The last time we had a house party (May, 2009) – it was scheduled to end at 2 am. At 3:30 am, the NYPD was on our doorstep. At 5:30 am I was brewing coffee for the last stray-away “guests.” We decided to tone things down for Big P’s birthday celebration. The guest list went from seventy to twenty-two (ouch that hurt), we axed the live band (cue applause from neighbors) and opted to do a soul food dinner and wine tasting.
Super Sexy Servers
We had a team of party planners, led by sisters, Angie and Nena of Peter Twin Productions. This was a full service operation. They handled all the rental items, flowers, menu cards, set up and clean up. They transformed our home into a glamorous bistro!
Dining Room Transformed
Our delicious soul food dinner was prepared by Halsey Street Grill. Big P did create one signature dish – Butternut Squash Soup (and a vegan version for my BFF). The menu included a tossed green salad, Baked Flounder, Braised and Glazed Turkey Wings, BBQ ribs, macaroni and cheese, pasta salad, creole rice, collard greens, and candied yams.
Brian of Gnarly Vines Wines and Spirits was our sommelier for the evening. Brian kicked off the festivities by preparing a rum cocktail using Westerhall Plantation Rum, Grenada West Indies. (The recipe is modified from the island of Martinique) Pace yourself with this one.
2 ounces Westerhall rum
1 ounce simple syrup (boil 1 cup water then add 1 cup raw granulated cane sugar. Stir to dissolve sugar and then cool)
1 ounce lime juice
Shake over ice, strain into a tumbler and garnish with a wedge of lime (if you prefer a not so sweet taste -add more rum and lime juice)
Brian worked extensively with Big P to pair the perfect wines with our meal.
Menu Card
The birthday cake had to be special, so I headed to Shannon. Shannon is an artist, who happens to work with sugar. She is the owner and creative talent behind Heavenly Crumbs – a custom cake boutique in Brooklyn. I brought in some pictures of Big P at work, his helmet and his work tools and Shannon created the perfect cake for an ironworker. Our kids loved the edible “iron” beams.
Chocolate Cake with Passionfruit Filling and Butter Cream Frosting
The kids presented their Dad with a list of 55 reasons they love him. We supported some fantastic local businesses and had a great time with family and friends. Big fun for Big P!
I want to say thank you to wifey for masterminding another great event. I thoroughly enjoyed the evening, from the rum punch to the digestif. Finished it of with a great cigar, it doesn’t get better than this…
You’re welcome…now can we get a puppy?
well Big P your wife has to be worth her weight in gold, you should be kissing her feet, sucking her toes ect ect it all look so stunning and that menu ohhhh and the servers ohhhhh my birthay is in march and i am coming stateside Lool, only thing is i want my servers to be semi naked men with six packs to die for…….love you all sooooo much
We missed our UK family! Talk soon!
That sounds like a great party. Your husband is truly blessed to have you & you are blessed to have a husband that you celebrate 🙂
Darbi – everyone deserves at least one great party in their lifetime. I had one last year….and it was definately his turn. I was an “older” bride – so I definately feel blessed. However, regardless of our status, married, single, divorced or widowed…we need to embrace life fully!