Sam's by the Sea

Dustin and I eat a lot of food in Japan. This country is a foodie's paradise and we are making sure to eat everything in sight. For our only dinner together in Okinawa, Dustin wanted to make it special. So he took me to Sam's by the Sea.

We got there just before the dinner rush so I was able to snap some quick pictures of the signs. The inside was an eclectic mix of nautical, military, and Okinawan memorabilia. I had a great time walking along the walls looking at how the island has changed in forty to sixty years. But that's not what makes Sam's fantastic.

It was the best food I have had in Japan.

To start, we got tasty drinks that come in glasses that you can keep. Mine is the foreground and was a wooden glass filled with a delicious blend of fruit juices served with mint and sugar cane. Dustin's was a blend of pineapple and lemon juice (which was surprisingly refreshing) and came in a shark's mouth with sugar cane.

Our appetizer was an amazing assortment of sauteed mushrooms with a soy sauce glaze. I have raved about the mushrooms in Japan before so this is not new. But these tasted phenomenal. Just a sprinkle of lemon and we gobbled up the whole dish.

We were each served three pieces of bread with homemade pineapple butter. The pink roll has dried cranberries and a sweet flavor. The middle piece was a sesame-flavored hard bread. Lastly was a soft pineapple yeast roll that was my favorite of the three.

Okay, this is the show stopper. This is their East Indian Curry Soup. They make it in this huge cauldron on one side of the room and the smell is intoxicating. We each received small bowls with croutons. This soup was creamy and spicy and had that amazing curry flavor. I wanted to lick the bowl.

It's not a Japanese meal without salad. A standard salad but with a twist: wasabi ranch dressing. Whew! After delicious curry soup, I need to keep eating so the kick doesn't catch up to me!

Dustin got the special of the day. It starts with a medium tenderloin  steak topped with steamed crab. It was doused with homemade Hollandaise sauce. Fresh vegetables, corn pudding, and fried mashed potatoes rounded out his main course. What? Oh, yes, fried mashed potatoes. Crispy outside with soft centers.

My entree was a bacon-wrapped fillet Mignon cut with garlic butter. It also came with a hefty portion of fresh King crab. My vegetables came with a wasabi, sour cream dip that was out of this world. I was so full already that I barely made a dent in this plate. It was such rich food!

Oh, but wait! It's not a million course meal without dessert. How about some flaming baked Alaska? Okay, so we cleaned this plate. It was so amazing that we didn't want to waste a drop. Belts have extra holes for a reason right?