This wasn’t the plan. But when your kids call and say, “We’re still stuck with movers, see you later tonight,” and you’ve already skipped your meal prep window, you pivot. Enter: Gyu-Kaku, because cooking your own meat on a grill at your table feels just ambitious enough without actually cooking at home.

This was Stephen’s first visit, and while I’d been before, it’s been a while. We opted for the Meat Lover’s Set (because go big or… also go big?), plus a few indulgent appetizers.

The fried wontons? Best thing we ate all night. That sweet chili sauce? Life-altering. We dipped everything in it — bacon, steak, chicken, possibly a fork. The bacon chips were dangerous in the best way.

As for the meats — they were good. Not “Michelin star” good. Just “fine.” Honestly, we both admitted afterward that we didn’t understand why we ate that much food when we weren’t blown away by any of it. Maybe it was the grill, maybe the frosted mug hypnosis. Either way, we were full… and confused.

📷 Photo Journal

Additional starters: Fried Bacon Chips & Fried Cheese Wontons

📝 Wednesday Notes

Texture rating for the whole meal: “crispy starters, chewy meats, and soft rice”
Sapporo was basically ice-cold heaven
Stephen gave the crown to the appetizers and questioned his life choices afterward
We piled the plates, and I even left food (!!!) — unheard of
Sauce was the MVP. Everyone else just showed up

🎬 Behind the Scenes

We were planning to eat dinner with the kids at Saratoga Springs on their last night in Florida before heading to Virginia. I had made the decision to skip the Roast Beef & Potato Salad this week.

But sometime in the late afternoon, we got the call — the movers were still dragging their feet, and the kids weren’t going to make it to the resort until close to 8:00 p.m.

By the time we found out, it was too late in the day for me to start making the salad, and suddenly we were sitting there — hungry, plan-less, and not quite ready to order pizza.

So we went with Plan C: Gyu-Kaku. Stephen had never been, I had (once), and at that point, all we wanted was food we didn’t have to prep or clean up after. It wasn’t the dinner we thought we’d be having, but it worked.

📷 #OurEverydayFoodJourney

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