Recovery Post

I have a slew of things to post about - February was full of birthdays, illnesses, surgery, you name it - but at the moment, I'm struggling. I was pretty busy and just didn't feel like writing for the past few weeks, and figured that during my week of post-surgery vacation I could catch up. Here I am though, at the end of my week off, and the thought of typing more than a few paragraphs is more than I can bear. As a funny little sidebar, Sara took some pictures of me in the hospital before the surgery so that I could post them next to some after pictures... unfortunately, I looked at the after pictures on my cell phone today, and they're just way too gross to post. Not that I'm self conscious about my looks, but I had a lot of what the hospital affectionately calls 'seepage'. In the hospital I wasn't concerned at all when the doctor said that I would "have some seepage for the next few days", but it was a different story when I was trying to sleep and realized that he meant I would "have blood running down your face until Tuesday".

Anyseepage, I didn't come to vent, I actually just came to post about my mother's birthday dinner.

First of all, it was my wife's idea... OK, now that I've gotten that out of the way, With Sara as a server, Sam as a pasta machine operator, some classic Abbate conversation, and some help from Taylor Rental, it was one of the best nights I've had in a long time. Hopefully, since the shebang was for my parents (and my mother's 70th, of course) they felt the same way. Anyway, thanks all around - to the Abbates for livening up the place, to my wife for putting up with my anal-retentive table setting procedures, and my parents for, well, everything. So without further ado, here are the pics and the menu, and I'm going to lay down and quiver... oh, btw, my mother made a chocolate pecan pie for dessert which was so good we forgot to take a picture... or we were drunk, either one...

Sam and I frantically making basil pasta

Setting the table just in time

Seared Bluefin Ahi Tuna Loin with
Spicy Sesame Seaweed and Roasted Pepper Coulis
2005 Jekel Vineyards
Monterey Gewurztraminer

Handrolled Basil Pasta with
Acorn and Butternut Squash Ragu
& 24k Gold Leaf
1999 Viberti Giovanni
Barolo Reserva San Pietro

Grilled Red Curry Zabuton Beef with
Baby Spinach and Wild Mushroom in
Balsamic Reduction
2006 Elizabeth Spencer
Cabernet Sauvignon
Proprietor Blend Special Cuvee

Spring Greens with
Ginger Juice Pears & Sweet Basil Vinaigrette (picture taken after my father ate half of it... kinda changes the presentation a bit...)
2007 Pine Ridge
Oakville Chenin Blanc-Viognier