the belated bday party ...

Me, R&S and D (co-worker/friend) went out to dinner -- a few days late, but the only time our schedules permitted -- at Manhattan Steakhouse, a fine dining establishment in the local Marriott.

WARNING: If you're hungry, skip this part of the post!!

I started with these little succulent crabcakes, with a creamy dipping sauce that was simply divine and a shade piquant.

Next up was lobster bisque, with a puff pastry crust over the top. Oh. My. God. Tasty most.

The main course was garlic steak, a filet mignon with a garlic coating, grilled up perfectly to medium rare, served with sides of mashed potatoes, crispy onion strings and these sautee'd mushrooms that were little taste explosions.

I also got to sample some king crab legs with a thermidor sauce, as well as a taste of a New York strip encrusted in peppercorns, liberally doused with a mildly spice peppercorn sauce.

Dessert was a chocolate cake (a bit dry), this filo-dough layered stacked thing with a creamy spread and fresh strawberries, which was a little stale.

So, in short, appetizer to entree was mucho delicioso, while the desserts were a letdown. Coffee was good though!

Here's me after dinner, expounding on some bullshit. The person shooting was experimenting with different settings, hence the old-photo effect.

Oh ... and the loot:

• A DVD of "Blood In, Blood Out," one of my all-time faves ... Vatos Locos forever, ese!!

• Several packs of Velocitee™ brand golf tees, the ones I used for so long until I couldn't find them anymore. S saw them at the Wal-Mart in Hawaii ... that thoughtful bastard!

• A George Foreman grill ... I had told D my old one had pretty much broken down from overusage and he hooked me up.

• The big present from R&S was a big one ... a Callaway Big Bertha Titanium driver ... woot! Those two are TOO good to me sometimes!

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