Birthday Festivities

Feeling 22... thanks to my dear friend Lily who has gotten that song stuck in my head after singing it non-stop this past weekend. I had such an amazing birthday weekend with amazing friends and, of course, amazing food. Thanks again to Jon and Josh for planning such a fun night!

Celebrating with Friends

Was pleasantly surprised (more like ecstatically shocked) to be taken to Talula's Garden with some of my favorite people for dinner. The restaurant itself is beautiful and pulling up to a building lit up at night by fairy lights is a whole new experience altogether. The interior was much larger than I expected with very high ceilings and multiple rooms, including a small bar area where we spent a majority of our wait time before being seated. The food was incredible - definitely ranks near the top of my best dining experiences ever. 

Shared appetizers/sides (from top left clockwise):
Winter Cauliflower Ravioli, sauteed tuscan kale, savory anchovy, toasted pine nuts, brown butter sauce
Applewood Smoked Salmon Salad, "everything" dressing, lettuce, pickled pearl onion, rye crisps, fingerlings
Little vegetable dishes, raw radish and cucumber salad (front), roasted baby carrots (back)
Long Island Fluke Crudo with Winter Citrus, ginger-scented avocado crema, endive, cashew, tarragon-chili oil

Muscovy Duck Breast and Crisp Confit, tender cabbage and duck fat fried spaetzle choucroute, turnips, pear, cashews, duck jus
Seared Day Boat Scallops, leeks & butterball potatoes, kohlrabi puree, roasted carrots, carrot butter, lemon-caper mojo
More vegetable sides, "creamed cauliflower" fontina mornay (front), whipped yukon gold potatoes (back)

I normally wouldn't post any pictures of people, but love you guys!!!

Birthday BYO

Had the great fortune of trying the Sunday Tasting Menu at Little Fish as well (courtesy of the best boyfriend ever :P Thanks, David!). While still pretty far from campus in Bella Vista, it is right down the block from many other great places, including Bistrot La Minette and Serpico (unlike Bibou, which was a bit out of the way from everything). We sat right in front of the open kitchen area and were able to watch as the chefs plated each course of the five-course tasting menu. The menu for the night had a strong Japanese theme, and while we would've liked something a little more outside of our comfort zone (we're very familiar with Japanese and Asian cuisines), each dish was still innovative and the flavors were great.

Course 1: Red Snapper sashimi with seaweed salad
Course 2: Salad with carrot-ginger dressing and seafood dumplings
Course 3: Seared Albacore tuna with daikon and crispy potato seaweed cake

Course 4: Grilled squid and octopus with traditional Japanese curry over rice
Course 5 (dessert): Ginger cake with cara orange and sorbet (some sort of tea flavor)

Thank you again to everyone who helped make this such a wonderful birthday!