not gonna lie...

i had to cheat and use a picture from last year's trail creek christmas party to illustrate the glorious fare of The Gables. last night was the annual affair and it was a fantastic time. the highlights for me were catching up with folks, the laughter, and - i have to admit - the meat.

rewind two weeks and imagine me, lying feebily (is that a word?!) in bed, hungry as a bison stuck in the yellowstone high country in winter, writhing in pain. all i could dream of was this steak in combination with mashed potatoes and some sort of veggie. it was the only thing that i could think of, food-wise, that didn't turn my stomach. i kid you not. so i'd been waiting just shy of two weeks to partake in some filet-y goodness.

the first round, the appetizer, if you will, came at the gramercy tavern up in new york. i have to admit, as with many meals, sometimes the appetizer is yummier than the main course. overall, i have to say the gramercy outdoes itself time and time again. and saturday was no exception. the filet almost literally melts in your mouth.

but where the gramercy scores an a+, the gables follows suit, coming in at an a. the cut is a little larger, but it lacks the delicious carmelized onions. but really, i am a spoiled cancer patient, indulging in food like that twice in three days. but man, i'm already looking forward to more next year. i'm usually not one to crave red meat, but on this occasion, the low red blood cells coincided quite conveniently with the holidays. thank goodness.

and, in completely unrelated news, how about a big congrats to my 2nd cousin, fighting - and winning - his own fight against cancer. today was a day of good news. fantastic.