You Traitor!!

I expected a little vegetarian guilt tonight. I have just a touch, I admit.

This was the appetizer.

Above, behold the beautiful dish of Bang Bang Shrimp. I wouldn't call this a religious experience, but it was absolutely the right choice for the first non-vegetarian thing I've eaten in a VERY long time. It was slightly sweet, a touch spicy, and very very chewy. I had completely forgotten how chewy shrimp is. And, just like that, all guilt was assuaged in one bite....ok, 4 bites. Let's be honest here; I ate probably half that plate. It's ok! The other 4 people dining with me got plenty. We ordered two.

My dinner.

I ordered grilled shrimp and sea scallops with the Asian sauce. The sauce could have handled a bit more ginger. (There's no such thing as too much ginger, for sure.) The shrimp were just as delightful and sweet in the sauce, and the scallops were super creamy, with just the right amount of char from the grill. I really wish they had given me more sauce, though. As you see, I did get garlic creamed potatoes and steamed broccoli.... This may be the first time I left veggies on my plate.

It was an interesting change of pace having 3 other people with 3 different dishes that I could actually try. So I did. And it was good.

First there was Chilean Sea Bass with Mango Chutney. Not my favorite, to be honest, but another member of our party said it wasn't as good as usual.
 The fish itself was the fishiest tasting of the whole bunch. The texture was the flakiest. I really liked the texture. It was light and, well, flaky.

 Then swordfish with creamy jalapeno sauce. I really liked this one. The sauce was subtle, and not nearly as spicy as I expected. The swordfish had a completely different texture than anything else I tried tonight. There was no discernible flakiness, it was denser than I expected, and the chew-factor was unexpected again. I had 2 bites of this dish. I had a tentative first bite, which was just the right size. The second bite was much larger, and almost too much at once. I guess I'm one of those delicate eaters. I like very small bites.

Finally, salmon with lemon butter. Once again, I was surprised by how good it was.
I was the most worried about this one. I've never been a big fan of fish, but I was surprised at the subtlety of the flavor. The sauce was complementary, but unimposing. The texture was light and slightly flaky.