A Birthday

I have never been one of those people who just loves her birthday. And this birthday, being a milestone, is quite frightening. Nevertheless, J and L wanted to take J and me out to dinner to celebrate.

I don't like surprises either. But J insisted on not telling me where we were going. Great! The evening arrives, I put on my happy face, and we're off.

Cafe Matisse is a jewelbox of a restaurant in Rutherford, New Jersey with a slightly off beat but posh atmosphere. There are no courses listed on the two-page menu. The diner chooses whether he would like to have three, four, or five courses. The diner chooses the dishes, and then they are brought out one at a time in the order the chef deems. J and L brought wines that they carried back with them from a recent trip to California. All the wines were from the Carneros region. We started with a sparkling white; continued with a smooth and elegant chardonnay; then onto a cabarnet. All were perfect with our variety of dishes.

What could be better than a birthday dinner in an enchanting restaurant with great food shared with the people I love? Not much.

Tomorrow, my birthday, we leave for a week on the beach in St. Thomas with our friends S and A.