The Weekend of DJ's Birthday and our 2nd Anniversary!

PARTY TIME!!

This weekend was an extra special time for us because it marked DJ's birthday and the 2nd Anniversary of the day we met.   :)  And boy did we celebrate for days!

Friday:  Celebrating with Friends

DJ invited a few close friends out for some good BBQ and drinks at Hill Country.  This place is awesome for group outings because of its very efficient system.  When you walk in you're given a card listing all the possible food to order.  You bring the card up to various counters and they check off whatever you pick to eat and drink.  At the end of the night, everyone just brings their individual cards up to the counter and handles their bill on their own.  No lengthy accounting sessions to figure out how much each person owes.  Love it!

And the food was yummy too - typical BBQ fare.  One fun surprise:  they have a drink named "Melissa's High Maintenance Mandarin", and it's made with Ithaca beer!!!!  :-D

Saturday:  Celebrating with Family

We headed to Fairfield (with Sara - yay!) to spend the afternoon with DJ's parents, Manny and Hirut.  We got to have fabulous homemade Ethiopian food, and DJ's mom surprised him with a birthday cake. 

Sunday:  Sag Harbor

We wanted to have a mini-getaway for the weekend, and after researching all the local options decided to see what Sag Harbor is all about.  It's a very cute little town, with one main strip that houses all the mom-and-pop shops and restaurants.  Our first afternoon there we tried the famed B. Smith's Restaurant.  It has a lovely decor, and all the seating (indoor and outdoor) faces the harbor so you can gaze at the boats and water while you dine. 

We enjoyed AMAZING watermelon margaritas (made with very fresh juice from local watermelons)...

 and both tried our first fried green tomatoes and lobster rolls.  Tasty!

The next day we tried a local bistro for brunch:  Pomme Cafe.  DJ stayed with the seafood trend and got lobster benedict (awesome breakfast indulgence), and Mel went for a chicken salad with parmesan and artichoke (a combination she will definitely try to replicate).

 On the road home, we made a quick stop at Duckwalk Vineyards to pick up a few bottles of Long Island wine.  The guy there was really nice and gave us his secret recipe for a great steak sauce made with one of their wines.  We'll definitely visit them again!

Monday:  Card Competition

On the way back to Brooklyn, we were passing by Toots and Toto's place so we figured we'd stop in for a quick round of cards.  It wound up being an epic game of canasta with some surprising plays (freezing the deck twice in one hand?!; DJ going out while Toto was holding the entire deck he just picked up?!).  The Birthday Boy came out triumphant in the end with a 2,000 point lead, Toto's famous lasagna for dinner, and surprise birthday cupcakes.

Tuesday:  Anniversary Lunch

In honor of our two years together, we went to lunch at one of our favorite splurge restaurants: Quality Meats.
We shared a delightful crab/avocado salad
(which we're DEFINITELY going to try to replicate)...

then DJ went for a filet mignon with creamed spinach and Mel got a salad with sliced peppered filet mignon on top.  Delightful!

Afterward DJ was in the mood for a little something sweet, so he ordered the Mexican spice cake thinking it would be a nice small slice as opposed to the pints of ice cream they are known for.  But, as it turns out the Mexican spice cake comes layered IN a pint of ice cream, kind of like tiramisu.  lol  Oops.

Needless to say, we didn't finish it but it was cool to look at.  And it reminded us of the small piece of tiramisu we shared on our first date when Mel found out it was DJ's birthday.  :)  Aw, memories.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DJ!!