Berry Lucky

Do you know what today is? It’s Mrs. Fussy’s birthday! Do you know what we’re going to do? Well, neither do I.

Adult birthdays when you have young kids seem to take on a different shape than the birthdays of our early adult lives. These days, we try to focus on one thing that we want to do, instead of planning an entire weekend to commemorate the passing of another trip around the sun.

Maybe part of that is because when you are young, each new year brings new experiences and extends your horizons. But as you grow older, each year you seem to be hurtling faster and faster towards the inevitable.

Oops. That got dark fast.

Well, this year I asked Mrs. Fussy what she wanted for her birthday. She thought about this long and hard. Her first thoughts were towards cake. But as she pondered all the options, they all sounded too heavy.

The verdict in the end, was pie. But that’s just where the story begins.

Because Mrs. Fussy didn’t want just any pie. She wanted a very specific pie. The pie of her fancy was a mixed berry pie with a crumb topping. You know, it wouldn’t have been my first choice, but it is her birthday. The heart wants what the heart wants. Then the question was where to find such a thing.

All the way back in 2015 I put together a Local Yelp newsletter all about pie. So I showed Mrs. Fussy the list to see which bakeries sounded the most appealing to her.

My first call was to Leah’s Cakery, and lo and behold, they are making a mixed berry crumb topped pie right now. I kid you not.

This sounded so unlikely, but I’m on my way to pick it up. Well, first I have to stop by Stacks Espresso for a photo shoot. Apparently some local blogger is going to be in some food magazine, and they want to get a photo of his fussy little face.

I’ll believe it when I see it.

But I got very lucky. Mrs. Fussy has been incredibly supportive of my crazy schemes to write a blog, do this Yelp job, and spend time and money on ridiculous food and beverage pursuits. Instead of preparing for her birthday, last night I was hanging with a few members of the Yelp Elite Squad at Crave Burgers + Frozen Yogurt. There we got to sample a bunch of different items paired with delicious brews from Artisanal Brew Works. But the highlight may have been the sneak preview of dishes from Devin and Kaytrin’s new venture The Cuckoo’s Nest. It’s a southern comfort food concept. And of the five things we tried, each had its die hard fans.

My favorite was the watermelon salad. But that pimento cheese on the fried green tomato was banging. And the silkiness and delicacy of Devin’s simple deviled egg left me a little weak in the knees. Others were equally enthusiastic about the fried chicken and the biscuit. Everything was delicious, and I loved how everyone had different favorites. That is a very good sign.

But I digress. I was talking about Mrs. Fussy, and somehow I veered off into food. Again. It happens more than you might imagine.

Which is why at the very least she should get the pie of her dreams on her birthday.

I love you sweetie, and I’d drive to the ends of the earth to get you your pie. Or really, anything you wanted today, or any day. Hopefully we can carve out a little space to celebrate. And when we do, I promise not to take pictures of food or even bring up the subject.

We may be hurtling towards the inevitable, but at least we’re doing it together. And when all else fails, there’s always pie.