Kobe

We hopped over to Kobe mostly to eat beef!  Kobe beef in Kobe.  I was going to sugercoat this post with some city culture but really, we just came to eat.  We made an effort to get the know a city a bit.  Looked up a garden in the map and it turned out to a  residential building named something something garden!  At that point we gave up and went to find food. We followed a lonely planet recommendation for teppanyaki.

In one word it was delicious    Though that doesn't properly convey how good this was!

The chef started with browning some garlic, then frying some vegetables...eggplant, dikon, bean (1 green bean each!), and onions.  Unlike back home there was no entertainment as he cooked.  It was a professional chef doing his job.  At the end he gave us a card each, we didn't really know what to do with it!  Then came the beef...

 It was so well marbled and cooked to perfection with just a bit of salt and pepper...it just melted in our mouths.  I finally understand what it means when they say something melts in your mouth!  It was funny watching him salt the meat...he was so precise for a moment I thought he was going to count the salt grains!

Dessert was included in the set menu we picked.  A super ripe melon, some sort of cheesecake (not like home, very light and fluffy) and a scoop of mango sorbet and vanilla ice cream.  As delicious all this was it also cost us a pretty penny!  But kobe beef in kobe, we figure once in a lifetime and went all out.

For dinner we went to a bar called Polo dog, supposed to have the best burger and owned by a Canadian.  It was ok, nothing fantastic, I am not sure if it was the beef we just had so nothing else compares.  But one thing good was the garlic fries.  We think they topped french fries with garlic butter, so really how could you loose?!  Either way delicious!  

It was amazing how much pride our waiter took not only on his work but also on the food.  We told him the fries were delicious and he preened as if this was his own recipe and he made it himself!  This is one of those time that we really wish they'd accept tips but it seems like a heartfelt compliment is even better.