This isn’t my typical type of post… but I wanted to share.  Last night was my “birthday dinner”, even though it’s not officially my birthday yet.  Rather, I have birthday weeks.  A girl only gets a birthday once a year, so I make the most of mine!

Typically my mom makes me a birthday dinner; something she loves to do since one of the ways my mom spells love is C-O-O-K-I-N-G.  My mom is a top notch fabulous cook, any skills I have come from her.  But since Mom is in Sioux Falls now, I had to resort to the second best meal I know:  The Kitchen.

Last night my wonderful husband took me out to dinner at The Kitchen.  It was a splurge…but remember, a girl only has a birthday once a year!  If you want to read a “writers” experience at The Kitchen… this article does nicely: SacBee – The Kitchen (check out the video too!!)  The chef, Noah Zonca, is a great guy.  Gregarious and as funny/witty as people come, OH and very VERY talented at his craft of cooking.  I totally dig that guy.

The meal was magnificent!  It’s a 6-course meal and at ”half-time” as I call it, they serve an amazing course of Sashimi (raw fish)… but I’m terribly allergic to anything that lives or swims in the water.  So, upon request, Noah made me a special course of Fioe Gras.  If you don’t know what that is, let me take a minute to gross you out…   Fioe Gras (pronounced faw-graw) is a fancy French name for…liver.  But not just any liver, it’s a duck or goose that has been fed a fatty diet.  So the end product, Fioe Gras, is buttery smooth.  I think there are many people that protest this product, and that the animal is treated unfairly….  But I’m a SERIOUS carnivore (I love meat), and I crave this indulgent rare treat.  Noah gave me a very generous portion.  It is such a rich food that you only eat a little bit, like 1 or at best 2 ounces.  I had a plate of probably 6 ounces and I ate half of it.  I paid for this mindless mistake.

There is a phrase I forgot as I consume this special dish:  “Too much of a good thing“.  I think what resulted from eating this indulgent and fatty meal was probably a gallbladder attack.  Oh how I loved the Fioe Gras, and oh how I wish I didn’t eat as much of it as I did…  There is probably some Proverb that should come to mind about this experience, but I’m drawing a blank.  Now it’s morning and I feel MUCH better.  I think I will dine on soothing mint tea and delicious salty saltine crackers the rest of the day    Maybe, just maybe, I’ll treat myself to some frozen yogurt this evening.

Lastly: Mom thanks for the beautiful flowers…  You are the best – LOVE you!  Mom, if it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be.   And I wouldn’t be able to celebrate birthdays in my crazy ways (gallbladder attacks and all).

♥ ~ Sherry