Birthday Celebrations Galore!

Birthday Celebrations Galore! originally published on Food and Fond Memories on April 25, 2014 by sandyaxelrod Leave a Comment (Edit)

Birthday Celebrations Galore!

I still can’t get used to seeing Brian and Eve every few months instead of a few times a month. It’s hard because I miss them so much, but seeing how happy they are in their new home and new city makes it a lot easier to bear. This time Hershi came along with us and spent the eight hour drive diplomatically dividing his time between sleeping on my lap and sleeping on Steve’s.

We saw something on our drive that I had never seen before. A car with eyelashes. Yes, you read correctly the car’s head lights had very long, thick eyelashes. It was so cute I just had to snap a picture. Other than that our trip was pretty uneventful. We arrived at Brian and Eve’s long before dinner time. And we had plenty of time to settle in before our pizzas arrived.
Saturday morning I awoke to happy birthday kisses from my sweet husband of 45 years. Brian was already at work and after coffee Eve took us on a tour of his route. She timed it perfectly and we met up with Brian at his last stop. Wow is his truck ever big! Then the three of us went to a small sandwich shop to pick up lunch. From the outside Baguette Magic looks like a tiny bakery but inside it’s charming. Packed with people and the wonderful aroma of freshly baked baguettes and croissants. They make everything from scratch. And I mean everything. The open kitchen allows you to watch as they create their masterpieces, carving fresh roasted beef, slicing tomatoes and hand tearing fresh lettuces. We couldn’t wait to get home to devour the yummy creations.

Every bite had just the right proportion of filling to bread. And the bread was amazing. It was crusty on the outside and nice and chewy on the inside. The owner told us that when he moved to America from France he couldn’t find bread that met with his standards. So he taught himself to make it! And that is how Baguette Magic was born.

Seeing as how it was my birthday we had made reservations at an Italian restaurant on John’s Island – Wild Olive – to celebrate. Eve said she had read great reviews so it sounded like a good choice. The parking lot was packed which is always a good sign. From the moment we walked through the front door we felt welcome and relaxed. Our booth was ready and gave us a good view of the open kitchen and dining room. The ambiance was comfortable and casually elegant. Sort of like being in your home but with no dishes to wash.

As they say, “great minds think alike”. Steve and I had decided to order the Zuppa del Giorno and the Beef carpaccio with parmesan, horseradish aioli, melba toast, arugula, Sicilian sea salt and share both appetizers. The soup was creamy wild mushroom with croutons for texture. When we ordered our first courses we heard Eve and Brian echo our selections. Both were so incredible that we could have made meals of those dishes alone. The soup was rich, earthy,  creamy and thick with mushrooms galore. The carpaccio of beef was so tender and flavorful. The adornments only added to bring out the deliciousness of the main ingredient – the ever so thinly sliced raw beef.

For our entrees Brian had the Grilled grass-fed steak (N.Y. Strip) with smashed, fried & truffled Yukon gold potatoes and Eve ordered the Triggerfish which was a special that evening. They both raved and had started devouring their dinners before I got pictures, so you will just have to trust me that they tasted fabulous and looked amazing. Steve had the Pappardelle with guanciale, Mepkin Abbey mushrooms, arugula and shaved parmesan. I tasted it and thought I was in heaven. It was everything a pasta dish should be. It was rich and fresh, smoky and savory. And lastly my selection, the Braised short ribs with fontina stuffed risotto cake, toasted pine nut gremolata and braising sumo (sauce), which was so delectable that I wiped my plate clean with every crumb of bread that was left on the table. I would have literally licked the plate if no one was watching!

After all that that you would think we would have had no room for dessert. But you know me better than that. Eve and Brian shared the Affogato with vanilla gelato topped with

espresso and  biscotti. I did have a taste and it was fabulous; but my dessert was even better. Steve and I shared the Warm Apple Cake with Candied Pecans and Creme Anglaise. And because we are true gluttons we finished it off with Hazelnut Gelato which seemed to be the perfect flavor to accompany the sweet/tart cake. I loved the opposites. Warm cake and cool gelato. Creamy gelato and crunchy pecans. Fruit, nuts, cake, sauce and ice cream, what could possibly be better than that?

Baguette Magic
792 Folly Road
James Island, SC
843-471-5941
www.baguettemagic.com

Wild Olive
2867 Maybank Hwy.
John’s Island, SC
843-737-4177
www.wildoliverestaurant.com