Michael took me out for birthday dinner last night to a restaurant I’ve been wanting to go to for more than two years, Vespaio. I got all dressed up and we went and feasted on things like Brandied Shrimp Bisque with saffron oil and fresh lump crabmeat (I would have licked the bowl if it weren’t Uncouth) and polenta-encrusted softshell crab on ricotta gnocci. We drank a bottle of really tasty chianti and finished by sharing Torta di Polenta Ciccolata with house-made espresso gelato - essentially a molten chocolate cake with intense gelato and a chocolate sauce that I would like a full bathtub of. One word: Oh My God.
Afterwards we tottered to the car full and high from the extravagant food and went to the Congress Street bridge in our fancy-pants clothes to watch the bats come out. It was a gorgeous night and standing in the middle of the bridge-span there was a warm, sultry breeze. On the horizon to the south-east we could see thunderheads giving us a good lightning show. It was gorgeous and with Michael’s arm around me the whole world felt beautiful. I love Austin in the summer, the texture of the town and the people change and softens and melts in the heat a bit. I’ve always liked having a summer birthday; it makes the celebration slightly dreamlike, and I enjoy drawing my friends into that.