For those of you who know me well, you know that I'm a huge birthday person. My birthday was earlier this month, and I couldn't have asked for a better weekend.
I took the day off, and my friend Rae treated me to a day in Philadelphia. I had a massage at Lux Spa and Fitness, inside the beautiful Omni Hotel at Independence Park. I recommend this spa, located in the lower level of the hotel. They have a wide range of treatments, and your visit includes access to their pool, relaxation room, and sauna. I had a 50-minute Swedish massage and it was heavenly.
Next, we went to one of my favorite restaurants, in my favorite area of Philly. Devon Seafood Grill sits along the main park of Rittenhouse Square. My husband found this wonderful spot for a surprise birthday dinner a few years ago, and we've visited this gem a couple times each year ever since. Their seafood is consistently fresh and delicious. I had seared scallops with lobster mac and cheese, and grilled asparagus. Perfection. Rae had a salmon caesar salad. The salmon was a little undercooked as many restaurants tend to serve it; just a heads up if you like your salmon well done. You'll want to let them know that when you order.
I like Devon because, if you join their email club, they'll send you a $25 gift certificate for your birthday. I made sure to use it and our bill came to about $12. Rae was pleasantly surprised :)
Wesley also arranged for the two of us, Rae, and her husband, Rod, to have dinner in New York City the next day. I was sure feeling spoiled- and I loved it! We had a great dinner at Tao, one of my favorite Asian-Fusion restaurants. There's nothing like New York City on a warm, balmy evening. If Rae and I weren't wearing such high heels, we would have strolled the area a bit!
Anyway, it was tough for me to choose from the menu since just about everything sounded so good. I went with a bunch of small plates, so we could all taste and share. I ordered the Thai Chicken Skewers with peanut sauce, Pork Potstickers, Lacquered Pork, and I specially requested a plate of grilled asparagus (Rod and Rae also had a plate each of these). I was delighted with their Pomegranate Martini- absolutely delicious with a hint of lime. Wesley had the Lo Mein and Pork Spareribs. Oh my goodness, the ribs fell off the bone! Highly recommend. Rae's Pad Thai was wonderful, and Rod was happy with his Chicken Fried Rice.
All in all, I had a great weekend! I'm a lucky lady to have such an awesome husband and friends. I hope you'll stop by one of these places. Enjoy!
