Saturday night...

We were invited to celebrate Dr. Allan Knight's 85th birthday. So of course we went... after all Jason is his favorite chef. We love dinner parties, and this was one of the best. Since it was an 85th birthday celebration, you can imagine the average age of the crowd... I was kind of worried since I didn't know anybody (other than Jay), but it all turned out alright. Cocktails at 6:30pm... we showed up 20min late, due to some cab time miscalculation... I looked around and everyone is holding the good, hard stuff... no sissy drinks in sight (I'm not counting juice for the grand-kids)... and by the good stuff I mean vodka martinis with 3 olives, vodka on the rocks, scotch, g&t, and so on... old school... I sort of felt at home :)... Dinner was wonderful, wine glasses never empty (very efficient staff). I sat beside a gentleman (whose name I can't remember), who kept me entertained all night long. I got some excellent book recommendations. The speeches were touching, heartfelt, and funny with a couple of dirty jokes thrown in.

Now for the food... since my short stint in the hotel and restaurants kitchens, I always truly love and appreciate being a guest vs a cook at a party, and I know Jay feels the same way... Pictures not the greatest quality because they were taken with Jay's blackberry, I didn't take my camera... but I should have...

As I mentioned there were cocktails, which included snacks: cheese platter, fruit platter, and crudite (all not pictured). With dinner we had a choice of white or red wine, and a bread basket was on the table (also not pictured).

But we started with soup. Non vegans had mushroom, I had potato-fennel... very yummy.
Then greens for everyone...
Followed by pasta with broccoli and peas for non-meat eaters...
and cornish hen for those who eat meat....
for dessert a martini glass full of berries and some grapes.. the berries were excellent, especially since they're not in season...
or a lemon meringue tart for those who enjoy curd and meringue...
As I said the party was excellent. Dr. Knight's father lived until he was 95 or 96 I believe... Dr. Knight firmly believes it was entirely due to his genetic predisposition and lifestyle... he's an atheist, we have something in common... who hates vegans/vegetarians, I'm glad he still let me attend his party :)