Where To (Deliciously) Celebrate a One-Year-Old's Birthday

This was my dilemma; Baby Vates was turning one. Since we share a birthday, I wanted to throw a very special kind of party. The adults would need something delicious to eat while the children ran around like maniacs. Baby gyms like Kidville and Gymboree rent space out for parties, but food is obviously not included. Alice's Tea Cup has a baby/kid menu but is much too civilized. One restaurant informed me that they could not fit our party at one table, but that we had better make sure that the children did not run around between multiple tables. Things weren't looking good.

After several days spent Googling, I finally found the perfect solution: the private party room at the 2nd Avenue location of Totonno's. A large upstairs space decorated with holiday lights was the venue for our joyous occasion, and the best part is that we didn't have to lift a finger. The experienced staff thought of everything. A guest who couldn't eat pepper was offered a Caesar salad while the rest of us devoured a zesty green one filled with olives and onions. An onslaught of brick-oven pizzas of every variety bombarded our 28-person table. Two plain pies for the kids were served first - they were topped with a generous layer of fresh handmade mozzarella. Someone got antsy - where is the rest of the pizza? Is any more coming? "We make everything to order," said the owner reassuringly. "Don't worry, we'll make sure they eat till they puke." My aunt pronounced the ensuing white pizza "the best I've ever had." Fresh basil and tomatoes that somehow maintained their sweetness in the middle of December adorned a cheese-heavy pie. Then there were mushroom pies, and sausage pies, and a fantastic pepperoni pizza that went in two seconds. The pepperoni had a spicy afterkick that rendered the pie completely irresistible. Then there was another pepperoni pizza. Appetites were starting to flag...

...when the lights went off, and two cakes - chocolate for me and lemon for my son - were served. I didn't even have to give any directions for the cake decorations. My cake sported pink icing, while my son's had an attractive blue design.

The adults left stuffed, the kids left tired out from fencing with balloons, and I left completely satisfied by a perfect party. (I also hauled out a week's worth of leftover pizza.)

Totonno's: 462 2nd Ave., (212) 213-8800. (NOTE: Sadly, both Manhattan locations are now closed. 4-2011)