Partying like it's 2012

Just a few shots from my 35th birthday extravaganza in September, which included a picnic by the lake, dinner at Umami, shopping at reThreads west and dinner at Eno Vino, and dinner and La Brioche cake at A. + H.'s house. Oh, and the boy bought me my very own bocce ball set. I can't wait to try them out. Woot!

B.'s tutu transformed me into a birthday nymph

Delicious cake from La Brioche

Fried chicken

K. + T. suggested we go to Eno Vino Wine Bar and Bistro for dinner. Beforehand, we hit the reThreads on the west side for a little thrift shopping. At Eno Vino, we shared a white wine flight and the dishes outlined below.

Seared day boat scallops w/ savory French toast, truffle butter,  black figs, + fried sage

The scallops in this dish were marvelous, but the truffle butter dominated the other pieces. The French toast wasn't as savory as I wanted, and it was drenched in butter. The figs were a nice compliment for the scallops.

Baby spinach salad w/ toasted pistachios, Black Mission figs, crispy prosciutto, shaved Manchego, + maple vinaigrette 

This salad may sound simple, but all of the elements together were stellar.

Sauteed green beans w/ Thai vinaigrette, roasted cashews, + fried shallots

The Thai green beans were the group favorite. Sorry we neglected to snap a photo when the dish first arrived, but we were very eager to tuck in. The presentation was quite impressive. The plate underneath was flaming, making the vinaigrette bubble, and the beans were delicately topped with roasted cashews and fried shallots. But the real standout was the gingery peanut flavor of the Thai vinaigrette. I like most peanut sauces, but this departed a bit--with great results--from the normal peanut sauce. I guess that's why it's called a vinaigrette rather than a sauce.

Crostada

This was my least favorite of our selections. I think it was a special because I can't find it on the menu. It was rather lackluster.