Throw a great party! With a lot of help from Rodney and his superfantastic crew at my favorite restaurant in Portland, the glamorously titled Podnah's Pit BBQ, I was able to plan a little b-day soirée for my Papa's big 6-0 all the way from New York.
September 1st is one of the very few reliably sunny days here in Portland, so I asked to be outside on the lovely little back patio because Dad loves sun and loves to have dinner outside. Of course, yesterday I woke up to the only TRULY reliable weather we ever have in Portland: Rain. Lots of cold, drizzly, grey, rain. UGH. I went through my day, gathering together the finishing touches for the dinner -
creating little bouquets for the tables
baking my Dad's favorite thing, a coconut cream pie
and generally doing my best to ignore the weather whilst begging for a miraculous clearing of the sky.
And miracles happen, you know? Around 5 o'clock the rain stopped and by 5:30 there wasn't a cloud in the sky and it was actually getting hot!
A perfectly lovely evening ensued! Flowers and candles, plus a healthy dose of prosecco set the celebratory tone
a little wedge salad came next - Rodney knows how it's done (plenty of Blue Cheeeeese)
and....Prime rib! This isn't usually on the menu at Podnah's, but I knew Rodney does make them occasionally and so I special-requested it for the Birthday boy! Dad said "this is the best piece of meat I have ever eaten in a restaurant" - truly! Everyone else was silent, until their plates were clean, which is it's own sort of compliment, arguably the best kind.
Full, happy faces! Dad's cousin Linnea, and her daughter Kyra, post-prime rib.
The night was relaxed and casual, but between the weather, Rodney's incredible food, and a dreamy mix of family and friends, the night felt imbued with special kind of birthday magic. Happy Birthday Dad!
1 comment:
Awww, that looks beautiful! You can throw me a birthday soiree ANY time :)
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