My big birthday weekend was about to start with family and friends arriving in town. One friend offered to commence my two-day actual birthday with a light lunch.

Two days?

The doctor who delivered me asked my mother which day she wanted on my birth certificate as I was born at the stroke of midnight. As a birthday glutton, I celebrate both days and then some more.

We met at La Mercier in SoHo, located inside the Roman and Williams Guild in SoHo, offering the everyday French cooking of Chef Marie-Aude Rose. My friend always makes birthday celebrations extra special, providing the birthday person with a crown, necklace and much more.

We started with a yummy bubbly rosé, Petillant Naturel Éxiléa by Lisa and Bertrand Jousset, nibbling their cruditès crème aux herbs ($18), seasonal market vegetables beautifully presented with an herb crème and the avocat-crevettes ($26), two jumbo shrimp with avocado and grapefruit supremes.

Next, I enjoyed the oeuf cocotte grande-mère ($19), two eggs baked in cream with mushroom brioche, my friend the poison cru à l’huile d’olive citron ($25), fluke crudo, lemon cumin jam, baby spinach and chopped egg.

Our yummy celebration ended with profiteroles sporting a lit candle filled with vanilla ice cream hot chocolate sauce poured over, tableside.

I highly recommend.

La Mercerie
SoHo, inside Roman and Williams Guild
53 Howard Street
New York, NY
(212) 852-9097
lamercerieny.com/