Surprise Alice… it’s your birthday party!
So, last night we had a surprise party for Alice. 
The plan was to meet up with our friends for a nice dinner out.
As far as Carl and Alice knew we were heading out to dinner at Maggiano’s like any other dinner out. I was rushing those two because we were running a little late. I walked in the front door and saw 15 or so friends standing there so I knew Alice would be shocked. She took two steps in and looked at me with that look that said, “What are you doing?” I looked back and said, “Uh… recognize anyone?” She took a 3 count and then that’s when it hit home.
So, this is how the night started. From here we had a drink in the bar and waited for our table to be called. It was a fun mix from the start with a bunch of different parts of our lives coming together and it was really nice how different folks went out of their way to welcome Carl.
The restaurant has a rule about parties over 14 people and required us to order off a family style menu. I decided to delegate the decision making and rolled out my plan in a wildly unorganized method. I broke the table into 3 sets of 6 and each section ordered one of the courses. We had the following:
- Bruschetta
- Calamari
- Caesar Salad
- Chopped Salad
- Shrimp & Angel Hair al Arrabbiata
- Four Cheese Ravioli
- Chicken Parmesan
- Beef Medallions, Portabella Mushrooms, Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Tiramisu
- Chocolate Zuccotto Cake
(If you were there and I got it wrong… let me know!)
The waiter was awesome and did a good job hanging with our crazy style.
Alice got to have dinner with 16 friends, her father and myself and it was a great time! We’ll have to figure out how to surprise her next year.