29 candles later

Today is my 29th birthday, which – according to a colleague, 10 years my senior – I will claim to celebrate for the next few birthdays onward. So, on this milestone day, this is what I did:

Went to a meeting downtown with the boss, where a few wealth strategists sang Happy Birthday to me. Bonus: client's building is right in the heart of the Transformers 3 movie set. AWESOME! 

Returned to the office for a not-so-surprise Cupcake Celebration with the team. 

It was much appreciated, by the way, as it was a hectic week at work, especially today of all days, with deadlines amplified by frantic balls of stress pulsing through the office (I mean, how DARE they pile on so much work that I had to stay until 7 on my birthday!).

Besides that, I feel good, happy and healthy, and tonight I enjoyed a lovely, long-awaited dinner at Naha with The Fella. Our friend, Maria, who is a connossieur of seeking out all the finest restaurants worldwide, recommended Naha three years ago when she and the fam were visiting Chicago.

{ executive chef, Cary Nahabedian }

Our server asked if we had any theater plans that we were in a rush for ("no"), then said they will take their time to make our orders extra fresh. He wasn't kidding. It was the longest dinner for two we've ever experienced – 3 hours to be exact – except for this other time. But it's all good, we were offered complimentary glasses of wine, and I got a true Date Night with The Fella: long conversation facing one another, fancy dinn, beautiful setting.

{ 29 years young, over a farm plate of roasted quail, kurobata pork belly and a coddled duck egg enrobed in prosciutto with scallion jam, kale, duck fat-fried potatoes, and thyme }

{ The Fella's entree: Maryland Coast soft shell crabs with a succotash of fava beans, tomatoes, sweet corn and cilantro, toasted quinoa, pea shoots, arugula flowers and balsamic brown butter } 

PLUS, I got to hear the dish on Aaron and Tori. As in Spelling, overheard in an extra-loud name-dropping convo by a guy dining behind us: Aaron was the nicest guy ever, we were such good pals; I hung out with the whole cast, Shannon Doherty is awesome; Tori was the sweetest girl, she and I smoked pot together once; Aaron's wife was a money-hungry b*tch who cut Tori out the will and did the handyman while he was deteriorating from cancer, yada yada yada. 

Birthday outfit, head to toes:

Dress: A|X

Heels: Steve Madden

Jewelry: Wedding pearls, earrings and necklace

Clutch: NYC Chinatown