On Saturday, Howard celebrated “the big event”.  How is it possible that I am married to a 50-year old?  He would have preferred the day to pass without notice, but because I love birthdays, that wasn’t an option.  He handled the day gracefully, even when I told total strangers that it was his 50^th birthday.  He seems particularly excited to be able to have an AARP card.

The celebration extended from the previous week when our friends Laury and John made a fantastic brunch in Howard’s honor.  We started with mimosas and champagne along with April’s “famous” cheese ball.  For the main event, John made Eggs Benedict with homemade Hollandaise sauce.  They also served spinach salad, fruit salad, and a yummy coffee cake.  (And, of course, I forgot the camera.)  It was a festive morning, celebrating with friends.  Thanks again, friends!

For Howard’s actual birthday, we spent a low-key day hanging out at home.  Then, we went out for a special dinner at Pigalle in Boston.  Pigalle is a French restaurant.  The chef, Marc Orfaly, has been nominated for a James Beard Award for Best Chef in New England for the past several years.  He was also one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs in 2004.

To start, Howard had an arugula, prosciutto, and fig salad.  It was really more of a prosciutto salad garnished with arugula and figs, as the main ingredient was not the salad.  I had a beet salad with frisee, hazelnuts, blue cheese, and a horseradish dressing.  It was really good. 

For the main dish, Howard had a cassoulet.  It was quite nice, with a lamb shank, a duck leg confit, and some kind of sausage.  I ordered coq au vin, which was rich and hearty, perfect for the frigid cold weather.

We both picked right.  Usually, we swap plates partway through the meal.  Sometimes, it’s a problem when we both prefer the same dish.  That night, we each preferred what we ordered for ourselves.

We seldom share dessert.  Howard’s a chocolate guy through and through.  Though some find it hard to believe, chocolate is not at the top of my list.  I prefer fruit desserts.  So, Howard ordered a molten chocolate cake (he did say I make it better), and I had a fruit cobbler. 

The surprise discovery was a new (to us) dessert wine called Banyuls.  It’s a fortified wine, like Port, just French instead of Portuguese.  Howard is a big fan of port, so it was fun to discover something new.

So, here’s a toast to you, Howard, and your next 50 years!

This weekend, Sunday, actually, it was my birthday. I LOVE birthdays, especially mine. I also love not having to go to work on my birthday, just getting to do the things I like to do.

If I ever run my own company (unlikely as that might be), every one will get their birthday off if it falls on a workday. You have to take the day off, can’t save it for another day. If your birthday is on a weekend, no extra day off. The point is to not have to work on your birthday.

Mother Nature brought me our first winter storm. I awoke on Sunday morning to a winter wonderland. Isn’t it pretty?

I didn’t cook anything the entire weekend. We had house guests (Howard’s sister Sheryl and her husband Paul). We spent Saturday and Sunday visiting with local relatives, so, we were barely at home.

Sunday night, we did have an extra-special birthday dinner. We went to Craigie on Main in Central Square in Cambridge. A few years ago, we went to this restaurant in its previous location just outside of Harvard Square. It was called Craigie Street Bistro then. That meal counted as one of the “Top 5” in my lifetime. The restaurant moved about a year ago, and this was our first time to the new spot.

Our meal was excellent! The chef-owner Tony Maws procures the freshest and most local ingredients available. The menu depends on what ingredients he has. In fact, at the bottom of the menu, it said “Printed at 5:17 p.m. after the last food delivery was approved.” He has a strong commitment to local ingredients and sustainability, even more extreme than what we’ve been trying to do at home. Craigie on Main is definitely a unique and special place to eat.

We decided on the Chef’s Market Menu, the prix fixe menu. There were two choices for each course. It was my birthday, so I picked what I wanted, and Howard got the opposite. That way we could taste everything. I can’t remember all the details of what was in each dish. The menu mentioned each ingredient, but there were so many, this is all I can recall.

Here’s what I got:

Amuse Bouche: Tuna Rillettes with Hackleback Caviar
Appetizer: Ragout with Wild Mushrooms, Sausage, and a poached egg
Entrée: Venison, both medallions and sausage
Dessert: Winter Fruit Crisp with Lemon Balm ice cream and a glass of dessert wine (I don’t remember what it was, but it was flowery and perfect with the crisp)

Here’s what Howard got:

Amuse Bouche: Pork Belly & Local Mozzarella
Appetizer: Bay Scallop Sashimi with Kim Chi Seasonings
Entrée: Loup de Mer with shellfish
Dessert: Olive Oil and Tazo Chocolate Mousse with Port

Howard and I also shared a side of Brussels sprouts roasted in duck fat. And after dessert, the waiter brought us each a small cup of Valrhona hot chocolate spiced with cardamom and ancho chile to warm us before we went back out into the cold.

Howard made the reservations over a month ago, but last week, I received a “birthday gift certificate” from the restaurant. I must have given my birthday when signing up on their email list when we ate there the first time.

The email entitled me to a complimentary birthday cocktail and a parting gift. The drink menu was very unusual – nothing familiar on it. I selected one called Northern Lights. It was made with St. Germaine, Scotch, citrus, Bittermens Tiki. Our waiter explained how the cocktails from the bar were less sweet than modern cocktails, more of a pre-Prohibition style. It was tasty. When they brought the check, I got a small jar of Herbes de Provence, tied up in ribbons, to take home with me. I will think of our meal at Craigie when I use the herbs.

In case you’re wondering, here are the Top 5 meals that Howard and I have shared (in no particular order):

1. Our first meal at Craigie Street Bistro for our 15th wedding anniversary
2. My birthday dinner last year at T.W. Food in Cambridge (for a special wild game menu)
3. Hugo’s in Portland, Maine, to celebrate Howard’s father’s 70th birthday
4. Tra Vigne in St. Helena, California (Napa Valley). We’ve eaten there a few times, but there was one particular meal we both remember particularly well.
5. La Campania in Waltham (both times)