Celebrating the Big Six Zero!

Well, I made it to 60! I hit that significant milestone last week as a retiree and without any serious health issues over the past six decades. That’s reason alone to celebrate, right?! As you might imagine, food and wine were a prominent feature of my birthday celebration – here’s what we did to mark this seminal event!

I’ve never really cared for birthdays. To me, they are just another day, even the supposed “Big Ones” like making it to the next decade. That includes turning 60 years old. Still, making it to 60 in itself is cause for a bit of reflection and celebration. So, Laurie and I celebrated my 60th birthday over a few days last week (why limit yourself to only one day of celebratory fun, right?!). Here are some of the highlights!

First, I started the party right by visiting my new dermatologist down here in Sarasota – sounds like a blast, huh? Dermatologists suck, because they are all “kill joys”, always ready with a disapproving glance and comment if you have so much as a hint of a tan. But this is Florida, THE SUNSHINE STATE, right? So, I assumed my new dermatologist down here would be a bit more laid back and forgiving given we live outside 365 days of the year. So, when Dr. “D” (a.k.a. Casper – pale as a ghost) walked in and we exchanged the usual pleasantries, his first words to me were, “So, you are clearly getting too much sun, but you know that already, right? We’re going to talk more about that in a minute.” The lecture commenced less than five minutes later. Like I said, kill joy.

His advice to me was to not cross the threshold of my door without slathering myself in 50 SPF sunscreen, to wear Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) clothing (which just sounds hot to me), and to always wear a “wide brimmed hat” when I’m outside, something similar to a sombrero or those floppy straw hats the landscaping crews always wear down here (a baseball cap apparently isn’t acceptable). Not the best start for the birthday festivities – but it got better after I left his office!

Next up was a birthday dinner at one of the best restaurants in Sarasota – Michaels on East. The restaurant, which specializes in prime steaks and seafood, also has a wine cellar with a great selection of small production wines for sale and for tasting as well. The dinner was fantastic and the service even better – prime NY strip steak for me, bluefin crab cakes for Laurie. And the gratis ice cream brownie cake with chocolate espresso and heath bar vanilla crunch ice cream wasn’t bad either!

Birthday brownie ice cream cake from Michaels on East

The next day, we continued the celebration by enjoying a bottle of a special edition Dom Perignon champagne during our Friday afternoon happy hour, accompanied by buttered popcorn of course (a match made in heaven for those of you who have never tried it before!). Lady Gaga joined us for the celebration. Before I explain that last sentence, here’s all that I know about Lady Gaga. She sings, quite well apparently. She’s weird – she once wore a dress made out of raw red meat to some music awards show. And she’s really short (like 5 feet and some change, …). That’s it – that’s all I know about her.

Anyway, she is in the middle of a two-year collaboration with famous champagne producer Dom Perignon in support of her Born This Way Foundation. Our real estate agent and friend, Vince, was kind enough to give us a bottle of Lada Gaga Limited-Edition Dom Perignon at the closing of our new home down here in Sarasota. Laurie and I decided to pop the cork on it in celebration of my 60th birthday. Wow! This champagne was all about elegance – it was smooth, understated, soft and silky in the mouth. It showed beautiful green apple and pear fruit, with light acidity and a clean finish. A wine that wants to kiss you instead of slap you in the face! Absolutely delicious. Thanks Vince!

Lady Gaga Limited Edition Dom Perignon Vintage Champagne 2010 ($280)

We ended the birthday celebration the next day with a morning wine tasting which was part of the annual Sarasota Forks and Corks festival, a week-long celebration of food and wine. In addition to wine tasting dinners at some of Sarasota’s best restaurants and a wine auction, the event also includes guided themed wine tastings at different locations throughout Sarasota.

Laurie and I attended the California Dreamin’ tasting which showcased nine wines from three great California wine producers – Fess Parker, RouteStock, and Alexander Valley Vineyards. We learned a great deal about the impact of climate change on growing and producing wines, along with the specific challenges wineries have faced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We all get to look forward to much more expensive wines in the coming years, unfortunately! And we tasted some fantastic, rare wines as well!

Forks and Corks Wine Tasting – California Dreamin’

All in all, the three-day celebration focused on food and wine was worthy of the occasion – I certainly started off my 7th decade in style and plan to live it in style as well! Cheers to growing older, staying healthy, and living life to the fullest!!