I Do Like Surprises: Quirky Birthday

There I was, at 6:10 p.m. last night, thinking that I was destined to a birthday of Chinese takeout. My text messages had gone unanswered and as far as I knew, no plans were afoot. Then I received the following:

"Home in ten minutes"...

A. being home before 6:30 is certainly out of the ordinary so I perked up, wondering what might be in store. Was he bringing home something to cook? Takeout from the city?

Well he walked in with a large box. Izzy was as eager as I to tear the paper off of it. Was it a cat carrier? No. Too heavy. What could it be?

Yes. It was a Goped scooter. A scooter to match the one Izzy received for his birthday. Now Izzy and I can scoot around JC together, in fact, all three of us can. What a perfect birthday surprise.

And it only got better from there because after scooter tryouts, we went out to a new place for dinner. The Embankment Restaurant which is conveniently located about two blocks from our house. Please don't heed the naysayers (Who are these people anyway? Do they eat out much? Are they even more discerning than A. or me? Doubtful). This spacious establishment is a boon to the neighborhood. Nearly everything we ordered was noteworthy, save for Izzy's dish of beef cheek ravioli which was disappointing considering the caliber of the rest of the meal.

What is their to dislike about this copious frisee salad with chewy, smoky lardons and goat cheese on grilled bread? The quail egg added the perfect touch. It was a great starter, followed by my large hunk of grilled Painted Hills Rib-Eye, served with an crunchy side of potatoes rosti..Add attentive service, relaxing atmosphere and this place is a winner. Can't wait to try it for lunch and their bar menu.