Tonight I had a wonderful opportunity to share a meal with Camille H. and Catherine C. at Sakagura near Grand Central. After going to the gym two days in a row, I was pumped up to have some tasty Japanese food.

I walked up from the Kips Bay Crunch Gym and anxiously awaited my first meeting with Camille H., who I have heard so many good things about. I know she was anxious as well because her subway train was stalled and she was confuzzled about which way was up and which way was down. As I waited, Camille called me on my cell to let me know that she had just walked past Sakagura on the other side of the street and was not able to see the entrance. The entrance to Sakagura is truly hidden as the sign is itty bitty on the ground and the restaurant is in the basement of an office building.

Normally I would like to think I would have noticed her on the opposite side of the road. However, I believe around the same time there were three young women in a very perplexed state thinking that Sakagura had closed down. They looked across the street at an empty restaurant then at each other. Two of them busted out their Iphones to look up the address. As one of them, the prettier of the three, was saying the address out loud, I interrupted her and said “it’s right over here”. They smiled and walked by me, and went into the office building. They didn’t even thank me, hmphhh! I should have said something else, like “it’s easy to miss eh?”

Finally, Camille arrives and the angels in the heaven and the homeless down the street celebrate this truly marvelous first encounter. As we greet each other Catherine arrives as well and we usher ourselves into the building.

(Susan, this paragraph is for you) My first impression of Camille was that woah she’s much more petite in real life than I had imagined from seeing photos online. The braids in her hair were mesmerizing. Her cheek bones gave off a radiant glow of beauty. She was quite amiable and agreeable. Within seconds, we were making out like middle schoolers. Saliva was everywhere and juices were flowing. It was the furthest thing from being awkward as possible. Camille will have to break Tim L.’s heart and tell him that people change and that they can never be together and this is for the better. The most exciting thing was that we definitely knew that true love really existed. It was quite depressing to think that Camille will have to go into hiding while studying for her MCATS. The scandalous stories we shared are too scandalous for the internet. There will be many future dates and many future babies.

so delicious… so awesome…

• MENTAIKO : Spicy Cod Fish Roe Imported from Japan
• SURUMEIKA YAKI : Grilled Japanese Squid Brushed with Garlic Soy Sauce
• TORI TSUKUNE : Chicken Meat Balls with Teriyaki Sauce
• KAMO ROAST : Slices of Chilled Roasted Duck Wrapped Around Scallion Accented with Basil Sauce
• UZAKU : Grilled Eel Vinaigrette Served with Thin Cucumber Slices and Wakame Seaweed
• HOMEMADE ” NIHACHI SOBA ” : Cold Plain Buckwheat Noodle Served with Bonito Infused Soy Dipping Sauce
• KAISEN KIM-CHEE DON : Assorted Chopped Sashimi Mixed with Kimchee over Rice [Served with Miso Soup]

i thought we ordered this, but we never got it, no idea if we paid for it

• AGEDASHI TOFU : Tofu Coated in a Light Batter and Deep Fried Served in a Soy Sauce Infused Broth

I’ve had Sakagura two or three times in the past, but always during lunch. Usually I would order their handmade soba noodles. Gah their soba is amazing. Their dinner menu was completely different, which threw me off guard. Cat said she would trust my ordering because I’m “like a foodie”. I adamantly denied being a foodie and offered a better description of just being highly critical. Which both Camille and Cat decided was an admirable trait and worthy of placing their trust in me. In reality, it was a team effort and our individual skill sets came together to create a wondertastical experience for our mind, body and soul. The dinner menu was a nice representation of an izakaya with four pages of tapas and a huge sake selection. The food came out and quick and everything was pretty damn delicious.

The presence of Camille and Cat added much value to the evening. A good time was had by all. The two tables next to us kept spilling glassware and knocking things over. they must have been having a lot of fun.

Well I had a blast and I can’t wait for more!