A seussified 25th birthday party for the books and for one of my best friends. Whimsy & wondrous & inspired by words of our childhood. Beet carpaccio to emulate the nearly edible swirls on the cover of "Oh the Places You'll Go." Roasted and raw candy cane beets thinly sliced and dressed in a honey perilla (shiso) vinaigrette. Decorated with pickled cranberries, toasted fennel, fried rosemary, and bee pollen. Green eggs + ham inspired crispy pork belly whose long & winding journey included simmering in a pot of stock, curing in a salt-sugar-chili blend for 12 hours, getting roasted, sliced & seared with a spicy mustard glaze before being doused in a tarragon aioli and topped with grated egg yolk that I miraculously + makeshift cured in less than 24 hours. What I learned through this whole experience was that sometimes things are better simplified, and crispy pork belly is best eaten hot. Gotta try it out to find out though. Speaking of learning lessons... toasty crostini slathered with an herb butter and topped with an anchovy & a pickled onion will always be tasty, but will make for a daring bar food, especially in tight quarters. Alas, the visions... and aromas.... of One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish were definitely present. A whimsical crudité platter fit for The Lorax, filled with an asparagus tree forest, romanessco bushes, roasted truffle brussels, cucumber stars, and bell pepper flowers. Served with labne ranch, a deliciously accidental smoked gochujang pimento cheese, and a hot pink beet sumac hummus. For some sweet nothings & an ode to "Oh the Thinks You Can Think," layers of bittersweet chocolate mousse, amaretto whipped cream, amaretto soaked cherries, and candied almonds were piled into neon blue cups I last minute got from the Dollar Tree. And of course, finished with a cherry on top. And the most seussified cake I've ever laid my eyes on, baked and created by the birthday girl herself @the.salbs.edit 🎂🎈