My Birthday Dinner

Lucky for me, my birthday coincided with our recent trip to New York. I am a big Bobby Flay fan, so I chose one of his restaurants for my birthday meal: Mesa Grill.

Being from Kansas, I can't say that you don't experience a bit of sticker shock in New York City restaurants. But the food at Mesa Grill was worth every penny.

We ordered two appetizers: blue corn pancakes with BBQ duck and a stuffed tamale. The tamale was good, but the blue corn pancakes were absolutely fantastic. The pancakes were a little heavier than a regular pancake and they had a nice flavor. The BBQ duck was tender and moist. I've ordered duck in restaurants in the past, only to be disappointed. It is easy to overcook duck and it can be very dry. That was not the case on this night.

For dinner, I had Mexican spice rubbed pork tenderloin with bourbon ancho chile sauce and a sweet potato tamale with crushed pecan butter. The pork was tender enough to eat with a fork. The ancho chile sauce with sweet and spicy. I love sweet potatoes, so I enjoyed this adaptation on a traditional sweet potato.

For dessert, we had a peach and blueberry ice cream sandwich. Yummy!

I've had some really wonderful birthdays over the years. This one ranks toward the top of the list.