Pittsburgh!

[dr4b]

Arrrright.

So, I got the shuttle thingy and went to the airport and got my plane ticket and got breakfast and got on the plane and promptly fell asleep for most of the next 5 hours.

I woke up in Pittsburgh! Yay. Took the 28x to campus. I was going to just head to the lounge, since I got there around 4:30 and Carl wasn't getting home until 5:30... but, I walked towards there (it's BEAUTIFUL out here), and on the way I ran into a bunch of people. God, it's good to be back at CMU and to just pass by random people I know... even if a lot of the campus looks like random kids who are like ten years younger than me. Anyway, bhudson came up and tackled me as I was just getting to Wean, and so I ended up standing out there talking to him for an hour or so, as random other people came by (zml and buoren came by from the lounge, and Akiva and mbrewer from KGB, and klari walked by, and I forget who else). It was just neat to have people to talk to. Carl eventually called me, so instead of actually going to the lounge, I walked towards the Morewood bus stop with Benoit, and then continued to Amberson.

The plan for the evening was kaiseki dinner at Chaya for Kevin's birthday. Carl and I bussed up to Squirrel Hill, and we ran into babailey, rupes, and rehana on the way walking down to Chaya, which was neat... and while we were standing there, csg87 also came along on his way to Chaya. Hee. Eventually the gang at the restaurant was Kevin, Charlie, Carl, rjmccall, me, and Zach.

And oh man, kaiseki is expensive, but yummy and neat. We had like an 8 or 9 course meal -- I lost count -- with some very good things, and some very weird things. For example, in one of the little courses they had us eating these little mini-crab things... it looked like a real full crab, and you were supposed to just put it in your mouth and crunch. I couldn't do it, so I gave mine to Charlie. They had monkfish liver as one course, and another course contained duck (and I felt obligated to eat it, but it was kinda tasty). The soup course had hamo in it, which is a weird spongy eel thing, and I couldn't finish mine. We had bluefin tuna sashimi for one course, which was amazing, and a hasami mushroom-shrimp tempura course which was also awesome. There was some delicious hamachi teriyaki, and sushi at the end, and I'm forgetting what else, ending with mochi ice cream for dessert. (They gave us spoons, and I just picked mine up with my fingers, prompting Zach to ask what the proper way to eat it is. Carl and Kevin ate it with their spoons, which I just can't do :)

But, yeah, expensive. I'm not even going to say how much we each paid, after chipping in for it being Kevin's birthday present.

Carl and I rode the bus back here afterwards, and we talked about D&D stuff for a while, and I fell asleep for half an hour after reading over part of the "Complete Arcane" book, which I need to get, and now I'm back awake and he went to sleep a bit ago. I'm catching up on some web stuff and then I too will sleep.

I have plans tomorrow after the Kiltie concert, which is at 3:30pm -- Carl and Mike and I are going to a musical downtown in the evening -- but if anyone wants to hang out for lunch, or just hang out in the afternoon before Kiltie, feel free to give me a call! Barring nothing else I will come to campus, grab some ToI, and wander Wean looking for people like jcreed.

Oh, also, I brought one or two of my Karaoke Revolution discs (in Japanese) and my microphone here, so maybe one of these nights we can all sit around and sing like dorks! (I'm looking at YOU, buoren, and maybe cdinwood and such)

Comments

[chirik.livejournal.com]

The mini crabs sound like Sawagani (http://www.shiki-sushi.com/sawagani.htm), deep-fried river crabs which are eaten whole. Their texture is ... odd. Their shell is crunchy but they're kinda softer on the inside. (I've actually eaten them on more than one occasion, although I can't say they are a particular favorite)

Oddly, the page I found describing them is for a restaurant in Seattle, so if that is what you got, you can always try them when you get home. ;-)

[nykkel.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I think there's a place called Mashiko (or something like that) here in Seattle that seems to deal with those little crabs a lot. Have heard good things about the place, but haven't been there.

[nykkel.livejournal.com]

As an addendum, I went looking for their web site and found that they do kaiseki as well. Have to reserve it at least 2 days in advance, and it's listed at something like $60-$100 per person, however.

I've heard great things about going "omakase" there, though. Telling them how much you want to spend per person, and just having them send you whatever. I'd like to try that sometime. Web site says that starts at $40/person.

[chirik.livejournal.com]

I loved going to the local sushi place - the chef was great. He knew us, so he'd just give us stuff randomly ‘Here! Try this!’ That's the case with the Sawagani - he did it to Gen and Tyler, first - I wasn't there. Just perched two of them on plates, proped up and looking ferocious, and gave them to them. Next time I showed up, I got one. What can you say? The chef says try it, and it's on the house. ;-) I actually ordered a whole plate at a different occasion, to share, but I think I ended up eating them all.

He's great, though. Knowing us, he'd just give us random stuff - often larger than normal servings at the normal price, or just not charge at all.

He sold that place - it was just a mile away - and bought another, 20 miles away. We still would go, occasionally, because he was worth it. Now he's sold that place, too, and we don't know where he's going to show up next. Hopefully he'll open a new place. He was great and had the best fish I've had at a sushi bar.

[dr4b]

I'd be up for it sometime too... the omakase at Ototo (in Queen Anne) was pretty neat.

Yeah, kaiseki is just plain expensive. At least you can kinda control it with omakase. I dunno.

[alibash.livejournal.com]

though i dont think anyone's going to argue a "correct way of eatting mochi icecream", for the record, when you buy the mochi ice things here at a convini they stick a spoon in your bag. ;)

[msde.livejournal.com]

I never even heard of eating mochi with spoons before now. For me, either it comes with a skewer thingy or it's finger food.

[mg4h.livejournal.com]

You made it here! Yay!

I'll be at the concert unless my job explodes. Woo!

I brought one or two of my Karaoke Revolution discs (in Japanese)

Singing! Yay! Oh, wait.
1. Don't know Japanese at all. Shoot.
2. Been coughing for two days. Voice shot to h*ll.

Darnit. Maybe not :( Even if I brought my American ones, there's only so much pitch one can get out of a frog in the throat.

[sheenaqotj.livejournal.com]

I get into town tonight. Where are you guys going to at that time? I figured I'd check the lounge...