Last night we had the first of several nights out to celebrate Nik’s impending birthday. Joined by John, Jenny, Jess, and Shelby, we went to dinner at Il Bistro, a nice Italian place right in Pike’s Place Market. I hadn’t been there before but I’d certainly go back. Other than being a bit loud, Il Bistro proved to be a nice little place. I started with a beef carpaccio (or as we call it, meat butter) and then had pear and gorgonzola ravioli as my main course. Very nice.

After dinner we walked all of 100 feet to the Can Can, which has become one of our favorite hangouts over the past year. We toasted Nik’s b-day with some bubbly and then sat back to enjoy the “I See London, I See France” variety show. We’ve seen previous incarnations of this show before but it changes depending on which performers are participating. The best new part of the show was Fuchsia FoXXX, who’s best described as a Goth belly dancer. She won me over with her first act, which she performed with an unsheathed saber balanced on her head. If she became a regular act at the Can Can, I surely would not complain. I was less enthused by Sam Squared, an emo-ish two piece that did several short sets to break up the other acts. It’s not that they were bad; they were just out of place in the cabaret. The Can Can shows tend to be campy, irreverent, and light-hearted, while Sam Squared came off as earnest and serious. Overall though, it was another fun night at the Can Can and good way to start celebrating Nik’s birthday.