I consider man learning to cook with fire an advancement in civilization, not to mention a culinary achievement, and therefore have long held that carpaccio and steak tartar are still raw meat, and no matter how prettily you present sushi, it is still raw seafood. On the other hand, as long as there are other options on the menu, I’m fine with that.

My husband is the one who suggested we make the drive down to Islamorada to the Kaiyo Grill, the sister restaurant to the Green Turtle Inn. We did so and I have to admit that I wasn’t quite sure how the blend of Asian and Keys décor would look. It is a delightful place unless you simply must have a view of the water or a martini, and the food selections did in fact include far more than sushi. My husband had his “dressed up bait” as an appetizer before he tackled the rack of lamb, and I started with the lobster and artichoke chowder as a prelude to hog fish roasted with a lovely citrus and scallion butter. It was my birthday after all and we indulged in a piece of the white chocolate macadamia nut pie that was topped with a sparkler to help celebrate. The coffee served in a French Press was an unexpected touch.

Although I am not one of those women who dread birthdays, we are fairly low-key about it and a pleasant dinner out is the usual way we mark the passage, followed by champagne at home. I had forgotten to pick up a bottle of champagne during the great Total Wine store excursion on Friday though, so we’ll have to save that part for later. Next year’s birthday – who knows? The only thing I am certain of is that I will not have changed my mind about sushi.