Yakiniku

Yaki--what?! I know, that's what I first thought!

This past weekend, Tim and I were on the search for Shabu-shabu for our anniversary dinner. We weren't really sure what Shabu-shabu was or what it entailed, but it sounded awfully swanky...the way it rolled off our tongues. So, I told Tim, let's have Shabu-shabu. How romantic! ;)

Pause: Just so you know...Wikipedia says this about Shabu-shabu:

The dish is prepared by submerging a very thin slice of meat or a piece of vegetable in a pot of boiling water or dashi (broth) made with kombu (kelp) and swishing it back and forth several times. The familiar swishing sound is where the dish gets its name. Shabu-shabu directly translates to "swish-swish". Cooked meat and vegetables are usually dipped in ponzu or "goma" (sesame seed) sauce before eating, and served with a bowl of steamed white rice. Once the meat and vegetables have been eaten, leftover broth from the pot is customarily combined with the remaining rice, and the resulting soup is usually eaten last.

Shabu-shabu: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakiniku



As some of my closest friends may remember, I love anything I can mix around and eat out of a bowl! ha! So...yes, Shabu-shabu looks perfect. Maybe not so-swanky and maybe not so-romantic, but still...perfect!

Anyway, we didn't know what it was or where it was. Tim did find Blakely wonderful care for the evening (thanks Zeke, Abby, and Levi) and he made us a reservation...for Shabu-shabu....at Gyu Kaku in Town.

We excitedly hit Lewers Street and bustled past Ruth Chris', Cheeseburger in Paradise, The Yardhouse, a few bumpin' surf shops, some classy art galleries...and then...nothin'. We looked up and down and didn't see our Shabu-shabu retaurant. Finally, just past the crazy animation of Lewers, we saw a subdued little Japanese restaurant: Gyu Kaku. We made it!

Upon being sat, I anxiously blurted out: Is this Shabu-shabu?! Our waiter gave me a part-patronizing, part-endearing look and whispered incredulously, why no, this is Yakiniku. Again, I stress, I'm like, Yaki-what?!

Pause: Here's Wikipedia's response for Yakiniku:

In a yakiniku restaurant, diners order several types of prepared raw ingredients (either individually or as a set) which are brought to the table. The ingredients are cooked by the diners on a grill built into the table throughout the duration of the meal, several pieces at a time. The ingredients are then dipped in sauces known as tare before being eaten. The most common sauce is made of Japanese soy sauce mixed with sake, mirin, sugar, garlic, fruit juice and sesame.[2] Garlic-and-shallot or miso-based dips are sometimes used.

Yakiniku: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakiniku

So although we did not find Shabu-shabu last weekend, we did discover the delight of grilling at our table! It's kind of like fondue, but with an open fire (well, not like flames...more like smoke). Good thing Blakely was crawling all over Abby's place and not sticking her fingers on our porta-grill. :)

I definitely reccomend Yakiniku and Gyu Kaku. It was sort of a mishap that we stumbled upon this treasure. I'm sure I sound totally uncultured as I write this. Maybe the majority of you are like, totally, Yakiniku, we eat it like every-other-day... But, what can I say? It was a learning experience for us and quite a fun one!

Now I just need to find Shabu-shabu! Okay...here are some of my pictures: