Sushi and Gab

I can't believe I did it again ... I forgot to take pictures of wine club (aka restaurant club) last night. This month, we enjoyed the fine cuisine of Japan at Fuji Ya. It was not my first time dining at Fuji Ya, so I knew what to expect ... but did I know what to order?

Laying a sushi menu in front of me is like laying the Neiman Marcus catalog in front of Warren Buffett when it's time to pick out employee Christmas gifts ... so many choices! I just didn't know what to do. So I decided to leave it up to the chef ... and I ordered the house special bento box.

Thanks to the interweb ... I did find a photo of the bento box:

http://flic.kr/p/4F4bPc

The biggest learning ... panko-crusted anything is AMAZING! I had panko-crusted shrimp and a fish ... and it was perhaps my favorite part of the course. It was so crunchy and yummy. The sashimi was great - refreshing and delicate - as it should be. There was also a nice sauteed salmon that I sprinkled some lemon on. I decided to pair everything with a crisp Sauvignon Blanc (which I have to admit, it was hard to go back to white wine since I have entered red wine season ... but I didn't want their Pinot Noir with my bento box and the other reds looked fair to heavy to have with fish.)

Of course, the conversation was the best part of the meal, because you can never go wrong with great company. Next month, we are will be exploring African fare, so I cannot wait to see where we go. Of course, the holiday season is quickly approaching so the next two months might be harder for us all to get together, and it is already making the think about what do we want to do next year, because it will be our fifth year -- which I think is absolutely amazing -- if we continue it next year, this little club will have gone five years strong!

It's amazing to me what having a nice little social network that has a consistent gathering cadence can do for your mental health -- it's so good for me to know that once a month, I get to just hang with some girlfriends, chat about everything and nothing, laugh and eat good food and drink good wine. It's also why I have been desperately trying to attend a new books and martini club a friend of mine started, but my schedule hasn't meshed well with that schedule (one of the casualties I am learning of having a kid in school ... time is now really flying by.)

Here's to the power of girl groups!