Birthday dining

[suzilightning]

tim russert's dad called him up at 7am to wish him happy birthday and ask what he was having for his birthday dinner. growing up we could have whatever we wanted for our birthday dinner. my tastes evolved from lamb patties wrapped in bacon on the grill with yellow squash to lobster, fresh corn on the cob and a tomato salad with blue cheese and catalina dressing. sometimes it would be a visit to a special restaurant (one year it was my first and last visit to tgif; last year was lunch at an american grill and dinner at the warehouse grille for me). anyone else do something special - foodwise- for their special day?

i'm still debating. i'll hit that magic mark when i get my aarp card. since johnnybird doesn't really cook...we will go out but where? i'm leaning toward a french restaurant where i can get duck for (almost) every course.

(thought there was something about this in the archives but couldn't find it - sorry)

[jtphjl]

As a child, the tradition was, the birthday person picked a restaurant of their choice. Growing up in the NYC - Metro area that provided, The Russian Tea Room, Top of the World, Daniels, Umberto's in Little Italy, The old Carrage Club with singing wait staff somewhere in Northern NY, a number of Places in Fort Lee, - I moved to DC and places like the Watergate Hotel, and Nora's became an option, when I lived abroad and a certain amount of maturity, taught me, the smaller more local establishments were far more fulfilling then the places with the long waiting list... often the excitement of choice was better then the actual meal... I have one sister, so this was an outing for a party of 4.

In more recent years, Xavier's, a wonderful B-day for Mom 2 years ago was @ Babbo's, and last year I took my husband's former wife (she was going to be alone on her 50th b-day!) to American Grill (Randolph) Dad loved the seafood buffet at the Manor, he had a February birthday and I had a February wedding anniversary, both Dad and the marrge died so that's not on the list anymore...however ... I share a birthday with my new husband and we travel on our birthday, making a new restaurant part of that decision continues the tradition.

[phaelon56]

Great topic. I grew up in a household where the menu was dictated by my dad's extremely narrow food tastes - basically just meat and potatoes with chicken and occasionally fish interspersed. We even had things like lamb patties and pork chops once in awhile but almost never dined out. he refused to eat pizza or anythign else with red sauce. All I wanted on my birthday at a younger age was pizza (Chef Boy-Ar-Dee worked because I could help "make it" and that was part of the fun). I also requested spaghetti and meatballs because it was so exotic to me - I literally had the chance to eat it only one a year.

Moving through adulthood I never made much of a deal out of my birthday (it's just the way it is in my family). It was almost irrelevant what the meal was but if I ate at my folks house my mom would still make a chocolate cake with sea foam icing - my favorite as a young child and I still love it.

I share a birthday with my new husband and we travel on our birthday, making a new restaurant part of that decision continues the tradition.

My new beloved, who is the greatest woman I've ever known, by chance also shares my birthday. We traveled together and had a fantastic birthday dinner together at La Cocay in Cozumel MX our first year - last year circumstances had us apart. Haven't picked a destination yet but plans are once again to be traveling on our birthday and have a special dinner out somewhere - most likley New Orleans, Key West or SF - not really sure yet.

[Pan]

last year I took my husband's former wife (she was going to be alone on her 50th b-day!) to American Grill (Randolph)

I thought this deserved highlighting. It's not everyone who's friends with their husband's ex-wife. I'm impressed!

[birder53]

We also allowed the birthday celebrant to choose the meal at home. My favorite was always roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy followed by Mom's angel foodcake with coffee flavored, homemade fresh whipped cream Mom was unhappy when my new favorite became paella valencia - a lot more work for her! We also moved on to haagen-dazs icecream cakes for dessert.

We celebrated my big 50 at Stage House Inn. We invited my sister and her husband to join us for the seven course tasting menu with wines. It was wonderful! My husband celebrated his 50th with a family dinner and asked me to cook all his favorites.

However you decide to celebrate - enjoy and congratulations!

[Toliver]

As kids, we would choose our favorite home-cooked meals for our birthday dinners. Mine was always my mom's Chicken Fried Steak (round steak with Corn Flake crumb breading ).

When we got older we moved on to having dinner out on our birthdays.

But now that we're grown and see less of each other, we've switched back to having home-cooked favorites for our birthdays. The interesting twist is that we all cram into the kitchen now to cook the birthday meal and just let my mom supervise. Between one brother grilling outside to another brother slicing and dicing in the kitchen, it's become our ritual to cook and bond. It helps make the birthday even more fun.

[docsconz]

My family has always had the tradition of the birthday celebrant choosing dinner either at home or a restaurant.

When I was a young child my favorite was raviolis. As I got a little older I would ask her to make her perciatelli with crab sauce. To this date this is my all-time favorite. Since then my most notable birthday was my fortieth spent in Paris.

My children get to pick their birthday meals. The current favorite is fettucine alfredo - no holds barred. I make that, while my wife bakes the cake.

[docsconz]

I also try to have a bottle of wine from my child's birth year on their birthdays. That is beginning to get scarce.

[jtphjl]

Thanks Pan!

My husband and his first wife married while in college and just grew apart- I have the same story-- we became friends after she had a serious cancer scare, and I am a cancer survivor -- she and my husband have a child together (30's) and I thought it was crazy that she would be left out for "family" gatherings, she was family decades before me... so we call each other "Step-wives" it's not all a bed of roses between my husband and her, but it is a lot better then it was 30 yers ago!

Thanks for noticing.

Jan

[suzilightning]

However you decide to celebrate - enjoy and congratulations!

thanks.

we're actually celebrating the day before since i have to work a 1-9 shift on the day. i am, however, wearing the obligatory tiara at work all day!

[hathor]

We usually go out somewhere special to celebrate, and its usually a surprise for the celebrant. It's a game guessing where we will go....always a pleasant surprise.

Somehow, it became tradition for our son to have a major dinner prepared in his honor at home, with him inviting 6 or 7 close friends. This started when he was about 15...so picture all these 15 year olds gamely trying caviar, duck, lamb.... They were all very good and adventurous sports, even the poor vegetarian that got invited. How could you not know one of your close friends was a vegetarian?? If I had known, I could have made her something special.

In our family, we look for any excuse to all gather, laugh, eat and wine!

So, now I have a significant b'day coming up, we are going to be in Italy, in Umbria, and we have no clue what restaurant to go to.... our neck of the woods is not very 'touristy' (near Umbertide/Citta dei Castello). Any suggestions??

I should probably ask this question on the Italian forum....

[lala]

My Brother's birthday is on Christmas day, my Mom's the day after. So growing up, we had Christmas dinner on the day, and Birthday Day the next. Somehow the tradition began that my Brother could choose any dessert he wanted, and budding chef sister would make it. It began simply enough with German Chocolate cake. Then it morphed into the most insane things he could find - some sort of chocolate confection with long chocolate curls around the edge, to resemble a log fort when I was 12. Crocumbouche (sp?) , complete with spun sugar and sugared flowers when I was 13. I still have sugar burns from the Medieval castle gingerbread extravaganza a year or two later. All those stained glass windows, you know....

Nowadays, for my own birthday, I'm really happy with a freshly cooked dungie and bottle of pinot gris at the beach!

[suzilightning]

ok- it's that special birthday and i couldn't find a decent tiara to wear to work but johnnybird took me to a french restaurant last night for dinner. though the lamb tempted me it was an all duck night. champagne cocktail and whiskey sour, salade du printemps and smoked duck paired with fresh, local melon; salmon with a balsamic glaze and a grilled duckbreast with a port wine reduction and potato galete. no cheese board but a shared glass of 100 year old grand marnier.

today - the remains of the duck for lunch. now i'm going home to open a bottle of dxv and my card from john. night all

[snowangel]

I missed this one the first time around (started on my birthday!), mainly because I was celebrating my birthday at The Cabin as I have done for over two decades. It's not about a fancy restaurant for me. It's about the people and The Place.

Growing up in Thailand, my choice was always haunting markets in Bangkok for great street food.

In between Thailand and The Cabin, my mom and dad always grilled steaks, sliced tomatoes, boiled up some sweet corn (those were the days my mom worked at the agronomy department at the U of M and we were always testing new and wonderful varieties of sweet corn, topped off with a Burnt Sugar Cake. Since it's blueberry time when we are at the cabin for my b-day, I always make a Blueberry Pie.

For my kids, it's always an at home thing. I was reminded why when we were recently invited to, and attended, a Chuck E Cheese birthday party. A whole lot of money for a headache, IMHO.

[chow guy]

As a child my parents were in the restaurant biz, so my grandmother would cook my favorite meal. Her chicken fricassee with rice, stringbeans, white asparagus salad... and the most important part, butterscotch pie with graham cracker crust and meringue on top.

Years later as an adult I would have Vitello Tonnato with pasta and pesto, a tomato salad and butterscotch pie.

These days I just go out to dinner at my favorite restaurant and have gratitute attacks that I'm still alive.

[Squeat Mungry]

As a kid I was a bit unusual in that I really didn't care much for sweets (still don't). But I did want a birthday party for my friends every year, and they of course expected cake and ice cream, which my mom dutifully made. But the best part was that my birthday candles weren't on the cake for me to blow out, they were on the rim of the Giant Bowl of Potato Chips that my Mom prepared for me each year -- my absolute favorite food and a very rare treat indeed when I was a kid. And, since it was my birthday, I got to eat as many as I wanted! Yay, Mom!

I still eat potato chips on my birthday every year.

Cheers,

Squeat

[Kapuliperson]

I've never really made much of a fuss on my birthday and never liked the fusses my family members and friends make on that day- but for the past 7 years I've been doing the cooking for my birthday. One thing I've always liked doing is feeding people- and so I usually just cook an Italian/Mexican feast plus some desserts.

[Toliver]

But the best part was that my birthday candles weren't on the cake for me to blow out, they were on the rim of the Giant Bowl of Potato Chips that my Mom prepared for me each year -- my absolute favorite food and a very rare treat indeed when I was a kid. And, since it was my birthday, I got to eat as many as I wanted! Yay, Mom!

I still eat potato chips on my birthday every year.

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Wow, what a great mom!!

[little ms foodie]

What a great thread, and it's bringing back a ton of memories.....

When I was very young it was always birthdays at Ferrells Ice Cream for me and my friends. So fun!! Then as I got older we had parties at home. Mom always made these funny cakes, in shapes like snowmen (b-day is in DEC) or the like. One year she made me a Baked Alaska! wow!!

Once in high school I always got to pick a restaurant to go out to, and I got to bring one friend. This tradition held until last year when she passed away from cancer. We had many memorable meals together, trying all sorts of restaurants which really manifested into my "foodie-ness". Here in Seattle my favorite for years was the original Dahlia Lounge (as seen in "Sleepless in Seattle"). My mom would lug in all these presents for me and we would make a scene unwrapping gifts at out table!

For her 60th b-day she got to open her present at the table of a French restaurant, a trip to Paris with me, her first and last.

Last year, the first without my mom, we had dinner in the private room of Palace Kitchen (another of Dahlia's Tom Douglas' restaurants) with my husband and 13 of my closest friends- my family now.

[suzilightning]

little miss foodie - that really brought back a memory. my last birthday my mom was alive(1 month before she died) we went out and i did all the cooking - angel food cake, lobster, champagne, corn and tomatoes(brought from jersey). but what made it extra special was she had two dozen gladiolas waiting for me. they were what i always was given for my birthday by an honorary aunt for years and years and years.

mom's birthday was in june. for the family and adopted family she and i always cooked. since there were kids it was burgers and hot dogs on her grill, chuck steaks that she loved, potato salad, mussels in wine, but the important things were strawberry shortcake(made with bisquick biscuits) and angelfood cake for her aunt.

she also taught second grade and for the kids we always baked a big fudge swirl birthday cake in an old milk pan and she would "age" up to 30 then count backwards again till she was "5" - "younger" than her students.

thanks for rekindling those memories

[suzilightning]

we celebrated johnnybird's 50th birthday saturday at one of his favorite restaurant, zoe's by the lake.

his requirements - a good whiskey sour(since the owner who handles the bar had worked at the rainbow room not a problem) and salmon. funniest thing was him asking me what the green stuff on his salmon was - first of all it was not green but he is colorblind. i tasted and said black olive tapenade afterwhich he smeared it on the salmon.

dessert was at home - 100 year old bottle of grand marnier and some truffles

[little ms foodie]

dessert was at home - 100 year old bottle of grand marnier and some truffles

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Is that the 'yellow lable'? while in Spain I would have grand marnier after dinner and they would ask if I wanted red or yellow lable.

[suzilightning]

Is that the 'yellow lable'? while in Spain I would have grand marnier after dinner and they would ask if I wanted red or yellow lable.

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[Chufi]

Thought I'd bump this thread. My birthday is coming up and though I love to entertain on any occasion, my own birthday is my favorite. For the past years I have always done a buffet for about 20-25 people and that's what I'm going to do this year.

This year my birthday is on a tuesday, and I have to work that day. I will arrive at my home about the same time as my guests.. so I will have to do all the shopping and prep work the day before. A challenge!

[Curlz]

What a great thread! Since I am known to celebrate not only the birthDAY but the WEEK and MONTH , I can certainly contribute! As a kid, we usually went out for Chinese food b/c my birthday is always close to Chinese New Year. Since my dad turned us on to (real) Chinese food when I was about 8, I suspect I just loved the added attention that MY day got from the owner of our favorite local place.

These days, I tend to decide where I want to go with friends and I plan it. I love my friends, but they don't care too much about where they eat (althought I'm really trying to change that). In recent years, that has been places in northern NJ, and this year, it was Fascino, a restaurant that I had been anxious to try since it opened. As it turned out, my dinner with friends was the night after my birthday, but lo and behold, a few eG friends were happy to meet me the day OF, and not only offered their cameraderie and wine, but refused to let me pay! Lunch the next day was planned around my 3.5 yr old niece and friends with a little one...a princess b'day party (at my new favorite Indian place) where we ALL wore tiaras. Then there was dinner that night with other friends, and brunch the next day. And of course, the celebration was extended a few weeks later when my folks were in town! No complaints this year--that's for sure!! And yes, I'm already thinking about what I want to do next February, as it's going to be a rather MAJOR birthday.