My night at La Rochelle

[Jay Grymyr]

I went on my first visit to Japan several weeks ago, and needless to say, I had
a blast. Of course, one of my destinations had to be an Iron Chef's restaurant,
in this case, Sakai's La Rochelle.

It was maybe the best meal of my life. I decided to splurge and get his
Traditional Menu. Appetizers: Mousse of Cauliflower with Caviar, Sea Urchin and
Egg Gratin, Shrimp and Tuna with salad, Foie Gras saute with White Asparagus,
and Abalone with Shark Fin. After a small soup, the main course I picked was
Grilled Japanese Sirloin Steak with Wasabi sauce. I followed this with several
cheeses and finished up with a few choices of dessert, including a creme brulee
which is tied with the foie gras as my favorite course of the meal.

There's only one reason I score this dinner only 19 out of 20 — Chef Sakai
was in Fukuoka that night, so I didn't get to meet him. However, our waiter, a
nice, multilingual Iranian immigrant, was very friendly and helpful. He gave us
a little juicy gossip, too: After returning from "Iron Chef America", Sakai was
so mad that he wouldn't speak to anyone for four days. If the Food Network does
it again, I'd be surprised if he came back.

In sum, my meal was ¥15,200, plus about another ¥3,000 with the tip. Worth
every yen.

The people who organized this group tour (fellow Godzilla fans — hey, we all
have our guilty pleasures) are planning something again for this winter. Chen
and/or Michiba, here I come!

Reaper "Making money kicks ass" G
http://www.giantmonstermovies.com
http://www.giantmonstermovies.com
http://www.livejournal.com/users/reaper_g/

[Iarwain]

Post by Jay Grymyr
After returning from "Iron Chef America", Sakai was
so mad that he wouldn't speak to anyone for four days.

What was he so mad about? Did he think he got shafted by the judges?
I really thought he shouldn't have made that trout ice cream - doesn't
fit the American palate :) Either the Japanese chefs need to adjust
better or they need to get judges with more international tastes, or
both.
I wanted Sakai to win, though, just to be clear.

[Kyle]

Post by Iarwain

Post by Jay Grymyr
After returning from "Iron Chef America", Sakai was
so mad that he wouldn't speak to anyone for four days.

What was he so mad about? Did he think he got shafted by the judges?
I really thought he shouldn't have made that trout ice cream - doesn't
fit the American palate :) Either the Japanese chefs need to adjust
better or they need to get judges with more international tastes, or
both.
I wanted Sakai to win, though, just to be clear.

I was bewildered that Sakai could lose a trout battle to that dork Bobby Flay.

[delta]

So how much is " ¥15,200, plus about another ¥3,000 with the tip."?

Post by Jay Grymyr
I went on my first visit to Japan several weeks ago, and needless to say, I had
a blast. Of course, one of my destinations had to be an Iron Chef's restaurant,
in this case, Sakai's La Rochelle.
It was maybe the best meal of my life. I decided to splurge and get his
Traditional Menu. Appetizers: Mousse of Cauliflower with Caviar, Sea Urchin and
Egg Gratin, Shrimp and Tuna with salad, Foie Gras saute with White Asparagus,
and Abalone with Shark Fin. After a small soup, the main course I picked was
Grilled Japanese Sirloin Steak with Wasabi sauce. I followed this with several
cheeses and finished up with a few choices of dessert, including a creme brulee
which is tied with the foie gras as my favorite course of the meal.
There's only one reason I score this dinner only 19 out of 20 — Chef Sakai
was in Fukuoka that night, so I didn't get to meet him. However, our waiter, a
nice, multilingual Iranian immigrant, was very friendly and helpful. He gave us
a little juicy gossip, too: After returning from "Iron Chef America", Sakai was
so mad that he wouldn't speak to anyone for four days. If the Food Network does
it again, I'd be surprised if he came back.
In sum, my meal was ¥15,200, plus about another ¥3,000 with the tip. Worth
every yen.
The people who organized this group tour (fellow Godzilla fans — hey, we all
have our guilty pleasures) are planning something again for this winter. Chen
and/or Michiba, here I come!
Reaper "Making money kicks ass" G
http://www.giantmonstermovies.com
http://www.giantmonstermovies.com
http://www.livejournal.com/users/reaper_g/

[Jay Grymyr]

So how much is " ¥15,200, plus about another ¥3,000 with the tip."?

One yen is about .9 cents, so I take the easy way out and say slightly less
than $180.

Reaper "Hey, I could've ordered wine" G
http://www.giantmonstermovies.com
http://www.livejournal.com/users/reaper_g/

[Chief]

Post by Jay Grymyr
In sum, my meal was ¥15,200, plus about another ¥3,000 with the tip. Worth
every yen.

Are you supposed to tip at his restaurant? In Japan, you usually don't.

Just curious
Chief

[Jay Grymyr]

Post by Chief

Post by Jay Grymyr
In sum, my meal was ¥15,200, plus about another ¥3,000 with the tip. Worth
every yen.

Are you supposed to tip at his restaurant? In Japan, you usually don't.

In Japan, the tip is included as part of the bill, like many restaurants do
with large parties.

Reaper "Don't get yourself arrested over it" G
http://www.giantmonstermovies.com
http://www.livejournal.com/users/reaper_g/