Food Fun Friday- at long last!

Gasp!  A post from me, the as of late reclusive blogger??  I was just looking for inspiration!  (and I will keep telling myself that too).

Last Friday I joined Hubby on a night out with his fellow co-workers.  So imagine riding the bus and train to Yokohama with 11 sailors.  We weren't exactly what you would call "inconspicuous".  Lucky for me, two other wives showed up.

Where did we go?  We went to Chinatown in Yohohama.
 To eat Chinese food, right?
Wrong!

We went to a place called Travesso Grill.  They serve Brazilian BBQ.  So yeah- we went to Chinatown in Yokohama, Japan, to eat Brazilian food.  Makes PERFECT sense!!

http://www.mizunobubrooks.com/en/travesso-en.htm


I have to say, it was worth the trip.  It is all-you-can-eat, so come with a very hungry and empty tummy.  You start with the buffet- which offers all sorts of fruits and vegetables, salads, beans, even tortillas chips.  My favorite was the pumpkin salad.  I can't begin to tell you what was in it, I think it was squash, and not actually pumpkin.  They have English labels on everything- but I think there are a few mistranslations.

I picked up a wide assortment of things to try out- salad, mushrooms, heart palms, squid, squash, tomato with basil, chips and salsa...

The fried banana was really good.  But due to the unfortunate proximity of the ketchup to the fried bananas- I didn't realize that it was indeed ketchup (I thought it was a sweet sauce to go with the bananas).  I do not recommend eating fried bananas with ketchup. Just trust me on this one, ok?

After we had settled with some num nums and our drinks (we paid for the all you can drink along with all you can eat)- the men with the meat came.  They have meat on long metal stakes and come to your table and slice it and serve it to you.  They started off with sausage and chicken legs.  While they were good, I would skip it next time.  Seriously- what follows will make you wish you had more room.

They bring out what must be 7 or 8 different kinds and cuts of meat.  There is pork, beef, and lamb.  It is all delicious!  Hubby was in man-heaven.  You know- he is the meat and potatoes kind of guy and this restaurant was a dream come true for him.  At one point he told me it was "so good that he felt like crying."  This is a man who doesn't cry.  It was the funniest thing I have ever seen!

Look how his eyes sparkle- he is waiting for his meat to be cut!

one of our waiters.  I think he has chicken hearts.  THAT I did not try!

a Caipirinha- Brazilian for "holy sh##!"  Seriously- it is a Brazilian "mojito".
It has Brazilian rum- but it tastes more like tequila (read- ta-kill-ya).
Make sure you stir and stir, before you take that first sip.
 Pretty tasty after you get over the slap in the face it gives you on the first sip.

We had two hours to eat, last call for drinks was 30 minutes before that time was up.  The restaurant does not disappoint- they keep the meat coming!  I had to send them away after a while- I seriously felt like I would bust a seam if I ate any more.

feeling "fat and happy"

The best part of the night, besides the food, had to do with two giant rib bones.  One of the guys asked the wait staff if he could take them home for his dog.  After a lot of hand language and broken English and Japanese- it was determined that the restaurant has a strict policy about NOT taking food home (because it is all you can eat).  That makes sense, but they wouldn't even allow the bones, already stripped of any meat, to leave with the customers.

So what do they do?  One of the guys grabs one of the bones for his dog and proceeds to roll it up in a napkin- just as one of the waiters is bringing drinks to the table.  The other guy follows suit and they hide the bones in their jackets.  My friend Michele laughed so hard at this I thought we were going to have some sort of intervention.  On the way out everyone joked that they (the wait staff) were coming after us- looking for bones.  It doesn't sound so funny typing it out- but trust me- "you just had to be there", it was funny.

What about dessert?  Well first off they have grilled pineapple they bring out- sprinkled with cinnamon.  So good.  And then next to the buffet table they have all sorts of desserts- mini cheesecakes with different fruit toppings, creme brule,  lychee (not to be confused as "chocolate covered strawberries as one of the guys did), chocolate-mocha cake, and even an ice cream machine.  I didn't think I could eat any dessert- but I did!

The restaurant is a bit pricey, so I wouldn't recommend bringing your kids, unless you know they will eat their fill. Also, if you have people in your party who want to drink, then everyone has to pay for the all-you-can-drink (2,000 Yen), regardless if everyone is drinking alcohol or not.  I chalk that up to too many people sharing drinks with those who didn't pay to drink- sad face.

I am sure we will be returning to this place, I don't see Hubby staying away too long!