30, Flirty & Thriving

On Monday I celebrated the big 3-0 and while I was a little uncomfortable saying the number at first, I’m starting to get used to it.

I appreciate all of you who reached out and wished me a happy birthday, and for the many restaurant recommendations I received based on my Facebook post! In case you were wondering, we ended up at Three Vines for dinner, and it was the perfect combo of casual atmosphere and good food.

Prior to that dinner, my fiance (still weird to say) planned a surprise birthday dinner party with some of my closest friends. The biggest surprise was who was there cooking… Joe and Elena Marosek!

Several years ago, you may remember my rave reviews of a restaurant in Ballston Spa called Strata. It lived where Next Door Kitchen & Bar now is.

From the moment I met Joe & Elena, I fell in love with their restaurant and their cooking (and them.) Tim and I used to go there ALL THE TIME and they are solely responsible for my halloumi obsession.

Tim worked with them on the whole menu, which included a board of mediterranean dips (hummus, tzatziki, baba ganoush & pickled beets), grilled halloumi with fresh pita, roasted potatoes, a beautiful salad, grilled chicken kabob & lamb kabob, fried dough and baklava.

It was SO AMAZING. Couldn’t have asked for a better way to celebrate turning 30!

Here are some pictures from the night:

Shout out to Amanda, Alyssa & Tiffany who kept reminding me to take pictures as I continued to drink copious amounts of wine.

If you follow me on Instagram, it’s obvious a lot of my cooking is inspired by this food. It’s because I love it so. And Joe & Elena were the first to really introduce me to it back when Strata was open.

Maybe someday they’ll have a restaurant again. And I’ll get to eat this stuff every week!

Anyway, I couldn’t NOT share that little tidbit from my birthday, especially since I had the pictures to go along with it all!

Thanks again for all of the love. XOXO.