Today is my birthday.

Looking back, the past year held various cooking victories: the ice cream follies of the summer (basil/lemon, chocolate/zinfandel, strawberry/balsamic, Guiness, sake/cucumber sorbet)...a few good looking loaves of ciabatta, and one really ugly but tasty boule ... the perfect Stephanie pizza (pesto, prosciutto, arugula, and egg cracked on top) ... a five layer cake that looked exactly like a giant Crabby Patty ... oh there must be more.

There have been some failures as well, like Thanksgiving dinner. I never told you about that? Huh.

But tonight nobody has to cook, and everybody has been asking where I want to spend my birthday dinner.

There are so many great options. I'd love a quiet evening at Restaurant Alma [1], so simply elegant. And if I hadn't had sushi on Friday, I would be parked at BaGu Sushi [2], my new raw fish favorite. We could jazz it up and go to The Oceanaire [3], because three dozen oysters for three dozen years would seem quite appropriate to me. If it were just me, I'd snag a seat at the 112 Eatery [4]bar and selfishly order for three.

But it's not just me. It is the six-pack that comprises my family and it is a Monday and it is freakin' cold outside (as it always is). So it may not be fancy, or cutting edge, but we are heading to the LT [5] tonight, where a worthy and luscious double California cheeseburger will grace my little paper plate. Topped off with softy fries and 1919 Rootbeer from the tap, this soul satisfying meal will happily kick-off the next 364.