26th Birthday - Part 1! (Merrill & Co.)

My 26th birthday stretched out for a really long time! Since I was in NY during my actual birthday, I celebrated with friends the weekend after, and with Tom the weekend after that! I'm a pretty lucky duck, eh?

My celebration with friends was on Saturday, June 7. The day was gorgeous, so we started it out with a a few hours at the beach. It was perfect.

Afterwards, we went back to my apartment to relax and get ready for dinner with some fun homemade cocktails. It's pretty obvious that I love cucumbers and watermelon, so I decided to try to make a drink out of them. They came out awesome! All we did was put cucumbers, watermelon, mint, vodka and ice in a blender and mix it until it became a juice consistency. Then we strained it, added a bit more vodka and ice, and put a cute little garnish on top!

For dinner, I picked out a new spot in the South End, Merrill & Co, and Tom made a reservation for our group of 15. I'm always a little nervous about big group dinners but the place ended up being perfect. The restaurant feels like a modern, upscale diner, and the menu consists mostly of small plates. Most of the dishes offered are American comfort favorites with a twist. Our big group had the perfect table looking straight into the kitchen. It was perfect!

The meal started with drinks and a surprise oyster birthday toast -- I wish I had gotten a picture of this! Then, we broke up into small groups and basically ordered everything off the menu. I barely took any photos, but we tried all of these:

DEVILED EGGS bread & butter pickles, smoked paprika
WAFFLE FRIES cheddar powder, old bay aioli
GRILLED CORN uni-miso butter, lime, espelette
CAST IRON MUSSELS red curry, ginger
OCTOPUS kimchi, pimento, burnt onion
BURGERS 3-piece, bacon-onion jam, raclette
MAC & CHEESE parmesan-cheddar, bread crumb
PORK BELLY baby carrots, za’atar, dill yogurt
SUGAR SNAP PEAS meyer lemon, bacon, sweet soy
TIGER SHRIMP xo sauce, black bean
CAULIFLOWER almonds, onion jam, parsley

Octopus (one of my favorite dishes of the night)

Sliders

The whole group!

I was really impressed with all of the food and the service. Highlights food wise for me were the octopus, the pork belly, the shrimp and the waffle fries! After dinner, a few of us went next door to Wink & Nod for some more fun and cocktails.

I love that place. Such a cool vibe and really great drinks!

I had such a fun time and am so thankful to all of my friends for coming together to celebrate with me! 

Birthday part 2, coming soon!