Older, Wiser, Fuller!

Well, yesterday I turned another year older, perhaps wiser, and most definitely fuller!  I've had one of the best birthdays this gal has had, and much of it, in addition to the sweet love I received via birthday greetings from the Husband, the Girlies, Family & Friends, centered around the celebration of food that occurred while celebrating my turning 34 (well, 29, if my birthday wish were to come to fruition~ha!).

I was treated to such deliciousness over my birthday weekend, that I feel so full as I enter this post into the books.  To celebrate in style, Alex made a reservation at the swanky, oh-so-chic Balsan in the Gold Coast area of Chicago.  Such a beautiful place, aesthetically and gastronomically.  We had just about everything from every section of their pleasant menu.  From the Old Fashioned spirited cocktail to start the night with a bang, to the briny oysters on the half shell to keep it sexy and chic, to the signature savory bacony tarte flambee to tempt our tastebuds, to the refreshing beet salad to cleanse my palate, to the rich and meltingly tender veal blanquette surrounded by lengthy egg noodles to celebrate a long life ahead for me, to the smooth glasses of lovely Argentinian Malbec to toast my aging, to the earthy French Pressed coffee to keep me energized to celebrate throughout the evening, and finally to the indulgently sweet Paris Brest dolled up with a birthday candle for moi, my Birthday Dinner was absolutely lovely, delectable, and memorable.  And if this wasn't enough, Alex's selections were just as lovely, and he shared with me too, including a taste of his rich chocolate souffle cake with milk stout ice cream...Happy Birthday to me!

Me & my Old Fashioned! So excited for my Birthday meal!

Savory Tart Flambee

Sexy Oysters!

Pretty & Refreshing  Beet Salad

Delicious Ben Marco Malbec~Cheers!

Rich Veal Blanquette with Egg Noodles! Here's to a rich long life ahead!

Coffee & Tea time!

Chocolate Souffle Cake for Alex...and Me :)

Paris Brest Birthday Pastry :)

Me & My Dude, enjoying a lovely Balsan Birthday Dinner  :)

Now, since the Balsan dinner technically did not occur on my actual birthday, but the eve of it, we decided that after spending an evening of Citylife and slumber sans the kids, we would get up on the morning of my actual 34th, and meet my cousin Mia (more affectionately known to us as "Ge Mitz" or Ate) at the equally awesome though more earthy and approachable Nightwood restaurant in the Pilsen are of the City for a delightful brunch. I've gotta say, I am a lucky gal to have been the recipient of 2 fabulous meals to celebrate my coming into the world.  1st a beautiful she-she-la-la dinner at Balsan, and now a fantastic and hip brunch at Nightwood that went a little like this: a cup of earthy Intelligentsia coffee to wake me up, next a sampling of Nightwood's famous bacon butterscotch glazed donut + caramel cream stuffed donut with pecan glaze~Oh.My.Goodness.Gracious!, then my main brunch plate of a bagel sandwich consisting of a shmear of smoked trout cream cheese, layered with crisp bacon, a sunny side up egg, refreshing cabbage slaw, and beautifully rustic tater tots that are like little delightful hash brown spheres of yum.  Take a look:

Bacon Butterscotch & Caramel Cream-filled Donut with Pecan Glaze :)

So good!

What remained of the caramel cream-filled donut after the trio of us devoured  it!

Bagel Sandwich of Goodness, with hip Tater Tots on the side

And if all this wasn't enough, we left the city to head back to our Girlies, who were entertaining my parents at their house.  And since Mom is still taking it easy to stay sickness-free, and the Chicagoland area was still recovering from remnants of the crazy Blizzard 2011, the parents decided to order dim sum take out from our dear old Chinese restaurant of choice~Hong Min in Palos Hills, but I was soooo stuffed from the night before and brunch that I could only muster a bite out of my favorite dim sum dumpling~shumai.  But the Girlies went to town on some delicious shrimp chiang foon noodle rolls.  And to top that all off, Alex & I stopped at Oberweis Ice Cream parlor to grab a small ice cream cake to make my birthday celebration with my loving little family complete.  And if that wasn't enough, when we got to my parents' house, my dad opened up a bottle of sweet red wine to toast to me :)  Talk about making a gal feel special and full of food and love and love of food...I heart my family!!!

Sweet Red  Rheinhessen~Cheers!

Shrimp & Pork Shumai Dumpling with Chili Sauce on the side~yum!

My Loves :)

Essentially a kind of foodie's dream weekend.  I am so grateful that I was the recipient all the love, and of such a wonderful weekend of celebrating. 34 ain't that bad. Cheers!

To think...We might do this all over again in a few weeks, Alex-style, when we celebrate his birthday at the end of the month!  I love February. (Burp!) Tee hee...