Birthdays

My Beloved makes a big deal out of birthdays. I never know if he's planning a surprise, or taking me out for dinner, or sometimes even away for a whole weekend. Yes, I'm pretty spoiled. But, he doesn't just do it for me, he also does it for his daughters and sons-in-law.

Last fall, he was the main mover behind a wonderful birthday weekend to celebrate the three main guys in his life, s-i-ls Jim and Andre, and grandson Owen. He rented a big house for us all to share and we had a splendid weekend together, walking the beaches of Point Reyes, playing games in the paved courtyard, and sitting down to family meals together.

Most recently, he invited his daughter Sarah and her husband to join us for her birthday celebration at Boulevard, a wonderful San Francisco restaurant decorated in Art Nouveau style that none of us had tried before. Despite having been in business for more than 20 years, a reservation at Boulevard is still hard to get. Between Sarah's busy schedule as a working mother and Boulevard's popularity, we only just got around to this celebration of her July birthday last weekend!

It was worth the wait. We all ordered different meals and each was perfect in its way - salads inventive and delicious with unusual ingredients, meats cooked exactly to order and imaginatively dressed, fish cooked perfectly and plated beautifully. 

The service was personable and prompt without ever rushing us. Our server was knowledgable about the menu and helped us with wine choices as well. He was also charming and welcoming and very, very San Francisco. And we enjoyed the ambiance of the exposed brick ceiling and the Art Nouveau touches of the decor.

For dessert, we all shared the intensely flavorful berry crisp with sugared hazelnuts and both plates came with a lighted candle and a birthday wish. After dinner, we strolled over to the Embarcadero to watch the Bay Bridge light show, pleasantly full and happily grateful to My Beloved for yet another memorable birthday celebration.