my very first (of many, I'm sure) 29th birthday

Today was a good day: quiet, relaxing, and full of good food. In case you didn't already know, I spend most of my time dreaming of and planning the next delicious bite of food I will consume. And when I'm not eating, I make every effort to be sleeping. So it made complete sense to spend my birthday participating in my two favorite pastimes - eating and sleeping.

I spent the morning nursing a tall cup of perfect hubby-made coffee while attending to non-birthday related matters (property management - yuck! and bills - double yuck!). This was promptly followed by a leisurely drive up PCH to Zinc Cafe in Corona Del Mar, where I obsess over the menu upon each visit by walking between the deli counter of prepared salads and entrees and scrutinizing each item on the printed menu overhead. (The servers love that I do this because they have about a million better things to do than watch me make up my mind.) I finally decided on the daily special: summer salad of hardboiled eggs, steamed fingerling potatoes and haricot verde, Kalamata olives, heirloom tomatoes layered with slices of goat cheese, and herbed cottage cheese over a bed of fresh butter lettuce and dressed in a shallot vinagrette. I also helped myself to a cup of the chili, which comes with delectable knot of garlic bread, and a Zinclini - my new favorite cocktail of fresh raspberry puree, peach-orange juice, and sparkling wine. Mouth-watering? Yes please!

Our delightful lunch was followed by a trip to Sprinkles for a red velvet cupcake for now and a raspberry cupcake for tomorrow's breakfast. What? Cake for breakfast is normal... The best part was running into Evie at the plaza. Cupcakes and family - a perfect combination.

Dinner followed a long, long nap. We opted for an intimate family dinner on the patio at Sol, except this place is BUSY! I don't think it's even been open for two months and it's popping off! It's easy to see why - the interior is simultaneously cozy and stylish, with many rustic accents and crafty furniture. The cuisine is fresh, inventive, and sourced with sustainability in mind, playing off traditional Baja fare. Fantastic guacamole sol, with mangoes and goat cheese... sweet and crispy fried calamari... super flavorful baked shrimp scampi... and uber-fresh fish tacos with all the fixings. The cocktails are fancy too! They offer refreshing beeritas (the equivalent to three margaritas topped off and a bottle of inverted beer) and various martinis. All delicious. It was definitely a wonderful meal! Check it out and spread the word. I'm hoping this place sticks around, it's that good.

All of this was courtesy of my perfect husband, who took the day off of work, just to do all the little things we haven't been able to recently. Thank you husband, you are lovely.