Birthday Dinner

I am a fan of Japanese steakhouses. It is the type of restaurant we seem to gravitate towards whenever there is a family celebration to be had. I rather enjoy having my meal with built-in entertainment. So we ended up at Yamato’s in Duluth for my birthday dinner. Maybe not my first choice in places to eat but it was a Friday night and I figured if we went out rather early in the evening the restaurant wouldn’t be crowded. I was right. There was no waiting and we were seated immediately at a table that had another family sitting on the opposite side from us, a young Indian couple there with their in-laws. At Yamato, the prices were very reasonable and unlike many sushi bars where you are stuffed in like sardines, you are out in the open. The chef had some good moves in his repertoire. He was excellent at juggling a raw egg and flipping it right onto the top of his rather tall chef hat. His flops: the onion volcano was a bust and failed to spew forth it’s flaming top and twice he tried to flip a piece of food into hubby’s and the other guy’s mouth. Both guys missed the catch. The chef wisely didn’t try this stunt with any of the women present.

The downsides? The food was plentiful but not especially memorable. After I had stuffed myself full of fried rice, veggies, steak and scallops and was settling down to enjoy the rest of my white wine, I accidentally knocked it over and shattered the glass. Acck! I was only half way done with the Chablis. Darn! The buzz was just starting too.

Oh well… it was a very nice birthday after all with only a tiny mishap so I am rather pleased that I had a good day to celebrate my 53rd.

Every year I still can’t believe I’m getting older. The good news: another fun thing to cross off the list.