Friday was Keen’s birthday. He turned a whopping 37 years old! (SO old!) For a quick trip (sans
kid), we went overnight to San Francisco, on to Half Moon Bay in the morning, and
then home. It doesn’t sound like a big
deal, but it was. It was essentially the
Weekend Vacation of Food! Woo hoo!

First we met with friends for lunch and they had this great
spread of farmer market and dock-fresh goodies (Black Cod, Albacore, cheese and
fruit, yum!). Then we hit the city, did
a little shopping, and checked out this wonderful French Bistro where the
plates were huge. (We accidentally over-ordered… the bloating
wasn’t pretty.) The next morning we went
to this legendary brunch at the Ritz-Carlton… a brunch we had always heard
about but never gone to, and oh my god did it live up to the hype!  That one is going to be a yearly treat, at
least.  Remember that three pounds I lost
at Blogher? Yeah, those are back on,
plus a few more.

It may sound strange but this was actually a perfect way to
celebrate Keen’s birthday weekend (though he insists the trip wasn’t for his
birthday). Keen is a classic foodie… he
does all the cooking at home (and is damn good at it), he knows more about food
than I thought possible from someone who isn’t trained, and I swear he’s
learned enough French from cooking shows that he’s one audio cassette lesson
from being fluent. (Me? I just really, really, really like to eat.) He is also fantastic at remembering what
wines I like (because I don’t know) and answering my questions even if I’ve
asked them a million times before. (I
know that sounds really lame but I need that brain power for other things.)

We both had a ball. I
enjoyed it for the food… but I also really
enjoy seeing Keen in his element. Knowing how much he loves it, and knowing he appreciates it on a deeper
level than I do, just makes it more of a special occasion.

Wine, cheese, and my guy… what’s better than that?

Here’s to you, babe, Happy Birthday!