This year my birthday fell on the perfect holiday and weekend, Easter!

My “birthday weekend” began on a Thursday evening and of course food was involved.

I decided to sign up for a cooking class at Williams-Sonoma and my friends joined in on the fun experience… Chef Victoria did a wonderful demonstration and also provided some great cooking and entertainment tips throughout the night.

The menu consisted of:

Chilled Potato & Leek Soup – I’ve never had my soup chilled, but I really enjoyed it.

Pork Tenderloin & Lemon Orzo with Asparagus (This was my favorite dish of the night. I LOVE asparagus)

Polenta Tea  Cake with Citrus Sugared Strawberries On Good Friday, a good friend treated me to lunch at the place of my choice.

I have a thing for small towns that hold hidden gems. I always keep a mental note of restaurants that I want to try.

Without hesitation I decided to go to Bernie’s on Main Street in Columbiana, Alabama. It was the perfect day to dine out on the patio, minus that annoying yellow dust we call pollen… Here’s what we had:

Left: Pecan Salmon Salad (Combination of baby greens with tomatoes, red onions, cucumbers, and Asiago cheese tossed in their homemade balsamic vinaigrette (My lunch date had honey mustard instead)

Right: Smoked Caesar Wedge – Crisp wedge of romaine, fire wilted and topped with Bernie’s homemade dressing (I opted for ranch dressing instead of Caesar), roasted onions, tomatoes, and cucumbers. I just realized they forgot my cucumbers and I also added shrimp to this meal. This was a tasty, light lunch for two. I plan to go back in the future to indulge in their dinner menu. I ended my visit with a to go order of bread pudding… If you know me or have read previous posts, you know I’m the president of the bread pudding fan club.

On Saturday, I dined with friends at Brio Tuscan Grille in Homewood, AL. I opted for the Chicken Pesto Pasta, Mimosas, and the dessert trio…. On Easter Sunday, my actual birthday, I dined with family and friends on the traditional “Soul Food Sunday” meal of chicken (baked and fried), green beans, yams, collards greens, corn bread dressing, ham, and several other dishes… Because a birthday isn’t complete without a cocktail, I stopped by Stix Restaurant for a watermelon martini (one of my favorite cocktails) I ended my birthday with a to go order of the American Dream Sushi Roll from Stix. (The bartender noticed the date on my driver’s license and brought me this dessert.) Gosh, this is a lot of food! What can I say, I’m a true foodie! Somebody’s got to do it! (Eat that is…)