text: So -- since her younger sister spent her birthday in London . . . actually, we spent my wife's birthday in Paris, but her birthday fell while we were still out of the country -- when we asked what she wanted to for her birthday, she quite matter-of-factly replied, \"Vegas, baby!\"\n\nOK, so we're in Las Vegas again for our daughter's 12th birthday.  It's me, my wife, and our two girls.  These are girls whose preferred snack is sushi.  These are kids who grew up eating at places like Chez Panisse, Lalime's -- kids who the people at the Cheese Board know not only by sight but are on a first-name basis with.\n\nThese are Berkeley kids.  We go to Nobu.\n\nWe have reservations for a 9:00 show, so we make 6:00 pm dnner reservations.  If they had their way, they would have had us out of there by 6:15!\n\nThere were actually six of us for dinner, lined up with dozens of other people waiting for the front door to be unlocked promptly at 6:00.  We inched inside as part of the reservation conga, only to be shunted aside while they seated others who were in line behind us.  What?  Our table not ready?  THE PLACE WAS EMPTY UNTIL THEY LET US IN!  It's not like they had to wait for someone to leave before they could seat us.\n\nWe listened to the waiter's suggestions in terms of how he thought (the restaurant thought?) we should proceed through the menu.  The three adults order sake; the three kids ordered whatever it was that they ordered; and we all ordered food.\n\nO.K., I do NOT believe that a place with the reputation of Nobu makes their sushi in advance.  I DO believe their sushi is made-to-order.  Honest, I do.  But the sushi, the soup, the soba, the hot plates -- it all came at warp speed, and plates were whisked away before I finished swallowing the last bite!  Instead of a relaxed meal where we could talk, drink, and savor some extraordinary dishes, we were given our check (not cheap) and practically rushed out the door!\n\nI'm had more relaxing meals at In-n-Out!  In the drive-up lane.\n\nNobu?  No thank you.