My Birthday in Review

So as some of you might know, I work for a fairly small company here in Columbia, SC and wouldn't you know that myself and two other employees share the same birthday? This wouldn't be so unusual if our company was much larger, but considering the small size, I think it's pretty neat! One of the ladies in the office had cookie cakes made for each one of our birthdays. The cookie cake was delicious, so soft and chewy it melts in your mouth!

Thank you Eagle!

For dinner, Thomas took me to Baan Sawan, a Thai Bistro on Devine Street to celebrate my birthday! We both have been wanting to try this restaurant for awhile and my birthday was a great excuse!

The bad news is, I forgot my camera. Needless to say, I was very upset with myself. I needed a a glass of wine fast to get over it. I ordered the only glass of Riesling they had on the menu because Rieslings are usually my favorite and as it turns out this one is now top on my list. It was the perfect combination of dry and sweet and it was ice cold which made it that much more enjoyable on a hot summer evening. For the curious, the wine is Richter Peisporter Michelsburg 2008. I can't wait to find a local store that sells it and stock up for special occasions since it is on the more expensive side at $35 per bottle.

To start we ordered calamari to share, it was prepared crisp and drizzled with plum-ginger sauce that was out of this world y'all. The calamari was delicious, both Thomas and I were remarking how we had never seen such thick pieces of calamari. Delicious!

After a tough decision, we finally decided on our entrees. I ordered the pad thai, rice noodles tossed with their slightly sweet, tart and salty pad thai sauce with bean sprouts, ground peanuts, onion and scallions. You had the choice of adding chicken, tofu, or shrimp, I chose chicken. Thomas chose one of the curried entrees. Step 1 you pick from chicken, shrimp, vegetables, tofu, sliced sirloin, duck, or fish of the day. Step 2 you choose a curry. I won't go through all the different types of curry, but Thomas settled on the red curry which is described as medium bodied.

The atmosphere at Baan Sawan is very laid back and relaxing. You feel as though you are enjoying dinner in someone's home with no rush. Our entrees arrived a short time later and both did not disappoint. Warning: be extra cautious when ordering the spice level of the curry. Thomas enjoys the hot hot hot flavor of spicy foods, however the hotness from curry is measured on a different scale.

We spent the rest of the evening enjoying one another's company before heading home. My birthday celebration will continue for a few more days, as I am celebrating with my friends tomorrow night and with Thomas' family sometime over the weekend or early next week.

Until next year thank you to my family and friends who made my birthday very special!