dinner, and planning the perfect party at the perfect location. More often than not, I even plan a trip out of town. But this year, I finally stepped outside of my naturally narcissistic self, and realized that I’m the only person who cares about my birthday. I didn’t feel like putting effort into planning such an elaborate, expensive celebration just so that I can hear 100 reasons why so-and-so can’t make it anyway. And now that it’s all done and over with, I’m extremely glad that I didn’t wear myself out making plans. My mom flew to town, and that was apparently all I needed to truly enjoy my 25th birthday.
I started getting sick 8 days before my birthday. That illness lasted right on through my birthday— sore throat, headache, congestion, fatigue, coughing. The first night my mom was in town I tried to suck it up for dinner at Maz Mezcal. But I couldn’t even eat the food let alone enjoy it. My throat was on fire, and my favorite green salsa and corn chips weren’t helping. I couldn’t swallow anything but the cheese enchilada, and even the sauce was a little too spicy to handle.
The next few days were followed by several trips out, mostly in my neighborhood, interrupted with numerous detours back to the apartment for a quick rest and a plethora of pills. Our plans of heading out to the beach were rerouted to a shady tree in Central Park. I didn’t think I could handle the heat on the beach without passing out. All in all, we didn’t do a whole hell of a lot, but we still managed to make it to most of the restaurants on the list for EatFest2010.
On Tuesday, my actual birthday, my mom and I went for a walk around the neighborhood first thing in the morning. We stopped at a diner for a light breakfast, went to Two Little Red Hens for a red velvet cake, stopped by the PetCo store to see some puppies and chinchillas, and then went back home for a few hours of relaxation. Our lunch plans at Stanton Social were ruined when we found out that they didn’t open until 5pm, so we ordered Blockheads instead.
After awaking from our 91 degree nap, we got ready and met Mike down at Les Halles for birthday dinner. I ordered the raviolis de champignons, sabayon de chèvre (mushroom raviolis with goat cheese sabayon),
the faux-filet bercy (NY sirloin with a red wine butter),
and a dish of crème brûlée for dessert,
alongside a glass of Pinot Noir. The food was absolutely phenomenal. I had been contemplating where to go for my birthday dinner for over a month, and I finally made the decision only about two days before the big day (based on affordability really). Even though the place was a bit noisy and a tad too warm, the meal was absolutely perfect. The mushroom and goat cheese ravioli surprised me with new flavors in each bite, and I cannot remember the last time I had a steak that was so delicious and perfectly cooked— if ever. Apparently I don’t have very sharp teeth, so I’m usually the last one at the table, still chewing my steak. This sirloin was so amazing, it literally melted in my mouth. I’ve never understood the use of that phrase for meat, but after last night, I get it. This medium-rare steak only took about 3 bites to swallow. The circle of butter served on top melted right into the steak, creating a sort of steak sauce all on its own. No need for A1 here. And the fries were perfectly crispy. I knew I had an amazing red velvet cake waiting at home for me, but I’m not one to resist temptation. I just had to order the sweet, deliciously enticing crème brûlée. After all that food, we went back to the apartment and ate some moist, rich and delicious red velvet cake. Absolutely incredible. All in all it was a great birthday. Not too much excitement, but plenty of amazing food. I’m just really glad that my mom came to town to celebrate with me.
That being said, I am having a mini-party this Saturday with my friends. Since I didn’t have the time or energy to plan something myself, I’m actually just having some people over to my friend Landy’s house, who is also celebrating his birthday with a BBQ the same day. I figured since only a handful of people would come out, we could combine parties. That way all I have to do is show up, bring some food and drinks, and enjoy myself. Hopefully I’m feeling 100% better on Saturday!
Some other noteworthy food we ate over the week: ribs at Fette Sau; gougères, salmon and steak frites with bone marrow at Café D’Alsace, Let the countdown begin: 364 days until I’m 26.
