I Love Peanut Butter (dot-com)

In my family, the birthday girl (or boy) gets to choose a restaurant to celebrate with no input or complaints from anyone else. Paul and I have continued that tradition, and I begin to narrow down my choices weeks in advance.

This year it was even more difficult because there are so many places I know and love and even more I don't know and want to try. Ultimately the deciding factor was the "no complaints from anyone else" (i.e. Paul). That's why I chose Peanut Butter & Co.

Yes, the site address really is http://www.ilovepeanutbutter.com/.

It's a small sandwich shop near New York University selling gourmet peanut butter sandwiches and desserts. Since I eat peanut butter for at least five meals a week and usually more, this place is right up my alley.

I got the special of the week: cinnamon-raisin peanut butter topped with granola, almonds and shredded coconut. Paul chose the spicy peanut butter over chicken.

The sandwiches were thick and gigantic- at least twice as big as normal sandwich bread. And each order comes with a few carrot sticks and a bag of chips-- just like a packed lunch.

Other items on the menu: The Fluffernutter (peanut butter on one side, Marshmallow Fluff on the other) Peanut Butter Cup (peanut butter on one side, Nutella on the other-- this I've made at home) at sandwiches with their white chocolate and dark chocolate peanut butter.

I'll definitely be making a return visit. If I can convince Paul.

I stretched out my birthday privileges by ending the night at Max Brenner, a restaurant about 10 blocks away at Union Square with a 12-page dessert menu. We shared the fondue sampler- toffee, dark chocolate and white chocolate with a variety of goodies to dip into them (and a miniature roaster for our marshmallows).

The place was made for tourists-- I've read comparison's of the restaurant to Willy Wonka's factory. You can watch the chocolate swirl in large jugs at the entrance, and pipes (barely visible in the upper left corner of the photo below) transport the chocolate overhead.

With the last bite, my birthday was over. But I did manage to stretch it out to five days!