A few days ago, I stepped into the next decade of my life. I had been dreading the idea of being 40, but there’s no stopping the clock. In the end, it turned out to be one of the best nights of my life. There was no better way to celebrate than with a little bit of fanfare, surrounded by my nearest and dearest in NYC, little treats from my CA friends, and a sweet message from Corin. Here’s a recap of my 40th birthday.

It started off with a special delivery to my office - a lovely bouquet of orchids from Alisha and Nick in Los Altos. What a nice way to start my day!

Nicki and Adam had organized a dinner party for my big night. Gradisca, a sweet little Italian restaurant, turned out to be the perfect venue for the party. The guests were friends from various parts of my life here in NYC: Bay, Michelle and Lisa from my restaurant club, which has been going strong for about 6 years now. Midori, who I’ve known since we were 14, and with whom I traveled to NYC for the very first time (for both of us) back in 1994, right after we graduated from college. Kate, a friend I worked with in SF around 2001, who has become my yoga buddy here. Heather, Nady, Nicole, Emily, Paige, Jessica, and Angela (who traveled from DC to be at my party!), my Camp Fern girls. Joe, who I worked with at DFCB last year (we bonded over a challenging account). Alan, a friend of Adam and Nicki’s, who I met that night, but wanted to join the party. And of course, Nicki and her husband Jeff, who celebrated his own birthday the day before. It was extra special to have all of these friends from different parts of my life together in one place, helping me celebrate a big milestone.

The servers started us off with glasses of champagne, and Adam announced that it was from Nikki Jong, who couldn’t be there, but really wanted to participate in the festivities from afar. Apparently she had called Adam and secretly coordinated that with him. What a fun, sweet surprise!

Dinner was a pre-set, 4-course menu, served family-style. Here’s what we had:

Antipasto:
Combination platter of piadina – romagna’s flatbread filled with arugula and soft cheese with fior di latte mozzarella, tomato, basil oil; seasonal salad, extra-virgin olive oil vinaigrette

Primi (Pasta):
Cavatelli con Pomodoro, Melanzane, Spolverata di Ricotta Salata – cavatelli pasta, tomato, eggplant, basil, grated ricotta salata

Trofiette al Pesto Genovese con Patate e Broccoli – trofie durum wheat pasta, basil pine nut pesto, potatoes and broccoli

Secondi (Meat/Fish):
Tagliata di Manzo all’Aceto Balsamico e Patate Arrosto – sliced grilled ribeye, modena balsamic reduction, roasted potatoes

Filetto di Branzino Spadellato e Caponatina di Verdure – pan-seared sea bass filet, greenmarket vegetable caponata

Dolci (Dessert):
tiramisu, tortino di cioccolato, panna cotta

All the food was great, and the restaurant did a fantastic job with service. My only regret is that we did take any photos to document this amazing party. Nicki did such a great job organizing and making all the arrangements, and between her and Adam, all the little details were perfect. It was such a great way to celebrate, surrounded by good friends and good food. And at the end of the evening, I got another great gift from Corin!

So now I’m 40, and life goes on…

My second week in CA was socially packed - a day with my mom, girly stuff with the girls, and lots of dinners. Adam flew out to spend NYE with me, so we roamed the city, had happy hour with my SF friends and a few of Adam’s, took a little trip up to Healdsburg for wine tasting, a double date with another Jen and Adam, and capped it off with a fabulous NYE dinner party at Nikki and Todd’s. It was a perfect way to close the door on 2011!

This view from the top of Lombard never gets old

View towards the Bay from Pac Heights

This is the view that the 1% get to enjoy at the top of Pac Heights

Adam’s first Pancho Villa experience - carne asada taco

Jen’s and Adam’s double date at Hyde Street Seafood

NYE dinner party at Nik & Todd’s

The morning after…

I had a lot of vacation to burn at the end of the year, so I took advantage and went to CA for two whole weeks. The first week was family time. There were dinners, quality time with Corin, a new Louie Ladies activity, and of course, presents.

Corin and Yeh Yeh

Tickle tickle!

Our family with Pau Pau, Uncle Al (Pau Pau’s brother), and Dori, Spencer and Randy (mom’s cousin)

Fun with bagels

Self-portrait by Corin

Bows are fun (this was Corin’s doing, not mine)

Louie Ladie’s in the kitchen - tapas class at Sur La Table

Patatas bravas, tortilla espanol, shrimp with almond sauce, and albondigas (meatballs)

Petting the goats at Happy Hollow

Yun Yun giving the goats a snack

Corin feeding the goats, one pellet at a time

This goat tried to help himself

Opening presents from Uncle Paul and daddy’s friend Steve

Playing cars with Uncle Paul

Everyone recommended the jazz brunch at Commander’s Palace, so we had to check it out. There’s a dress code, as the unfortunate gentleman in front of us discovered when he arrived in shorts and was asked to return to his hotel to change. Luckily we were prepared. It was our last morning in New Orleans, and what better way to end our amazing trip than with more live music and more incredible food!

According to one of the waiters, the building was once a house of ill repute.

Here we are in our fancy duds.

Egg Sardou

Wild White Shrimp Remoulade

Fire-grilled Louisiana White Shrimp

Pecan Crusted Gulf Fish

Musicians travel around to room and chat with guests

Spiced Gingerbread Cake with Pumpkin

Creole Bread Pudding Souffle

A sweet finale to an amazing weekend. We would have liked one more day to see some of the things we missed,  but now we have a reason to go back!

Saturday was filled with more tasty treats, culture and history, and incredible music. We visited the Voodoo Museum, took a bike tour around the city, ate way more food than any two people should consume in a single day, and ended the evening at our beloved Fritzel’s.

Artist drawing the cathedral

Stanley’s came highly recommended for brunch, and it did not disappoint.

Our attempt to try as many of New Orlean’s famous eats as possible in three days - we shared the Stella Benedict (eggs benedict with fried softshell crab) and an oyster po’boy. Yum.

Smoking Time Jazz Club, complete with a couple of swing dancers, on Royal St. We are now the proud owners of a couple of their CDs.

Fritzel’s during the day.

Voodoo Museum

Madame John’s Legacy was rebuilt in 1789, and survived the fire of 1794 that burned down much of the French Quarter. It’s built in the Louisiana Creole (French West Indies) style of architecture.

Ready for our tour of the city with Bob, of Big Easy Bike Tours.

Holocaust Memorial in front of the Mississippi River

The steamboat Natchez has a 32-note steam pipe organ known as a Steam Calliope, which plays some very unique, charming tunes.

The beginning of Frenchman St., another destination for great music and food.

Our tour guide, Bob, was  a wealth of knowledge about the various architectural styles (and colors) of homes around New Orleans.

City Park

Tomb of Unknown Slaves at St. Augustine Catholic Church in the Treme neighborhood

Time for an afternoon snack - Cafe du Monde is open 24-hours a day

Coffee for him, cafe au lait for me, and an order of beignets to share.

We had another wonderful dinner, this time at Emeril Lagasse’s NOLA restaurant. We over-indulged on BBQ shrimp, a scallop special appetizer, the NOLA Caesar salad, and for entrees, Adam ordered shrimp and grits, and I had the garlic crusted drum, which is a local white fish. For dessert, we had the banana pudding layer cake. We somehow failed to take pictures of any of this delicious food!

Our first choice for music that night was The Spotted Cat on Frenchman St., but it was packed, as were all the other jazz clubs in that area. So we headed back to tried-and-true Fritzel’s to hear the Fritzel’s New Orleans Jazz Band. Of course, we walked down Bourbon St. on our way out to marvel at the chaos and debauchery. It was a perfect end to a perfect evening.