flan de cumpleanos!

Isn't it beautiful??? I do so enjoy food that's prettier than it needs to be!
And to think, I almost didn't order it because I didn't want to burn a lactaid! (Or, in this case, the CVS equivalent of that lactose-digesting enzyme.)
I was with my biggest little brother and his wife (my SIL) at their Wednesday night dinner out with friends at a Mexican restaurant. They had invited me several times before, but my work schedule had me otherwise engaged on Wednesday evenings. But I was available this week, so I called to confirm that I would be in attendance! Nice move! I had expected a larger gathering, but folks have summer vacations and only one other couple was there - and I knew them! I had known the blonde redbird for many years and her roofer husband has been an acquaintance for several years now, ever since the pumpkin-carving party.
The five of us met at La Parrilla for this week's dinner. Nice! The first time I came here was with my coppery friend shortly after my return from Italy last year. Good food, good memories! This time promised to be more of the same!
After we were all settled in with our drinks and munching on chips and salsa, I regaled them with a story. What story? A very good one, I assure you! Whilst in one of my favorite places in the world, I had the good fortune to see three award-winners from the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. The first, a slient film, was easily my favorite. A remastering of the classic tale of Snow White, "Blanca Nieves" featured a female matador at its heart. And such a love story! Little Carmencita, rendered motherless from birth by the connivings of an evil, greedy nurse. Little Carmencita, raised by her grandmother, far from her paralyzed matador father, but relocated to his house after her grandmother's death. Ah, reunited with her father! No - there's an evil, greedy nurse, remember? Only now she is also the evil, greedy stepmom.
But little Carmencita does eventually get to spend some quality time with her dad, learning how to swoosh a cape while fending off a stuffed bull. They even get to have a father-daughter dance before the evil nurse finds out they've been keeping company. So ticked off she becomes!!! Poor Pepe! Poor Papa! Poor Carmencita!
Then, after the matador succumbs to death, Carmencita is taken to the woods to be killed. To her rescue comes one of the six dwarf matadors! Olé!
The story goes on from there, with some very good twists (hey, she's a matador, not yet another princess, so of course the story is better!). I gave everyone the full tale, keeping us all entertained right up to the delivery of the food. In fact, I was not quite done when the food came, so the others waited until I had revealed the denouement before digging in. How cool was that?!
I had one of the house specialties, La Parrilla Tilapia and Shrimp. Scrumptious! And QUITE lovely! Broiled filet, broiled shrimp, draped over a mound of mildly spiced mashed potatoes, draped with fabulous green spears of asparagus! The accompanying coleslaw was creamy and spicy and a perfect addition to the mouthfuls of fish! I really should have taken a picture of that lovely plate of food, truly. I did not and I think it was because the telling of the tale of Blanca Nieves had worked up my appetite. Yeah, that sounds about right!
We enjoyed our meal and everyone else caught up with each other's lives and then came the final decision: dessert, anyone? Well, no, but the redbird wanted another margarita and my brother was still working on his cerveza... Oh, why not have a dessert? Why not??
So I did. And it was not only beautiful, but delicious, too. My SIL had a bite, but it wasn't chocolate, so that small taste was all she wanted. Me? I ate the carmelized decoration first, then the smooth, melting mouthfuls of custard, drizzled with caramel syrup.
Yeah, you can tell I really enjoyed it, right?
Totally!
Then came a surprise: my brother and SIL had treated me to that meal! Happy birthday!
Man, I am having a blast with these multiple days of birthday!