Air travel sucks.
And, in its effort to curb tarmac imprisonments, the federal government has made it worse. If there's even a chance that a flight could be delayed more than an hour or two, it's safer for the airline to cancel said flight than risk the fines that come from not being on time.
Thus, two of my last three flights home have resulted in an extra overnight to wait for my rebooked reservation. Hey, it's summer (wait...shouldn't I be saying that in winter?).
So, I shake it off, keep my blood pressure contained...and look for a culinary reward for my pain of not getting home tonight.
And, damned if I haven't found some of the most interesting restaurants on those "free" nights off. In Myrtle Beach, it was the amazing "Mrs. Fish." And, earlier this week, it was Nakato in Springfield MO.
A quick check of Yelp showed that this Japanese steak house and sushi palace was the highest rated independent restaurant within 3 miles of my hotel. The reviews were stunning. The recommendations of the "Hope" sushi made my mouth water. And, sitting at the sushi bar, watching the three itamaes work their magic, I had to chuckle at my good fortune that United was so scared of its own shadow that I got to enjoy such an unexpected experience.
I only wish I had discovered this find years ago. One of the itamaes told me the wooden toy boats that circled the sushi station (see picture above) used to carry samples. For a price, it was an all-you-can-eat sushi smorgasbord as diners would pay the fare and pick off delicacies as they came around the bend.
"Unsustainable," my itamae informed me. "Too much waste...we had to toss everything that hadn't been eaten every hour."
True dat...but what a bitchin' idea.
Hey, could we design mini-cooling units in those boats?
Just a thought...
In or near Springfield (or Charlotte)? Go. And...yeah, get the Hope.
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