The Restaurant Of Choice This Year Was Il Cantinori!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! One Of ANNA's Favorite Places!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                    Of course, darlings, I always go by ANNA.

                                     One advantage to having a birthday on Monday is that our lunch/dinner was so peaceful and quiet.

                                      Arriving at 2PM on November 18, David and I were graciously escorted to a table, and discovered several people in the restaurant then were celebrating their birthdays at the time. This is getting to be something of a tradition for us, as the same thing happened last year at Balthazar.

                                          We started out with a free appetizer of toasted bread with white bean spread.  It was delicious.  And gracious of them to offer it.

                                         One woman offered me her crown to wear, which I did for a few seconds, and we all sang "Happy Birthday" to one another.

                                            Which is all well and good.  But I know what my darlings want to know--what did we have to eat?

                                              So, here it is--

                                               David had white wine, and I had red.  Both were suited for our entrees.

                                               David had Bruschetta Con Pecorino E Pere for an appetizer. This was a salad with pears, honey and croutons.

                                                I had, as my appetizer, Aspargi Alla  Milanese, which was asparagus with parmigiana cheese and hardboiled egg.  What a light and delicious appetizer!  Highly recommended, girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                 David's entree was Scampi Con Pomodori , which was shrimp with spinach and tomatoes.  He said it was delicious.

                                                 We got plenty of bread, which I went easy on, and our water was always refilled so I stayed hydrated.

                                                    And dessert?

                                                    Well, David had regular tea, and I had decaf coffee.

                                                      Our desserts were scrumptious. David had an assortment of gelato--vanilla, chocolate, pistachio, and strawberry.  I had a Tartufo of vanilla and chocolate ice cream covered in a rich chocolate shell.  It was the best Tartufo I have had.

                                                         I hated to leave Il Cantinori, it was such a pleasant experience.

                                                          Just perfect for a 70th birthday celebration, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!