Happy Berfday Day..."Stinker!!"

Last night I drove up to LA to take my sis and Rob to

, probably the 2nd largest garlic hub next to Gilroy. This place is just NUTS! Everything has garlic, including the ice cream.

For starters, we had the Bagna Calda

which is: (Garlic soaking in a hot tub) Garlic cloves, oven-roasted in extra virgin olive oil and butter with a hint of anchovy. A wonderful treat for spreading on our house-baked focaccia bread. Served at your table in an iron skillet.

We also had the popcorn calamari. Both were delish!

And for the main event: my sister had the Garlic Braised Boneless Short Rib (I wish I had a picture, but I forgot my camera...I know, it's a tease to talk about it without being able to see it). Rob had the Forty Clove Garlic Chicken roasted on the bone. I had the Surf & Turf: Medium Cut, Garlic Roasted Prime Rib and 1/2 Crab. Despite getting a little bit of heart burn, I thought the food was great. I could get used to super garlicky stuff.

I was afraid the next day that I would totally stink of garlic and have to shower 3 times to keep the pores clean. While I didn't stink topically, I did have gas in unspeakable quantities. Let's just say "Gilroy had nothing on me!".

TMI. I know.

To cap off the evening, the restaurant helped to celebrate my sis's b-day with a serving of their Gilroy's Famous Garlic Ice Cream with Caramel Molé Sauce. The waiter didn't know my sis's name, so when we got to that one part in the song, he said "happy birthday dear STINKER!".... The ice cream takes a little warming up to--it certainly is not for the faint of heart. My sister couldn't continue past the first bite. Rob, he took a couple, and then he tapped out. I dug deep from within all that was in me and finished off the scoop. Toward the end I began liking it. How often do you eat 'garlic ice-cream?

At any rate, my sis is young lady now. Not the kid-sister I used to bully around; although we'll still always laugh at our 'toilet humor'. She has grown up to be a smart and beautiful person, just like our Mom. I could not thank God more for how He has provided for us, and opened the door for us to go to college (our folks did not go to college) and to have a job, amidst the unstable marketplace. I am thankful that she is down here in So-Cal--it wouldn't be the same without her.