birthday weekend part 1
thursday, june 11.
stephen treats me to an early birthday dinner of japanese tapas at ronin izakaya because we'd have to "eat healthy" on friday given our saturday trail run (7k for me, half-marathon for him) at marin headlands. it was a particularly thoughtful choice since he knows i that i love tasting lots of different foods, but i hate eating a lot. :) oh, how difficult life is for me. anyway, it is now easily one of my favorite restaurants in LA. garlic edamame, ahi taco shimi, oxtail, braised pork, wasabi mashed potatoes, and ronin fried rice. all get a thumbs up from me. interesting notables: the garlic edamame actually tasted more like it was cooked in chinese black bean sauce. mm.. suck away! haha. the taco shimi was topped with a generously thick (but not too thick) slice of ahi tuna, which made it extra savory, and the guacamole with extra twist was a perfect balance for it. the oxtail was wonderfully stewed, extremeley flavorful. if i had to complain, it would be about the pork, which was maybe a little dry for my taste, though the poached asian pears it came with were extraordinary. all of it washed down with the house hot sake, which was delightfully sweet.
