Shimbashi Izakaya (Del Mar)

Date night: super-yum!

Have been meaning to try an Izakaya (Japanese tapas bar) for a while....There are some good ones elsewhere in SD but also this fancy cocktail-y one in the Del Mar Plaza. Mixed reviews on Yelp, but when we got unexpected babysitting tonight (yeah, grandma!) we decided to give it a shot.

MMMMMM-YOSO (to borrow the name of another SD restaurant blog).

Super-fresh veggies - they apparently use Chino. Maybe we ordered all the right things but we loved everything.

Atmosphere: Cute. Very uncomfortable chairs (no backs). Mix of Japanese customers and other Del Martians.

Service: Very friendly, efficient Japanese women.

Food: Forgot about the chairs once it came!
--Green salad: Such fresh delicious lettuce and other veggies, with a good dressing....A big cut above green salads in other Japanese places.

--Miso soup: CH says it was ok, nothing special.

--Amuse bouche (they called it free mini-appetizer): grated seaweed and black mushrooms in a ginger-sesame broth. YUMMMMMM.

--Green beans and eggplant in sweet miso paste: I don't even like green beans - I thought this dish was just eggplant. BUT I LOVED IT! Green beans were super fresh and perfectly cooked; sesame miso paste was divine. They have a bunch of eggplant dishes but this one was starred as a must-try. Thank you, menu-writer!

--Shabu-Shabu: CH got this, super-fresh veggies, cooked his own beef in his choice of broth. He really enjoyed this. They say they have this only in winter.

--La fresca roll: Was deciding between this and miso cod (another starred must-try). Was excellent choice: spicy tuna, avocado, yellowtail, cilantro, and a fresh diced tomato-onion-pepper conconction on top (like a fresh salsa). Not traditional but super-fresh and delicious

Oh, and did I mention my $5 sake colada? (like a Malibu with pineapple except made with coconut sake). LOVED IT!

Not super-cheap but was a great price/value ratio. Not a place to go with Boy (other kids were there but the chairs and atmosphere are not for our roaming boy). Hope to get there again another time.

(oh - and there were lots of other veggie choices I didn't get to try - they're starred with Vs on the menu)