Café Español for farewells and well wishes

I've mentioned that TC was leaving for Ghana, and a few days before she flew out a bunch of friends and family got together to send her off in style. We started the evening at Café Español, a Spanish restaurant on Bleeker Street that managed to have a seating area big enough for the twelve of us.

I skipped over the lobster special in favor of the shrimp and rice entree, not knowing how enormous the portion size would be. For a meal preceding what promised to be a full night of drinking, a huge vat of rice, shrimp, and sausage was probably not the way to go.

The dish was really good, though, with plump grains of saffron-hued rice that had really soaked up the flavors of the tender shrimp and sausage. I didn't care for the peas, but then again, I never do when it comes to rice dishes (fried rice, etc.). I was glad when other people started helping me finish it, but I was a little sad, too, that I couldn't have it all for myself.

By the time the night ended we had spent nearly twelve hours eating, dancing, drinking, playing beer pong, singing karaoke, and eating again in a diner which I can no longer remember. The sky was lightening by the time I made it home. I hadn't had a night like that in years, but what better way to send off a friend than a truly epic night of partying and feasting?