Sunday was our wedding anniversary. Actually, we have two anniversaries a year – today was the anniversary of the entering of my name into the family register. That is the actual legal wedding, and it is surprisingly easy to do. Our wedding was in November, and that is usually the “big” anniversary.
Kuniko and I decided to go out for dinner, so I made arrangements at a place that we had drinks and cheese before – Si!Gassiga. When we had been there before the people were really nice and they had a good selection of wines. They also had delicious-looking food, but since both times we had been there before it was after dinner this was our first chance to try their cooking.
I had made a reservation with Atsushi Fujiwara, who is the president of the company that owns two restaurants in the area. He has spent time in California and he knew a great deal about the area, especially the wine regions. We were seated at a window and enjoyed the view of Motomachi below us while we waited for dinner. They even sent over a couple of glasses of champagne to toast our anniversary.
We started with a big appetizer platter of different fish, meats, cheeses, and bread. The flavors were excellent, and the sheer variety of different foods on just the appetizer platter was awesome. We ordered a bottle of wine, an Acacia Pinot Noir, and it was delicious. I’m always a little nervous to buy wines from California in Japan because I’m not sure how they survived the trip over. This wine was doing just fine, and it was a good match with dinner.
We shared a pasta dish, penne with gorgonzola cheese sauce and prosciutto, and then moved on to the main course(s), roasted chicken with vegetables, and a tender cut of steak that we shared. The meat was so tender – it has been a long time since I’ve had beef of that quality.
The staff also surprised us with a dessert platter, with a congratulations message written in chocolate around the edge of the plate. It had our name, the date, the logo of the restaurant, and a congratulations message all hand done in chocolate sauce. Wow. The dessert was a mix of different things, but we both commented that the tiramisu and the raspberry sorbet were the best we had tasted.
By the end of the meal we were overwhelmed – everything was so good, and the staff were so friendly that it seemed as if we were dining at a friend’s house. I was especially happy to have a great dining experience because it has been harder and harder lately to find a good restaurant that you can rely on to deliver a good dining experience.
So I think Si!Gassiga is my new favorite restaurant in Kobe. We added it to the short list of places we love, joining Tapas and Baan Thai in Sannomiya, and Kitano Club in Kitano.
They also have another restaurant that I’d like to try, Hola!Achaho – it is just around the corner. Anyway, if you happen to be in the Kobe area, definitely try out Si!Gassiga. The combination of great California wines, excellent Italian food and great atmosphere make it a can’t miss in Kobe.
After dinner Kuniko and I thanked them for a great experience, and then decided to walk to Kobe station, which is a good way to burn calories after a big dinner. Kuniko was tired out by the time we arrived, so she slept on the train ride home, and we got home around 10:30 or so.
Great dinner, great night, great anniversary. We’re looking forward to visiting that restaurant again.
