Happy Birthdays to Us!

(the entrance to Annie Gunn's Smokehouse Market)

You know, Christmas has never been my favorite time of year, but once the hustle and bustle of the holidays is over, I can always count on one thing. My birthday. I'm a January baby, and Ginny is a (nearly) Christmas child, herself, so we frequently try to do something together near our birthdays.

This year it worked out that while she was here for our annual candy making weekend, we had the opportunity to have lunch at a restaurant we've both been dying to try. Annie Gunn's. You may recall a post or two about cooking classes we've taken in St Louis. Well, more than once, we've attended classes lead by Executive Chef of Annie Gunn's restaurant, Lou Rook, and his wine director, Glenn Bardgett. We always enjoy these classes and making a pilgrimage to the restaurant has been something on our 'to-do' list for quite some time.

So, Happy Birthday to US! We made reservations, solicited some wine suggestions in advance from Glenn, and away we went.

We splurged on prime aged steaks,along with their lobster mac & cheese,and a smoked seafood sampler platter. As an extra bonus, they had Raspberry Point oysters on the half shell as a special that day, and as Ginny is a real oyster aficionado, we didn't even attempt to resist. I, myself, have never been able to swallow, much less stomach, the slimy little beasts; but I've always wished I could, so I try again periodically. This seemed like an opportune time, so I ordered one for myself, complete with the tiniest dab of creme fraiche and caviar.

I have officially come over to the Dark Side. YUM!

And, one more little treat for you....Ginny. You've never really been formally introduced. You've seen her hands, and even her feet, in various locations on this blog. But, until today, you've never seen her smiling face. We were in such a state of tempranillo and barolo-induced bliss, that she allowed me this one shot in honor of her birthday....and a fantastic meal.

Cheers, Gin!