Last night Silvio and I took each other out to a nice dinner for our birthdays. Nothing too fancy, just out to
Eureka in the Castro. Of course, the food was delectable. Because curiosity got the better of me, I talked Silvio into sharing a small plate of fried chicken livers with horseradish sauce. They were really yummy! Soft, creamy texture with crispy cornmeal breading. Mmmm. For dinner Silvio went with the tri-tip with buttermilk blue cheese mashed potatoes. Always a winner. I had the special of lamb sirloin with a fried green tomato and red pepper jelly. That was awesome! The jelly was just spicy enough, and as our waiter, Matt, said, the fried green tomato will "change your life." No dessert because I had a cake waiting at home. But, thoughtful guy that he is, Silvio brought a magnum of Nicolas Feuillate gold label champagne to the restaurant.

It was so different from their blue label, much fruitier, almost a port like flavor with nice nuttiness and the tiniest, softest, most velvety bubbles ever. Such a treat.
Today when I went to work, it was so cloudy and dreary out. I thought this would probably be the gloomiest birthday I have ever experienced. But by lunch the sun was out and it had warmed up into the 70s. So it turned out to be almost perfect, weather-wise. I had a birthday cake at work and am looking forward to a delicious crab feast at Brad's house in celebration of Joseph and my birthdays.
So, at the risk of sounding a bit saccharine, I'm grateful for all the family and friends who have helped me celebrate the occasion of surviving another prosperous year of living. I can confidently say it's been a happy birthday. And I haven't even been to Las Vegas yet.