another quarantine birthday

Remember when this all started in March and we thought we would be free by summer? Or at least I did.
Well here's to another small socially distanced birthday around a firepit.



This cake was a reprisal of matcha s'mores cake from last year. But hojicha s'mores cake this year.
Graham cracker cake rounds filled with chocolate ganache buttercream, layers of hojicha marshmallows, and decorated with buttercream Olympic park mountains that were also colored with cocoa and hojicha powder.
Topped with one little cluster of rhododendrons, the state flower of Washington.

Except before that we were also conveniently in Seattle to eat our body weight in celebration of being able to dine at restaurant with wide open windows and appropriately spaced tables.

The motivation for brunch at Meet the Moon was this giant cinnamon roll just SMOTHERED in cream cheese frosting.

But also damn when was the last time I really had brunch? The answer to this question and all other further questions is pre-Covid, and is thus, also rhetorical.

Pork carnitas hash gave me a lot of emotions. How I've missed paying other people to make me eggs and perfectly crisped potatoes.

Birthday dinner was family style fancy Sichuan food at Tyger Tyger. I was pleasantly surprised to have such refined and well-lit Sichaun food. So much so that I took no pictures. The rockfish with sour mustard greens was my fave though.
But the most intriguing thing was this aged baijiu with five spice. There are few food and bev-related smells I hate more than baijiu, but this little glassful was incredibly warm and comforting to sip on.

By the way, apparently fried coconut meat is very good. And gooey.