The quintessential birthday dinner

I had the distinct pleasure of celebrating my birthday last weekend with several of my closest friends. First I had a VIP dinner, with only my nearest and dearest, which was followed up by drinks and shenanigans at a local bar/lounge. It was quite a night! Probably the most memorable part of the evening though, was the delicious dinner. Even several days later my friends are still talking about how wonderful the dinner was.

Now, I love Latin American food, possibly more than any other food in the world. Seriously, beans and rice, plantains and sangria make me so happy! So, when my roommate suggested this Colombian and Latin America Bistro for my birthday, I was sold! And although we had to wait over an hour for our table (they didn’t take reservations after 6:30pm – WTF?!?!?!) we managed to sit at the bar-like section and get started on drinks and appetizers…which you know is just trouble…

Here is a break down of the totally wonderful meal.

6:58 pm Arrive and put our name in for a table. Wait for the entire party to arrive.

7:20 pm All have arrived and we decide that waiting outside for a table is for chumps. And we are not chumps!

7:30 pm The first pitcher of a red sangria is served alongside a dish of corn and plantain chips with several wonderful dips (guacamole, black bean, and salsa were the choices) at the bar.

8:00 pm We sit at our table and immediately order a second pitcher of sangria (and some order mojitos too…) from the very attractive waiter (hello Javier!).

8:10 pm We order our entrees.

8:20 pm The appetizers arrive, which include fried plantains with cheese and sour cream and a plateful of chorizo.

8:40 pm Our entrees begin to arrive. I enjoy the Quinoa Cakes entrée, which are made of quinoa and sweet potatoes, and come with a soy sauce for dipping. It comes with sides of shredded kale and a super-duper yummy mango-cucumber salad.

9:00 pm The time when we are supposed to get to the bar to meet those not coming to dinner. I feel bad for not getting there on ti…ooh, is that cheesecake?!?!?!

9:10 pm I come back from the ladies room and notice that the dessert menus have disappeared from our table. What are these people up to?

9:15 pm Some of the wait staff come to our table singing happy birthday and playing maracas. Best birthday song at a restaurant ever! They put in front of me a coconut flan and what can only be described as cheesecake heaven. The table devours both desserts like wild animals.

9:30 pm We sadly pull ourselves up from the table of gluttony and start heading to the bar. We get outside only to realize that it's snowing. Dancing and leaping ensue. Happy Birthday to me!

A perfect dinner - one part delicious food mixed with one part awesome friends having a great time. We finished the night with drinks at a lounge where we could converse on couches by a fireplace. Come on...how poetic is that!