After confirming with my dear friend,
Gazelle Paulo that he'd be in town on the proposed date I'd also requested the honor of Marilyn Monroe-esque starlet,
Mona Marlowe to be on board as a host for the evening. Arriving promptly at 7:15 p. m. (12 hours past the minute I was born, 35 years prior) I was greeted by
Tavern on the Green's host team to whom I'd introduced David, but to my utter surprise:
We met this afternoon! Arriving straight from the Cornell campus, David had stopped at Tavern on the Green to 'make some arrangements' for my birthday including reserving a section of couches, concocting a menu for the evening
and ensuring that there would be free-flowing bubbly for everyone in attendance! Aside from the printed invitations and having some of the
brightest hosts in New York City (and a dress code:
Solid ties for men | French or Italian RTW for women), I was anticipating an
informal evening, expecting guests would simply 'mill about' near the bar and enjoy a few cocktails while there.
As I settled in near the bar's fireplace, the first guests began arriving and it wasn't until our cocktail server started setting the tables with plateware and linens that I'd begun to get an idea of what David had planned...
The night ultimately mimicked a
reunion for me as faces that I hadn't seen in
years joined in the celebration. Halfway through the evening I was surprised
again as a candle-topped plate was brought out to shouts of Happy Birthday. Whilst chatting with
Gazelle and
Mona about their
upcoming documentaries and
Jenny Smith about demonstrating NARS graphic eyeliner on the 10 o'clock news (
#successfulfriends), I'd realized that all good things must come to an end; and like a lady who knows when it's time to leave a party, I made the announcement that anyone who was interested should join me for
disco downtown (I'd also announced that it was a "high-low" evening and that the "low" portion was about to commence).
 |
| the next day found me feeling positively domestic |
After dancing the night away below 14th Street, the next morning I was up surprisingly early. I'd been keeping an eye on the weather as my calendar was reminding me that I was to host my
fourth annual The Family Stone-watching and strata-eating party that evening. Alas, with nearly a foot of snow expected, my sisters (who would be driving) and I decided we'd postpone the event until a later date. Having cleared the day for it, David and I decided we'd have a strata and movie night of our own.
 |
this year, David initiated hearts and stars as opposed
to my traditional snowflake shapes |
Making the same
strata year after year, I decided I'd try a
new one this year of which I'd been saving the recipe since last winter. Announcing to David that I was headed to the supermarket, after looking over the recipe at hand he decided that he'd join me on the trip. We agreed upon a slightly modified version of the "
hearty greens strata" and substituted the greens with
mushrooms (and plenty of
onion). Returning home with all that was needed for the strata and some
wine and
eggnog to boot, our local forecast predicted a stellar evening in!
 |
| we also found some good-looking thyme while out |
Having prepared strata several times prior, getting started was a breeze; the only completely new addition was
thyme, which David demonstrated how to
quickly and easily strip its leaves by pulling backward along its stems. After the
snowflake heart and star cut-outs and egg mixture were ready, David got to work sautéing onions and mushrooms while I grated a block each of
parmigiano-reggiano and
gruyere. As we both sipped on a
'mouthy' vouvray, we were getting closer to our finished product.
 |
| David demonstrates "de-leafing" thyme |
Once the oven had been fully heated and the strata had been assembled in its pan, I went to setting up the front room for
The Family Stone, complete with a champagne bucket to keep chilled the
Taittinger I'd received as a birthday gift the previous night. And while David continued to whittle away in the kitchen preparing side dishes, I was putting the final touches on our dinner table,
folding linens and
lighting the candles.
