FamiLee Life

Sushi, god, and karaoke = Oh what a night!

I had the most fulfilling Saturday night and am so thankful for the friends I have and to live in a city that offers so much. Oh what a night, indeed! Here's a brief recap and my thoughts on what made it so special.

On Saturday evening, my friend, Holly, and I were invited by our friends, Sun Yung and Christopher, to dinner and concert. Very sweet of them. We made our way to Fujiya at LynLake for some sushi and noodles. When I eat sushi, I tend to prefer to eat at the sushi bar where you can interact with the chef and try out new delights (or at least their specials). At Fujiya, I also recommend sitting in the front room where the liquor and sushi bars are located. They have a fine dining room in the back, as well as outdoor seating, but it's not as fun back there. I seem to be going to this place about once per week, either for just drinks or to eat/drink. Being a frequent customer has allowed me to get to know a couple of the sushi chefs, one of whom is a friend of many friends. This sort of "in" as well as a generous tipping policy has led to some wonderful dining experiences. I usually ask the chef to make me X dollars worth of sushi (his choice) and leave the rest to him. It's always a surprise and never a disappointment. I try things I've never tried before. This time I had a spicy oyster in the shell and seared belly of tuna. All washed down with a 22 oz. Asahi beer. Yummy.

After gorging ourselves, we took the mini-van (SY and CC's vehicle of choice) to the Walker Art Center to see three bands perform. Each band was unique. Blood on the Wall sounded like early Sonic Youth - they played the shortest set of songs ever (most lasting about 1 minute). The next band up was 13 & god and they sounded like a gift from God. They were amazing in creating a unique sound that blended various genre of music together into a beautiful arrangement of melody and harmony. Check out their song Men of Station. The last band Black Dice, unfortunately, left us literally daef and seizure induced, which very well might have been the intended effect. I am not quite sure how to describe them besides saying it sounded like noise...high quality television static mixed with guitar feedback. Needless to say, we left after about 30 minutes of high pain endurance.

By 11:30, we were 1 hour and 30 minutes late to our last stop of the night -- Mike and Sarah's home -- for a little karaoke. We really needed it to purge ourselves of the Black Dice trauma. Mike had been waiting for us and Sarah ended up going to bed because we were about an hour plus late (oops!). Shortly after our arrival, Ed, Kurt, and Ken showed up and Ken brought apple pie of all things...which did taste great at around 2 a.m. Somehow, it was decided that it would be a "workshop" night for karaoke which means singing songs that we don't know very well to practice. Per Christine's email suggestion, I tried to sing "Hand in my pocket" by Alanis Morissette and also tried out "Peaceful, easy feeling" by the Eagles. I massacred the first and flew on the second. Well, about 4+ hours later, including a brief 15 minute nap, I made my way home. Voice sore, belly full, and ready for a night of sleep.

It was the perfect combination for the evening...a great meal, amazing concert, and a relaxed evening of singing with friends. All the things I love to do when I have time and money on hand.

Posted by richlee at September 26, 2005 05:00 PM