birthday vittles!

I had a really amazing birthday and I owe it all to my friends.  Basically, it was truly filled with whimsy and wonder.  Oh, and really good vittles.  Trust.

Celebration #1 was a 10 course chef's tasting at Uchiko, my absolute favorite restaurant with Be and David aka sweetpea and honeybee. I can never, ever, EVER get enough of Uchiko or Uchi.  Apparently, Tyson Cole, the executive chef and mastermind just won a James Beard award.  He's kind of a big deal.  Not surprising as he is the bomb.  Truly, his creations are total masterpieces.  The flavors and textures and combinations are literally unlike anything I've experienced.  He pairs ingredients that one would never expect and it comes out phenomenal every time.  We were there for about 3 hours and it was beyond amazing.  I can't thank Be and David enough.  What a dinner!  See pics below.

Hamachi deliciousness

Scallops atop a corn puree with sea salt. Aka omfg I could die now, for real.

                                                                                                                                       

I don't even remember what this was but best believe it was some tasty vittles.

At this point, I started having a food coma.

A very whimsical beet salad.

I don't remember what was in this but it was the bomb.

Delicious sushi

more delicious sushi

oh and some more delicious sushi

this was the beet salad after they added some ridiculously good broth/puree of I don't even know what.

Delicious lamb vittles with peas and an edamame puree

This was the signature new Uchiko dessert which consisted of cherry glaze, cherry vanilla ice cream, almonds, and I can't remember what else.

Fried milk aka omfg.

 

I know I've said this before and I'll say it again.  I would have babies with this dessert.  I'm just keeping it real.

Last night, I was hard-core surprised by Cris and Amy aka Nugget and Weenis.  They planned this elaborate fedora-themed mustache-wearing dinner at The Highball.  I had absolutely no idea that it was going down AT ALL.  I thought I was going to a nice dinner, just the 3 of us.  Actually, I thought I was going to Uchi or Uchiko again, lol.  It was amazing and whimsical. 

Also, as some of you know, my running mantra is: I'm a unicorn. Fuck anyone who says I'm not.  When I am exhausted and delirious and wanting to die or kill people, I think about my mantra and it keeps me going.  So they got me a customized unicorn cake with my running mantra!  I mean, how awesome is that?!  Seriously!!  The cake was truly spectacular, magical  and majestic, as unicorns are.  Do I have the most awesome friends or what?  Yes, yes I do.

My whimsical cake!

After that we went to G & S Lounge and had some delightful cocktails and played some songs on the jukebox, took pictures in the photo booth, and played air hockey.  

I've gotta say, I feel an enormous amount of gratitude right now. 

Me eating a piece of my whimsical unicorn cake!

Some of my favorite people looking quite dapper.

birthday scallops, tra la la!

I mean, is this or is this not THE SHIT?!

What am amazing evening!  Big thanks to Cris/Nugget and Amy/Weenis for being so awesome.

Also, thank you so much to Be/Sweetpea for helping to coordinate this, David/Honeybee for an awesome 

dinner and taking me to Bridesmaids.  Big hugs to everyone that came rocking their dapper fedoras and mustaches.  And thank you to Sarah and Ginger for the cupcakes they made me and...everything else.

For those who I didn't get to celebrate with, you were missed, fo sho.

I had an awesome birthday.  I am very lucky to have friends that love me so much.

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!  That is all.