Passing an anniversary at Rick’s Café is a cause of celebration for us, and on March 1 Rick’s Café Casablanca celebrated its second birthday. Last year we used the first anniversary to take a look at some areas where decoration seemed lacking, took a deep breath and bought some beautiful Syrian armchairs and side chairs, exact examples of which one sees in the film “Casablanca.” We added some Moroccan style “stelle” and decorated “etageres” to hold hand-painted glass carafes, two from Turkey and two from Iran…and one more lamp. Small touches, but at last the place seemed complete. Banners draped from the facades announced our anniversary and thanked our friends and clients. The past year has been one of fine-tuning, raising the level of cuisine, further refining our service, and making the Sunday night Jam Session a Casablanca ritual for a lot of folks. So when the 2nd anniversary approached we felt like exposing today’s Rick’s Café Casablanca in a book. Another big challenge with lots of pressure…all the while knowing the end result would be worth it. The result, “Rick’s Café Casablanca – The Legend Continues,” was released at the party marking our 2nd anniversary. There was a tight deadline, but the quantity needed for the “show to go on” was picked up hours before the first guests arrived. Planning for the party gave us a chance to do some experimenting, and by coincidence our friends at Maison de Foie Gras had just introduced some new products, so we took the occasion to feature varieties of pates and cured jambon de canard. The day of the event was a real scene, but last minute details seemed to fall into place. Our small kitchen was buzzing with activity, including servers helping with the canapes and hors d’oeuvres – it was so crowded that everyone had to work in place – no walking! Deliveries arrived throughout the day of gifts and beverages. Zohra, who sells us oysters at the Marche Central, sent over a set of brass candelabras that were immediately put to use to beautifully light the center buffet table. The party itself was fraught with the usual unknowns – like how many people would come and when…and how many upstairs dinner reservations would arrive while the party was in force downstairs. And as usual, everyone seemed to come at the same time, and for awile the food didn’t seem to be moving. I feared the kitchen, with platters of hors d’oeuvres at the ready, would not have the space to prepare the orders that were beginning to be placed upstairs. People seemed content to sit at tables with a drink instead of circulating, and the bar seemed too jammed. The fireplace started to smoke…there was only one thing to do, get a glass of champagne, get settled in an armchair and sign the books. Issam took his seat at the piano and soon the familiar strains – As Time Goes By. And so it does, as Rick’s Café Casablanca embarks on it’s third year and “The Legend Continues…”