July 1, Eric, Christina, and I went to Mashiko in West Seattle for their omakase dinner. Christina, my most passionate Seattle foodie friend, had heard good things. Her word is gospel to me, so we cruised over for a late dinner. An omakase dinner basically means chef's choice. You pay a flat fee like a prix fixe and wait to see what the chef sends your way. The omakase at Mashiko costs $35.00 a person.
Chef Hajime noticed us from behind the sushi bar because I had just received my new Nikon D70 digital SLR that day, and I'd brought it along. He came over when he noticed me snap a photo of one of our first dishes and asked if I'd mind taking some photos for him to use on a new rev of his website.
No problem, I said. It turned out to be a good trade, because Hajime proceeded to send some twelve or thirteen courses our way, and all were uniformly divine. Some of the highlights...

The sushi was some of the best I've had in Seattle
(from left: scallops, mackerel, squid, salmon, tuna)

The green tea tiramisu was incredible

An innovative sushi dessert

Hajime even created some edible art pieces

Chef Hajime is at the right, working on one of our courses.

By meal's end, I could barely walk, drunk on culinary bliss. As it was possibly one of my last visits to West Seattle, we stopped on the way home to gaze at the Seattle skyline at night.

I highly recommend this meal for foodies, especially Japanese cuisine lovers. It's the best omakase meal I've had in Seattle. If you're want more and larger photos, I've posted all my pics from the meal to a massive web page.
I've been Christina's foodie wing man on many occasions here in Seattle. She's the scout who finds out where the good places are, and Eric and I tag along. I'll miss having someone like her near once I've moved away. We had one last meal together at Lark last night. It wasn't as amazing as the first meal I had there, but it was still excellent.
Christina's about to embark on a family vacation, and a grand meal was a fitting way for us to bid each other farewell.