morellobello: a Portland Christmas, a New York New Years

Christmas consisted of all the traditional fixings and festivities! Dinner at the University club on the 23rd, cozy Christmas eve with mom spent watching Christmas in Connecticut and eating at the always classic Paley's Place. Christmas Morning at Mom's welcomed in as always with a bunch of dear friends and plenty of good food. Dinner at Dad's with the family (and a healthy dose of presents. I was mostly too busy soaking up all the Christmas cheer, so this is the only picture I really have for you of all that - you'll just have to trust me that it was a great time, and that the food was all really delicious.

Marina and I had a little lovely post-Christmas sister day. We mostly spent it eating a delicious, big, soul warming brunch at the fabulous (if a bit heavy) Tasty & Sons in Portland.

We ordered a chocolate doughnut to begin, because that's how sister days go. Dessert First please and thank you.

Here is the burger Marina ordered.

My sister is a Champ and she ate the Whole Dang blue cheese-bacon-rare burger-with Russian-Dressing Thing! Go Marina!

I had this heavy heavy heavy Boudin Blanc omelet with truffle cheeeese.

It was sort of too much, so I was glad I had this radicchio salad to help me through.

Mom and I had a really lovely last-night-in-Portland dinner on the town at Gruner, her new favorite. I have to say - and I hate to put it this way but I really mean it as a compliment - Gruner is a place that really has risen above a lot of the Portland restaurant hangups (crappy, you're-so-lucky-to-be-eating-in-this-restaurant service, etc) and is just a great great place. These were my favorite thing I've eaten in a long time - beet pickled eggs with fresh horseradish!

A cross section, because I'm an obnoxious person who takes pictures for her blog now. Enjoy my downfall in all it's fushia-hued glory.

8 lovely, family and friend-filled days were over much too quickly, but I'll be back soon enough and it was a festivefantastic Christmas.

Plus, one must be in New York for New Years, it's the center of the world after all. Here's what ours was like:

Mike came! He brought Champagne! It pleased me immensely!