The Party

I promised some pictures from the birthday party for Steven.  Here they are.  Great time with good friends.



Ten of six - waiting for the guests to arrive.


The table was set and ready to go as you can see by the clock on the mantel at ten of six.  The large platter in the foreground eventually had a beautiful display of freshly steamed jumbo shrimp and lemon.  We bought them from one of the vendors at the Wharf along the banks of the Potomac in Northeast Washington.  They have the best selection of fresh seafood of all descriptions at the Wharf.  I made the cocktail sauce which was really wonderful.  It's a combination of chili sauce, horseradish and fresh lemon juice.  I'll post the recipe under Food and Recipes.




Cheese board with fontina, gouda, brie and pork pate.


A little further down the table was a cheese board with an assortment that included, fontina, gouda and brie and pork pate.  The pork pate was to die for.  Barbara Silberstein and I were both frequent visitors to the pate.  The tray to the left was pearl onions and olives that were marinated for 24-hours before the party.  I'll have to post the recipe for the marinade because they were scrumptious.  Appetizer plates and linen napkins and utensils at the ready along with a Brooks Brothers bag which contained gifts for the birthday boy.




Phyllo cups with seafood salad, marinated pearl onions and olives.


In the center of the table we had two trays of phyllo cups filled with seafood salad.  One tray had fresh dill on top, the other did not.  Chocolate Tornada under glass in the background behind the floral arrangement.  The floral arrangement I put together with flowers I bought from the floral department at Shopper's Food Warehouse (if you can believe that) and flowers from my gardens.  It really was spectacular.

Paul and Barbara brought a tray with fresh salmon and capers which were oh so delicious.  Peter and Robin brought marinated peppers and onions (our favorite).  Bob brought ribs, another favorite of this group.  And Lea brought some lovely wines.  Who could ask for better from the guests!!




Steven and Lea



Finally, a picture of the birthday boy and our dear, dear friend Lea.  The party was a spectacular hit.  Everyone arrived around 6:00 and the festivities didn't end until shortly after midnight.  Now that's a good party.  We sang many different versions of Happy Birthday, many different times.  Steven said it was the best birthday party ever!  As a host, you can never hear that enough.