Japango

 

I had told Monica that we were going to go to dinner that first night in Boulder at my favorite restaurant in town. 

"Last time I was here, the dinner was so good that I eschewed my plans for the next night and returned here for dinner." 

"Really?" she asked. "I don't think I would ever eat at the same place twice on vacation - there are so many restaurants to try!" 

First up, the Echigo Koshihikari Rice Lager - the best rice lager I have ever had. 

And the most gingery sake I have ever tasted. 

I love ginger but this was too much and I instead ordered more bottles of the rice lager.

We started with ocean trout sashimi. 

Chicken karaage. 

Shumai with some of the spiciest mustard you will ever taste. 

Beef tataki. 

(I assembled my own dipping sauce with soy, green onion, raw onion, ginger, and the ginger sake.)

Seared tuna tempura. 

And one of my five favorite dishes I have ever eaten: lobster tail dynamite - tempura pieces of lobster with a fantastic spicy dipping sauce. 

"This is amazing," Monica said. "Can we come back for dinner tomorrow night?"