I finally got to go to a Trader Vic's! Last week, Tess was driving back from Stanford and spied a little tiki-ish sign on the side of the road. Trader Vic's! Right there on El Camino Real! We had to go.

We got together with coworker Jim and his wife and had dinner there last night. I was expecting kitschy (and would have been perfectly happy with that; in fact I wore a nice aloha shirt, just to hedge that bet) but the place was very swanky. And the food was amazing. I had this Chilean sea bass in a wasabi buerre blanc sauce... oh baby. That was probably the best fish I've ever eaten. It was one of the best dinners I've ever had, actually. That was a shock.

When the waiter asked if we'd like drinks, I had to say yes. You're there in Trader Vic's! Drinks? The order of the day is a Mai Tai, natch! It was predictably tasty. I've had many versions of the beverage, but it was important to taste the original.

I've found my new favorite restaurant. Any out of town guests better bring something tropical and semi-fancy to wear...