Birthday Bliss

It's been a while since I've blogged - apologies. Such is the life of an elementary school teacher come May I suppose. Between the recitals, performances, science fairs, field trips, and other end-of-year activities, I've been otherwise occupied. The school where I teach is wonderful, but it sure keeps me busy! I also did a raw food cleanse over Memorial Day weekend, which kept me out of the restaurants for a bit. But, that all went by the wayside this weekend because it was MY BIRTHDAY. :) If ever there was a time to indulge in all your favorite eats, it's your birthday. So here's what I did...

My birthday was Sunday, but I started celebrating on Saturday, mainly because I had a school picnic to attend on my actual day. The plan was to go hang gliding to kick off the weekend, but the weather was not cooperative and it got canceled. Boo. I wasn't too sad though because it just meant a little more lounge time for me. I had to rest up, for mine was to be an evening of dining delights at none other than Fleur de Lys . This culinary extravaganza was something I'd been looking forward to for some time. They always have a vegetarian tasting menu and - with advance notice - are more than happy to alter it to be vegan. You may recall that I've called this romantic high-end spot the best place to get an uber-fancy meal in the city, and they did not disappoint. We also went with the wine pairing, so by the end we were practically glowing. I only felt brave enough to take two pictures, and neither with flash, so forgive the bad quality. What you have here is our appetizer (first of 4 courses) and our dessert (aka the 5th course). The app was 2 purple potato dots, a mushroom "cigar", and a shot of the yummiest butternut squash soup ever. I would have been content eating nothing but a pile of the cigars for the rest of the meal, but that's mainly because they involved crispy phyllo dough. So good.





In between these pictures, there was an beet salad with celery and green onions, a polenta cake, and a ragout of veggies with the most sublime truffle sauce and crispy "truffle chips" on top. Every bite was a little more amazing than the last, and that counts dessert too. The sorbets atop that popcorn cake were unreal. The coconut in particular tasted so much like eating fresh coconut that it had to have been magic. As for the wine, the only one I wasn't a huge fan of was the Pinot Noir. Our waiter described it as "young yet elegant" and I think it was just a little too young, and not enough elegant.

It should also be mentioned, as I've written before, that the bread service is unbelievable. As soon as you finish your piece, the bread guy is there with more. The olive loaf is my favorite, while my husband digs the baguette. The fig/pistachio bread is also fantastic. Their bread makes me swoon. Needless to say, I slept well Saturday night.

Sunday morning I awoke to a beautiful day so I got up and went for a long walk down to Crissy Field and back, stopping at Real Food Company and got some peaches and strawberries for a light breakfast. When I arrived home, my loving hubby gave me my present - a gift certificate for a pair of Form and Fauna shoes. I am so psyched and can't wait to get those beauties on my tootsies. After I composed myself, we were off to the picnic. Though there was food, we saved our appetites for another oft-mentioned eatery on this blog: Papalote. Ever since the "not quite" experience of Green Chile Kitchen, I've been craving my favorite burrito, complete with vegan black beans, rice, guacamole, and the world's best salsa. Paired with a Corona, it's the best a Sunday afternoon can offer.

Back at home, it was birthday cake time, which in my case meant a decadent vegan cupcake from Whole Foods, with some insanely good Purely Decadent "Chunky Mint Madness." Oh yeah, Happy Birthday to me. As I write this, I'm in food coma and have been lying on the couch for about 4 hours - something I NEVER do. Tomorrow, it's back to the gym and work, so I'm off to enjoy the rest while I can. After all, it's the last year of my twenties, and I plan on living it the the fullest!

Coming Attractions in June: A trip to Greens to celebrate the end of the school year, and a long weekend in the vegan haven of Portland. I am truly blessed.