We celebrated Viet’s mom’s birthday at 2941, which looks like it’s in a suburban office park (and, in fact, is), except that once you pull into the valet parking area you’re in a landscape of fountains and high ceilings and trees that hide the rest of Northern Virginia from view. For their butternut squash ravioli they made the insightful choice to use ham for a garnish, a flavor I had never realized would complement squash so well, and on top of each of the ravioli pieces was a microcosm of a green salad and a raisin that tasted like candy.

Viet’s mom gave me a fig tree, and I went home and cleared some space next to the fence where it won’t shade the rest of the garden.

(Photo: Great Falls Park, Virginia.)

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