Food, Folks, and Fun

Today, 11 lovely blogging and lurking ladies joined me at 26 Beach for brunch. Party time! Good Food + Good Company = Happy Monkey!

This was Blog Party #1, and, if I may say so myself, I think it was quite the success! 26 Beach was a great place for a group gathering. The food was delectable, and the staff, while a little slow at times, was accommodating to our boisterous camera-toting party posse. Now I know why Kay always has the most gorgeous pics on her blog. She has some serious equipment!

I had a Portugese Royal, which consisted of eggs scrambled with onions and zesty Portuguese sausage served over brown rice. Alyssa had a Garden Royal, which was similar but had vegetables and cheese instead of the sausage.

I enjoyed my dish, although I recommend you try a french toast option if you ever go to 26 Beach. It seems that french toast is what they do best! I had a bite of Lilcee's Blue Lagoon (which was also ordered by Sarah). 'Twas two warm, fluffy croissants drenched in sweet teeth-staining blueberry goodness. I also had a bite of Kay's Apple Cinnamon (which was ordered by Amber, too). Caramelized apples and pecan syrup atop croissants! Mmm! Just call me Ms. Sneaky Fork!

Check out the other yummy-for-your-tummy dishes my cohorts ordered, including a Monte Cristo, a pan-fried goat cheese salad, non-croissant french toasts, and a breakfast sandwich.

It was so fun, not only putting faces to names, but actually hearing everyone's voices, as Jolene so aptly noted. Alyssa also observed that it's sort of hilarious that many of us knew so much about each other without even knowing each other! It sounds hokey, but I hope our laughter-filled meal was the beginning of some real-life friendships.

The fun didn't end with the food. ballin_axehammer surprised us with Hello Kitty gifts! So thoughtful and so unexpected! Everybody, especially Lilcee, was delighted by these party favors. Merci beaucoup, ballin_axehammer!

Thank you all for coming! We will definitely be doing this again (perhaps on a monthly basis), and I hope to see you next time!

Party people, check out the party blog for one more goody that I didn't want to post publicly....