I’ll be honest, I’m horrible at picking out where to eat when it’s in honor of myself. I am awesome when it comes to a group or when my family is traveling and picking out who accommodates to all of our picky eating. My travel books are complete with menu’s and stars next to what looks great for who. But to just solely think about what I want? It’s not in my heart and I had the hardest time deciding. But boy did I pick right!!!

I chose to spend my Birthday dinner at Mani Osteria in Ann Arbor. The beautiful thing about Ann Arbor is that even though I’ve lived here my entire life there are still dozens of restaurants I’ve never tried. The owners of Mani also own a Mexican and French restaurant in town but Italian and pizza were more my jam this time around.

We were starving after a morning of fabric shopping so as soon as I hit the table I was ordering apps. Nothing stands in my way when I’m hungry, I’m just like my Mamaw! We started with a cheese plate that was absolutely delightful. It was served with a lemon pepper jam, watercress and almonds which was perfect for nibbling. My Dad had a cup of soup while us girls split the Cauliflower Fritti minus the bacon jam. It was like a blooming onion meets fried cauliflower and was perfect to hold us over until our pizza arrived.

Because of the nature of the wood fired pizzas and the giant ovens that create them the restaurant is cold. Bring a sweater, or in my case order a latte! Nothing is more me than pizza and lattes, especially for my birthday! Speaking of pizza, I ordered the Tartufo which was filled with mushrooms and black truffles!!! Yum! This pizza was outta sight and I’m still dreaming about it.

Another honorable mention was my Mom’s pizza which was the red onion and pistachio. Sounds like a weird combination but it was absolutely delightful. A true gourmet treat that I wouldn’t mind repeating.

Of course instead of cake I got cannolis for my dessert! They even melted a candle onto the plate for a true birthday dessert. The trio of homemade cannolis come with chocolate, lemon and pistachio! The pistachio was my favorite, but I was so full that sharing these with the family was a breeze!

I’ve been dreaming of this pizza for a month and a half now, and I can’t wait to swing by again soon. Definitely a must on my pizza list for Ann Arbor. I’m working all weekend but I hope that you my dear readers have a chance to rest in between all of the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season. Make sure to take time for yourself! Have a blessed weekend y’all!