Having dispensed with a bit of elegiac angst a few entries ago, I was free to enjoy a wonderful 40th birthday. The night before, Jeanine took me for a killer meal at Forage. I love that Salt Lake has ample pretension (the waiter would not tell us where they secured the wild blossoms put in our bowl before the chef came around and poured "ham tea" over them from a Chinese tea pot) but is small enough to allow chefs to collect wild blossoms nearby for the tasting menu. And the pretension was backed up by a seriously good meal. Honestly the sweet pea dessert was an all-timer. The ambiance was also top-notch. We commented upon arrival that the music was somewhat loud but tolerable for its early-2000s lowfi vibe. We were enjoying some Coldplay when the waiter abruptly came around the corner to change it. We laughed and asked why, and he proclaimed it too "upbeat." About 10 minutes later, the Cure's wonderful "Just Like Heaven" comes on and Jeanine looks at me and says "Oh, this will never fly, way too upbeat" as the waiter comes rushing around the corner to kill the aggressive beat of the Cure. We labeled him "the cleaner." When in Forage, expect mellow.
My actual birthday was one of those design-your-ideal-day kind of days: a hike/trail run in the foothills, lunch at Epic Brewery (I got a head start the night before with my current favorite beer; note the serious "I drink saisons" expression) and a Salt Lake Bees game with a bunch of friends. It was dark, but you can see how idyllic the view is from behind home plate. The little girl is our friend Ryan and Cara's Anabel on a serious sugar high. Note also that her proclaimed favorite food -- ketchup -- dominates the front of her dress by this point in the evening.
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