Food Highlights from My Son’s Birthday Weekend

I’ve got a nice round-up of meals to share today from my son’s birthday weekend!

I love that my son’s birthday falls right around the start of the hockey season. It’s just so fitting for me to have had a baby born this time of year. I don’t even know if I fully realized it at the time but over the years, it’s been so extra special to not only get excited for his birthday but celebrate the start of the hockey season at the same time.

My son’s actual birthday was Sunday, but we considered Friday night the start of the birthday weekend fun. Opening night for the Islanders was Friday night, so we stopped at Vincent’s for dinner.

I had the California Bistro salad (with candied walnuts and cranberries).

We also shared a Neapolitan pizza.

Saturday we were up super early as my son was taking the SAT’s. In addition to taking him to/from the test (and to/from his friend’s house in the afternoon), I picked up his birthday cake, and grabbed last-minute birthday things before we went out for dinner with my parents.

We went to The Cheesecake Factory because there’s always something for all of us to eat.

The Thai lettuce wraps – always.

My mom and I both order the vegan cobb salad. We really like it.

I mentioned in Sunday’s post that my son requested his favorite, a classic yellow birthday cake with chocolate fudge frosting. So instead of having dessert at The Cheesecake Factory, we had cake back at my house.

My plate x 2.

Sunday morning, I wasn’t totally sure of the plan. While I knew the dinner plan, and I knew my son wanted to go out for breakfast, I wasn’t sure if the timing would be more like brunch.

I certainly wasn’t waking the kid but once he was up, I marched in his room with a full bouquet of balloons, his presents, and a goodie bag. I always make him a goodie bag, ever since we stopped having his little kid birthday parties. I love a goodie bag! And my son does too. 

He decided he wanted to go to the bagel store so that’s what we did. I had already eaten so I had coffee, knowing he would be ready for lunch in just a couple of hours.

Lunch was such a treat! We were heading to Nordstrom (he had some clothes ideas in mind for himself) so I suggested we eat at the Nordstrom Cafe like old times. Maybe you recall me saying this in the past — my son and I were Nordstrom Cafe regulars during the first few years of his life. Literally, two to three times a week until he started full-day kindergarten! I loved having my little buddy with me all the time back then — even when he was in preschool, I only signed him up for the minimum amount of days so we still had our days together before those full days of school were mandatory. 

I wish I had pictures from all of our Nordstrom Cafe lunches (we didn’t have phones as we do now back when he was little, crazy right?) but I do still have the little boxes of Nordstrom crayons in random purses. It’s always so funny when I find them.

We were both so happy to see that our favorite tomato soup was the soup of the day. It was meant to be that we were there for lunch! The Nordstrom Cafe seriously has the best tomato soup ever.

I ordered a grilled vegetable salad for lunch.

Dinner was supposed to be at Bryant & Cooper but we were shopping at Americana so it just made sense to have dinner at Cipollini.

The margarita pizza for the table was delicious. You know how I love margarita pizza!

I also had their zucchini linguine.

Dessert was terrific. I had the chocolate tarte — the fresh whipped cream was everything!

In case you are interested, I’ve recapped my son’s birthday in food over the last several years. Here are the birthday posts that still stick out in my mind:

Birthday 2018 – Dinner at Bryant & Cooper this time!

Birthday 2016 – Right before the Bar Mitzvah!

Birthday 2015 – Really good birthday cake plus cookies from Schmackery’s.

Birthday 2014 – I remember we had brunch at The Smith.