Taverna

Some friends took me out to dinner last night for my birthday. We went to one of my favorite restaurants, Lebanese Taverna, and it was excellent—great food, great company, the works.

If you're local to DC, I wholeheartedly recommend this place if you're in search of awesome middle eastern food beyond the usual kabobs and stuff. The mezze (appetizer-sized dishes analogous to Spanish tapas) are great. I usually get three of these for dinner, mix-n-match style. It's a fun way to try different things, especially if you're up for sharing with your friends.

I took a few photos, but they turned out pretty crappy. I put a couple up at flickr, if you want to see 'em.

Highlights of the evening (aside from the awesome food):

+ Meeting Canan. I had the pleasure of sitting next to Sarah's friend from Turkey who was pretty damn amazing. She's currently living in Germany working toward her Ph.D. in archeology. She also speaks three languages fluently, has travelled the world, and is very nice and cute. Despite the fact that we'll probably never meet again, a burgeoning crush has already developed.

+ Birthday kiss. OMG. There I was, stuffing my face with falafel, when I was suddenly blindsided with a surprise smacker. It was Catherine making good on an inside joke. Yow! Needless to say, I'll never wash this cheek again.

+ Friends...How many of us have them? Me! I do! Thanks again to everyone who came out—you guys are awesome. And thanks especially to Tim, for organizing the whole thing.