Wilson's Birthday(s)

Wilson, being the spoiled little 12 year old that he is, wouldn't be content with just one birthday; we had to drag it out over a couple of days. Henry, having just celebrated his birthday for a record three days, was not impressed. Maybe even a little bit angry that he had to celebrate another's birthday.

But, once we got to Inoko and he realized there would be fire, he seemed content.
Like all hibachi places, Inoko brings out soup and salad almost before you sit down, and definitely before you get beer, unlike other hibachi places, they have a surprise for kids:

Can you spot it, the surprise? That most Japanese of treats, Goldfish! Which Henry promptly dumped in his soup. He seemed to enjoy it, so...
We recently took Henry to Shoki, which I have to admit was surprisingly good, both service and food. I was curious as to how Inoko would stack up.

Now, I don't expect much more than frozen vegetable medley when I dine out at these prices, but I do sort of expect said vegetables to be defrosted before they're are put on public display. Also, make sure the strucural integrity of your rice mound is intact before you dump it on to the grill. Lastly, a bit more finesse with the serving of the rice would have gone a long way. Henry leaves less mess when he eats with chopsticks than this guy did serving rice with a spatula. He did, to his credit, make a second flaming volcano onion when Henry asked, but I don't think his heart was really in it. The singing of Wilson's happy birthday wishes also lacked heart, as did the sad, grocery store sheet cake served up. It really couldn't hold a candle to the Shoki pineapple boat.
On Wilson's actual birthday, he chose Outback. I don't blame him, for this reason:

Say what you will, but fried onion dipped in a ketchup/mayo mixture is delicious.
The rest of the meal was not really worth mentioning. The real drama was the range of emotions of a young man coming of age, realizing his own mortality, and breaking down in the face of crushing defeat.