Daruma of Japan

Hoshi chan o watakushi no tomodachi wa daisuki desu, konban wa!
Dearest friend who I like so greatly, good evening!

Today I drove home from work and decided that I did not feel like cooking. I walked approximately two blocks to the northwest to dinner, at Daruma of Japan, and I am very glad that I decided to.

You see, it had caught my eye on many occasions, yet I did not venture inside. Have I explained my connection to Nihon? I took Japanese as my language requirement in high school and in college [sadly, I remember chisaii n desu ne..... very little!] My first mother-in-law was Aiko Kamimura, from Kobe. We're still fine, although her daughter could be swallowed by an Oni for all I care. My boys are exactly 1/4 Japanese, as a result.

So, it is a pleasant little restaurant, clean and friendly. The waitress asked me where I would like to sit, so I chose a table right in the middle. There is also a sushi bar area, but I was close enough to chat with the sushi chef, who is also the owner. Pleasant chap, very likeable.

I chose Kirin Ichiban [#1 Dragon] for my beverage; I am partial to deer-dragons [and beer-dragons, coincidentally!]. The waitress was excellent at never allowing me to pour any from the bottle into the [correct, I might add] beer glass. Very attentive.

The house appetizer was tuna chunks, served warm, in a sweet and tangy sauce. Very nice!!

I also ordered gyoza, the steamed pork-filled dumpling, which is one of my faves. They were just right, lightly browned and moist inside. Delectable.

For dinner, I ordered the combination tempura [ten` pura if you want to get technical on the Romaji]; it came out as shrimp, sweet potato, and broccoli, with shredded daikon [Japanese radish]. I always liked having dinner at Aiko's house when she would make tempura [her husband hated Japanese food!]; she enjoyed getting to cook Japanese food for people who appreciated it :-) This was tastier, though.


Dinner came with an ordinary lettuce salad and radish strings in a ginger dressing. Both refined and tasty :-)

Typically, dinner is served with miso shiru, a standard soy soup, but I elected for pumpkin soup, which was very smooth and had a wonderful flavor. Seasonal.

Had a nice conversation with Anastasia from Siberia, the blonde and svelte Russian waitress. Nice girl, and very attentive. Made sure she got a big tip.

Grapes for dessert as I was too full for ice cream, and the owner's wife had made Christmas cookies, so I was given a nice little cellophane bag of them to carry along for later. I thanked the owner and made sure he knew I appreciated the hospitality very much. I closed by telling him gochisooo sama deshita, it was truly a feast!

I live two blocks away.
I will surely be back.

Hope you enjoyed the story.
One day, you must accompany me there!
Have a great evening.

Chuck