Ryle's First Birthday Party

My godchild, Ryle, celebrated his first birthday with a party yesterday at Maggiano's in Santana Row. Ryle is the younger brother of my other godchild, Maeve, who is now 6 years old and a kindergartner at St. Joseph.

In typical Filipino style, the celebration was small and among close family friends, but the food was just
overflowing. Off the bat, there were four starters -- 2 salads and 2 appetizers. Just as we were into it, the main courses were served -- one fish, one chicken, one veggie, and two pastas. Wow !!! It just kept coming. I didn't know which one to try first. Food was served family style, and the portions were huge.

With all the food, I thought it would end with a couple of desserts. Nope. I was wrong. There were actually 6 desserts that included tiramisu, apple crustada, creme' brulee, and NY-style cheesecake. There chocolate zuccotto cakes and assorted cookies, too. Now that a lot of sweets !!!

The evening was capped with the customary singing of "Happy Birthday" for the young celebrant, as he was held by his mom, while the older sister blew the lone candle on the cake. Because we were all stuffed with the sweet treats and all the entrees, the birthday cake was left unscathed. It was placed back inside its box and brought home.

Ryle is too young to even remember the special night. But everyone enjoyed the evening .... at his expense.