more saki, please

A new Japanese restaurant opened in Ithaca recently and we planned for a big group of people to go on Dustin's birthday. The place is located in a less than exciting strip mall so my expectations weren't very high...but it was AWESOME. It was so much nicer than I expected! The decor and atmosphere made it feel like a restaurant in a city, and it was big enough to have separate areas for the entry, the bar, tables, a sushi bar, the hibachi room and a private room for parties. We sat at the hibachi tables where the chef makes the food in front of you and it was entertaining, but the food was the highlight for me. SO GOOD! And they give you a lot of it! I think I may have taken 1,000 pictures during the whole meal.

Part of the whole experience is that the chef pours saki into everyone's mouth from a squirt bottle and tries to see how long they can stand it. The staff knew we had a birthday boy so I think they got a little crazy with the saki...I didn't participate (even though I looove saki,) because I didn't want it to run all down my face! Dustin's older brother and his gf visited from North Carolina so that made the night even more special and fun. 

At the end of the meal the lights dimmed and an employee brought out this mask and put it on Dustin! We were dying because the thing was so scary looking. Then we sang happy birthday and they gave him a little piece of cake with a candle.

We proceeded to go back downtown and KEEP drinking for a few more hours...which made my epic day of drinking even better. The next day was Easter and I was so hung over that I only had one beer! Oops. A least I documented every minute of the day. Outfit photos of Chelsea's birthday dinner shall be up shortly!

-Lola