How I Spent My Birthday, Part I: BLT Steak

I want to first say a big, gargantuan THANK YOU to everyone for your kind words and Tweets on Friday for my birthday. It made the day so special and had me smiling like a creep all day long :)

On Friday evening, Shaun made reservations for us at BLT Steak. I was so excited for this! I have long been a fan of BLT Burger and had been wanting so badly to try out some of the other BLT restaurants. I will tell you this...it did not disappoint! Not only was the food fantastic, but I loved the atmosphere, a factor that can completely make or break a dining experience if you ask me. Though this was a steakhouse, it didn't feel like a stuffy gentlemen's club. Instead, it was trendy but chill and not too pretentious. Perfection.

We started our meal with the house specialties, duck mousse on toast and popovers. Though I could have taken or left the duck mousse, the popovers...Oh the popovers. I don't even really have words for these. They are giant, buttery breadlike baked goods. We tore them apart and spread butter and sea salt on top. Yum.

 

Shaun ordered a beer and I had a glass of Malbec. We ordered salads to kick off our meal. Shaun got a caesar salad (perhaps one of the best we've ever had...you know I snuck some of that for myself), while I enjoyed a beet and gorgonzola salad. I will admit, my salad was my least favorite item of the night. The beets were delicious, but overall, the salad was just too vinegary!

For the main attraction, we decided to share a steak and a seafood dish to keep things a bit lighter. Friends, I am SO glad we did this. If we had gone for 2 steaks, then I would have missed out on the best fish dish I've ever eaten. Yes, you heard that right. We enjoyed dover sole, crisped and coated with capers and a light sauce on the side.  The fish was flaky and not 'fishy' (I hate that) and the sauce. Oooooh the sauce. I do not know what was in it, but it had a capery taste. It was ah-mazing.

On the side, we ordered the potato gratin. Luckily it was a tiny portion because it was so rich, yet wonderful.

For our steak, we shared the bone-in rib eye. Though I usually like my meat done 'medium', Shaun loves medium rare, so I obliged. It was definitely a bit pink (red?!), but I grinned and beared it...and it was so tender and tasty. When at BLT...

Here's a shot of my very full plate:

Oh and I should also mention that I crossed something off my 30 by 30 list...I tried bone marrow! We had no idea that a bit of it was coming along side our steak. Shaun spread some of the marrow onto a piece of popover. It was glorious. Oily, salty, and fatty, I was instantly smitten with this rich deliciousness. It was all I hoped it would be :)

We were stuffed by the end of the meal. We decided to skip dessert (until later) and do a little walking outside first. (Not to mention that what I really wanted was a cupcake!). After dinner, we strolled down Park Avenue hand-in-hand. It was a perfect New York evening.

We strolled down to Rockefellar Center. I rejoiced that we could actually walk around and enjoy the sites without a giant crowd, like during Christmas time. Near Rock Center is one of my favorite bakeries...Magnolia Bakery!

We picked up a couple of cupcakes and some banana pudding to go. We headed home and enjoyed these on the couch while watching Breaking Bad.

Not too shabby for my 29th birthday if you ask me!

So what do you think? Are you a steak eater? Or do you prefer meals of the seafood variety?

I'm 29! And 30 Things by my 30th Year

It's here. I was not really feeling turning 29.

 

But then I put on some Deborah Lippman Happy Birthday nail polish, and I immediately started to feel better. I decided to embrace it. In a few years, I'll look back and wonder why I was so worked up over getting another year older. It's just a number.

And after looking back on my 28th year, I realized that I still have many great things to come. After seeing some other bloggers like Joy the Baker and Beantown Baker do a 30 by 30, I wanted to join in the fun.

1. Learn how to knit

2. Learn how to use a sewing machine (Mom, this means I need your help!!!)

3. Start taking vitamins (for real. Not just buying them & stashing them under the sink)

4. Lose 10-15 pounds and maintain it (!!) I want to look like this again:

5. Be better about correspondence with friends; Skype with the friends I’m missing across the country!

6. Learn how to properly use my DSLR - the manual setting, white balance, the whole shebang! Any book recommendations? Or classes?

7. Get our entire home painted via professional painter and lit via professional electrician

8. Organize our den/office so that it is cute and inviting...not serving as a giant storage closet

9. Call my Dad once a week (I already talk to my Mom at least once per day)

10. Call, Skype or email with my sister Christine at least once a week (Kimberly and I are already pretty good at Gchatting almost daily and seeing each other often since she lives in NYC)

11. Find paid freelance assignments

12. Write a book

13. Meet my Dad for lunch or dinner in New York City (where we both work!)

14. Devise organizational system for my shoes (for the first time in my life)

15. Find a spot for my cookbooks where they will be easily accessible...and used!

16. Watch 10 classic films

17. Try bone marrow

18. Get my wedding album made (before our 4th anniversary)

19. Read 5 classic novels (suggestions? I recently read Jane Eyre and adored it)

20. Visit a new US city

21. Make a budget & stick to it, making it possible to grow our savings!

22. Unplug - turn off my computer at a reasonable hour after work. Put the Blackberry on silence. Enjoy quality time with my husband that isn’t disrupted by Facebook, Twitter, the blog, work emails, etc, etc, etc.

23. Make things happen for myself, instead of waiting for them to happen to me.

24. Buy a piece of art. It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive. But something Shaun and I like!

25. Learn how to make my mom’s famous tomato sauce & meatballs

26. Make at least one new recipe from each cookbook in my collection

27. Host a girl’s night with all my best ladies

28. Eat at 10 new restaurants in New York City (I will already cross one of the list tonight because Shaun is taking me to BLT Steak for dinner!)

29. Make a Top 30 Of All Time playlist...what would your list include?

30. Take time to enjoy life, recognize how lucky I am and spend time with my husband, family and friends. At the end of the day, that's what matters, right?

31. (One for good luck) This is reader's choice. What do you think should be added to this list? Leave me some suggestions and I'll pick one next week to add to the list!

So there you have it. My 30 things by the time I hit 30. I know this is a lofty list, but I have high hopes for year 29 :) I'd better get busy!

And while we're on the subject, what do you think? What are your suggestions for classic movies or books? What would you put on your Top 30 Of All Time playlist? Any recommendations for NYC restaurants to try?

In My 28th Year

Tomorrow is my 29th birthday. I took more than a few moments to look back on my 28th year since, well, it was pretty fantastic. Here are 28 things that went down in my 28th year!

1. The Avid Appetite celebrated its first birthday

2. Shaun and I became the proud leasers of a Prius

3. I spent an entire December day baking holiday cookies with my mom. It was wonderful.

4. I visited 2 new foreign lands, Madrid, Spain and Zurich, Switzerland. I dined on amazing cuisine and visited breathtaking sights!

5. I was {almost} at one with nature in Yellowstone National Park

6. I saw the most amazing animals, up close and personal

7. I flew first class for the very first time (and it was one of the best things ever)

8. I threw dinner parties...

9. ...and brunches

10. I drank a whole lotta smoothies

11. I started using (and subsequently fell in love with) LUSH hair products

12. I made killer Dexter cupcakes

13. And created a True Blood theme party

14. And I realized that I spend too much time watching TV (see above)

15. I celebrated my 3rd wedding anniversary with this amazing man

16. I went to an NFL playoff game!

17. And more importantly, sat in a suite at a Giants game

18. I realized that I’m not getting any younger...and that it’s up to me to make things happen!

19. I traveled to Aruba for the 6th year in a row. In a few weeks, it will be #7!

20. I made a lot of new bloggie friends. And I adore each and every one of you!

21. I started a really fun and exciting project with my sisters. I cannot WAIT to tell you all about it. Soon, I promise.

22. I ran 2 5K's! It deserves an exclamation point. Probably like 5.

23. I cooked a pre-Thanksgiving dinner with my bestie Lindsey

24. Lindsey and I went in search of the perfect apple pie

25. and I made my grandmother's famous apple pie, complete with a homemade crust

26. I helped Lindsey make 350 truffles for her engagement party

27. I finally created my gallery wall. And I heart it. Every day.

28. I had a lot of fun, laughs and lots of quality time with friends and family. What else is there to ask for?

It’s been real 28, but I think I’m ready for 29. Here's hoping for another fantastically fun year!