As a special birthday treat for Mike, I decided I'd take him to a restaurant both of us have been wanting to try for a long time ... URUSAWA!!! I called the restaurant about a month ago hoping I'd be able to snag one of the coveted reservations on or a little before July 30th. I was so happy when they told me they had an opening for Friday, July 27th.
Urusawa is a super exclusive sushi restaurant that only seats 10 people every night (just around the sushi bar and an extra table on the side for "bigger" parties). Chef Urusawa is renowned all over the world and he believes in nothing but the BEST -- the best ingredients, the best ambiance, the best service, etc. etc. Of course, "the best" comes with a hefty price tag of $375 per person (before tax and tip!). I was kind of nervous about the price (especially since I get paid in smiles, hugs and kisses these days), but the numerous reviews I read on yelp and other sites all promised that the $375/person was WORTH EVERY PENNY. And after our meal (actually, even just after the first of 30 courses) I, too, thought it was worth every penny.
I didn't reveal the name of the restaurant to Mike until after we dropped Zoe off at Sunbeam. He kept trying to guess (and I kind of knew he kind of already knew) and when I told him we were going to Urusawa, he was beyond happy. I told him I was kind of concerned about the price and I was initially going to reserve just one spot for him ... but then I thought it wouldn't be much of a celebration if it was just him there. I think we were both a little nervous when we stepped into the tiny but zen-like restaurant. It was impeccably clean and sleek and the other people sitting at the sushi bar all looked like ballers. The waitress escorted us to our seats and the first thing that struck us was the beautiful cedar wood table ... it was so clean and smooth and we learned that Chef Hiro sands it himself every night. The 30+ courses were ALL amazing in their own way (especially the uni!!!!) and the service was great. Michael and I kept getting more and more excited as each course came up. It wasn't just the food that was awesome, it was also watching Chef Hiro perform his "art". He was so precise and so intricate with each dish he prepared for us ... his passion was evident and it made eating his food that much more enjoyable. He even insisted we eat each thing he put in front of us within 10 seconds or else it would lose its integrity and he'd have to throw it out! It's hard to describe the depth of the flavors we were treated to, but suffice to say, Urusawa is by far the BEST sushi restaurant we've ever been to. Sushi will never ever ever ever be the same again ...
We also met some great people -- one couple go to Urusawa ONCE A MONTH!!! Sounds a bit crazy, but they seemed pretty happy =). The other couple, a doctor and his wife, told us that if you're going to spend money, it's important to spend it on "experiences" rather than on material things like a watch or a handbag. It's the "experiences" that last the longest and therefore make for a more meaningful gift. After our 3.5 hour meal, I completely agreed with the doctor that this experience was probably the best birthday gift I've ever given to Mike in the 12 years we've been together.
I could see how happy Michael was and I couldn't help but feel so blessed to be in the position where we can indulge in these kinds of experiences from time to time. I still remember when we'd eat most of our meals at Taco Bell back in college ... and now, look how far we've come =)!!! I'm so happy we got to experience this together ... Michael has worked so hard this past year and he deserves to be spoiled every now and then ;-)
