Happy Birthday to My Wife

I know I'm old now because I would be content to only eat out at my favorite steak and seafood hole in the wall (The Green Flash, established 1965) and nowhere else ever again. Fortunately, I'm married to an adventurous foodie on the lookout for exotic cuisine, so that prevents me from being more boring than I already was. On our birthdays, we get to choose whatever we want to eat, but she actually gave me the choice between two restaurants she had good coupons for: Benihana (which I had years ago and was not overly impressed with) and Roppongi ("San Diego's Best Asian Fusion" and new to both of us). We went with the latter and I was impressed to see donut-shaped tables outside with fire pits in the middle for large groups. Maybe next time we'll sit at one of those, if we get a lot of out-of-town visitors looking for something very Californian. Here's what we shared (tapas style):

complimentary butternut squash soup in tiny teacups

"Polynesian Crab Stack, Mango, Pea Shoots, Cucumber, Tomato, Red Onion, Avocado, Peanuts, Spicy Ginger Lime Dressing"

"Seared Kobe Beef Roll, Lobster, Crab, Asparagus, Hoisin Honey Barbeque, White Truffle Aioli, Thai Basil" (left)

"Crispy Tempura Roll, Salmon, Yellowtail, Crabmeat, Mango Chutney, Macadamia Nuts" (right)

"Hawaiian Style Kahlua Pork Spring Rolls with Two Sauces"

"Mongolian Shredded Duck Quesadilla with Spicy Asian Guacamole"