W. has emailed, tonight's dinner is pasta with collard greens pesto. And this comes from where? Review tomorrow. Note to self: don't tell W. about blog post.

Meanwhile, Philoxenia. Lovely space, highly recommended for a winter meal. Homey and spacious at the same time. Neat trick. Service was almost excellent on technical grounds, but I'll give them even higher marks for the really nice way they handled TS's blasting of a water glass's contents all over the table -- twice.

Now I get it: reminds me of when I was a TS. The four of us would go out to dinner every Friday night, a ritual. M&D had a shop of sorts in Great Neck, my brother and I would either train there from our house further up the line, or they'd come get us, depending on the location of the restaurant du jour. One year, it was Sta Via on Port Blvd. Another it was Ray's in Little Neck (or maybe that was Sunday nights?). M&D, people of habit. I miss that. Just not our style these days (or our wallets).

Anyways, as you can see from the post below, Philoxenia was a birthday hit-the-spot. Birthdays and me, low-key, please. Place was about 3/4 full, Saturday night around 7, meal almost European in its duration. No one's rushing anyone out the door. Greek salad, extensive, lovely, very very fresh. The pita bread just kept coming, pleasing TS and TD to no end, interesting olive dip with it. Half-carafe of something red I couldn't for the life of me spell here (you'll know the one), well worth the small price, generous pour. Grilled octopus, simple oil & vinegar compatriot, firm but almost creamily so in parts, excellent. What's that leave? TS's lamb stew (a weekend special), he loved it but he's a good eater. TD went simple, chicken souvlaki, she was pleased and that's an effort. Can't recall W's but I liked it, hold on, hold on...nope, not coming to me. And for me, the grilled salmon, very nice, no stepping out with it but wasn't much in the mood for bold and daring. Highly recommend the fries, dusted with parmesan cheese and oregano. Dandelion greens also really cleanly cooked and flavorful, needs salt thrown on them. Skipped dessert, after all, waiting at home was the birthday cake (four individual pieces from Buttercup; too many Thanksgiving Day leftovers to get a whole one).

Philoxenia? On the "Frank Bruni Would Rank It Thusly If Only He Would Step Away From Lower East Side Sushi Joints" scale: two stars, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and the parts were pretty darn good.