The Saturday Morning Blogger – Japanese Steakhouses

James Barrington

We recently had occasion to do something special with our younger granddaughter, so we took her to Sakura Japanese Steakhouse for their dinner and “floor show” of flashing knives and flying food being prepared as the patrons sit around the grille on which dinner is being cooked. It was our granddaughter’s first experience with such a restaurant; it had been more than twenty years since our last experience with one – in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. I realize there are other Japanese Steakhouses in Amarillo and this is not intended to be a recommendation of one over any other; we chose Sakura because it was the most conveniently located for us.

We left early to get there as they opened. We were actually the first to be seated as one of their cooking tables. We were soon joined by four other people at the table that will seat eight. It is not a place to go with a light wallet, but the food is first quality and the entertainment aspect of the evening further justifies the price. The bill for the three of us, before tip, was just under $100.

Our granddaughter didn’t say much during the preparation and the meal, but her eyes were watching everything. Some of the food was not her favorite, but she was willing to sample everything that was put before her. The soup, a mushroom broth, came my way after one or two sips. She chose one of the steak entrées but could only eat about half of it. The portions were very generous. Even my wife brought home enough for another meal. It had been a long time since I ate swordfish, so I made a pig of myself and finished everything on my plate except for some of the fried rice.

The flames on the cook top surprised our granddaughter, but she took it all in stride. Afterward, as we were getting in the car to return home, I asked if she might like to go again. Her response was quick and affirmative. Our budget does is not designed to handle that type of meal on a regular basis, but as a special treat, with advance planning, it created a memorable evening with our granddaughter – hopefully one that she will remember fondly as she grows into adulthood.

My dad was a strictly a “meat and potatoes” type of eater, so I had the pleasure of introducing my mother to some “different” cuisine while I was a working adult with a healthy income. Cajun dinners and such exotic seafood as crab and swordfish were among the foods she had never eaten as a child or while she had children living at home. She seemed almost childlike in her glee as having the opportunity when we presented those to her.

Meals are often the key ingredients of family memories – whether holiday turkeys or hams or special meals out at restaurants that not off our normal “beaten path.” By being open to new experiences (such as my trip to Israel a couple of years ago), we can discover new flavors that those faint of spirit will never know.