Catching Up on Birthdays: Smokin' Shrimp, Ice Cream, Frogs and Butterflies

Ok, I know my birthday and Snugglebug's birthday was a couple months ago, but remember, my computer imploded right when I was going to blog about them! 

For my birthday, Hubs (hereafter known as S) & I tried Eddie Merlot's near 4th Street Live in Louisville.  (They are also in Columbus, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and Ft. Wayne.)  We arrived early, so after paying $5 for valet parking (what I considered a steal), we walked around, waiting for our reservation time.  Lesson learned:  I am too old for 4th Street Live.  I am not a fan of loud music or smoking in general, so S & I walked quickly and were still a little early for our reservation.

I scheduled our dinner for their all-you-can-eat lobster special, a special each year on Fridays that includes salad and new potatoes for $39.99 per person.  The restaurant is a little pretentious, but the wait staff is pretty friendly.  I was a little disappointed that no birthday special was offered, other than the waiter's joke about singing clowns coming out to greet me.

We ordered Eddie's Smokin' Shrimp Cocktail for an appetizer, consisting of four shrimp, each the size of half of my hand and super yummy.

Next, we ate lobster...I had 2.5 and S had 3.  I only ordered the third because S pressured me into it...shame, shame...All were good, but the first was a little overcooked.  The second lobster was the best.  The waiter said they had gone through 500 lobsters the previous Friday night.

Last, I ordered an apple and peach dessert with ice cream, which was too sweet for my taste.  I should have ordered the coffee S ordered; it came with brown sugar cubes, shaved chocolate, fresh cream, cinnamon sticks, milk, and I forget what else. 

Overall, I enjoyed the experience and our dinner, but I think I enjoy the Melting Pot even more--I'm looking forward to our anniversary in August!  Rating for this restaurant:  A- (due to price)

Below are the cupcakes I made for Snugglebug's b-day.  They were mini strawberry and chocolate cupcakes decorated like frogs and butterflies, or "blutterflies" as Snugglebug says.  Thankfully, the frogs didn't mistake the butterflies for everyday houseflies, who knows what would have happened!

Here's what I did:

Frogs: cream cheese icing, marshmallows for the eyes (cut into 4ths), M&Ms for the iris/pupils, and fruit roll-up for the tongues.

Butterflies:  Cream cheese icing for the base, purple prepared icing for the body, M&Ms for the head, licorice for the antennae, and pretzels for the wings.