Kingyo Izakaya

I've surely mentioned it here before, but it remains a rule for us to sit at the bar when we eat sushi. We read the tip in the book, The Sushi Economy, where a chef suggested that it's where you'll likely get the best cuts of fish. Perhaps he worked at a mediocre restaurant but 1) it's not like we're frequenting the highest caliber sushi joints 2) if you're watching someone make your food, they're probably going to be aware of it and 3) it's just fun to see all the meals being prepared with such precision.

While Kingyo Izakaya is less of a sushi place and, well, more of an Izakaya spot, we still chose to sit at the bar. Our hunger hit us before we had decided where to go for dinner that evening. An app indicated the highest rated restaurant in the area that we happened to be walking through, and that's how we made our decision of where to dine. Traveling is so much better and easier than it was only 5 years ago. Since it was early in the evening, we snagged a seat before the restaurant got packed.

Intrigued by the food of different cultures and excited to try everything, I used to think that I was an adventurous eater... but lately I stick to the tried-and-true. I began to wonder whether I was getting boring or just being practical but didn't have a chance to think it through after being served some really delicious tuna dishes and stealing a few bites of Alex's kakuni bibimbap.*

The people who worked there were so enthusiastic, the food was great, and we left happier than expected considering we had only heard of the restaurant 5 minutes before being seated. - Mina