Fluttering Pancakes

One of our favorite finds has been a sushi restaurant in the little downtown of our very own 'burb. Its nothing fancy - small, sometimes a little stuffy, and located across the street from juvi hall. What it may lack in grandeur, it makes up for in charm. It is located in the basement of an old library, and when we are lucky, we get to sit in the back room, whose walls are lined with rows and rows of sake bottles. And the sushi? Phenominal.

We have made a pact that each time we go, we need to try at least one new menu item. In addition to our beloved rolls of spicy tuna and artful avacado, we ordered a Japanese Pancake during our last visit. Not a pancake of your bisquick and syrup variety, but rather one made of scallions, yams, shredded dried shrimp, eggs, and flour. What arrived at our table, on a pale blue plate, was a small, flat cake that was pink in color. On top of the cake were delicate, paper-thin onion shavings, gently fluttering, as if encouraged to dance by a subtle breeze. Magically, the onions continued to flutter throughout our whole meal.

While watching our choreographed cake, I realized I was witnessing something special. For the same $6 elsewhere, we could've gotten 'tater skins or melted cheese sandwiched between two tortillas with a ladle of salsa up top. Or the chef could've tossed a handful of chopped scallions on top, which really wouldn't have changed the flavor. Instead, the time and effort was taken to make our little $6 cake dance.

Other fluttering pancake moments we are celebrating:


Happy birthday to my brother, John. He turns four years older than me, just as he does every year on this day. For a little over one month, I was one year closer to catching up.

And happy birth day to baby Eli, born on July 23 to our dear friends, Dave and Amy.

We hope you find fluttering pancake moments around you too.