The Voyagers

 BIRTHDAY!!!!

Yes, recently it was my 49th Birthday, and in celebration we went out with some friends to Denver's The Squeaky Bean.

Lucky me, my birthday week happened to correspond with Denver's "restaurant week", which means that Denver's finest restaurants create special, limited-edition menus for the annual occasion.

It was our very first time at The Squeaky Bean, and, since we are all four of us major foodies, the restaurant-week menu was like paradise for us. 

Each hand-written, prix fixe menu was paperclipped to a vintage '60s cookbook, just to add to the evening's vintage atmosphere.    

 Behind the elegant diningroom, a vintage bingo board. Also, chandeliers made form vintage silverware, and a shrine to '70s Farrah Faucette near the illuminated bar.

 Our sweet friends A & B, who joined us for my birthday dinner!

 

 My beautiful friend A, facebooking cocktail photos ;)

 This first-course queou d'ecrevisse elicited much laughter from the table at large when it was accidentally placed in front of me, just after I had told a funny story about my recent conversion to crawfish activist. Long story.

 B and his hand-carved icecube, which was truly a work of art.

 Second courses, served on bite-sized wooden spoons.

 Although my first course, a deconstructed ratatouille, was incredible, my main course of sole with fennel, mussels and lemon gelée ended up being so superb, so surprising, so exceptional that it blew the entire night out of the water!

 Mike's main course, also delicious but not quite as superb as mine.

 Me with my superb birthday cocktail, entitled the Nino Brown, made for me by the bartender who also happened to be the fiancé of our babysitter that night.

Mike and I, birthday evening shot taken by our dear friend A.