Edwin Encarnacion enjoys the international flavor of Benihana

Yesterday we attended the Cardinals-Reds game in Cincinnati, later today you will get coverage and photos of the game. However, after the game we were treated to Benihana–which is the new king of all Hibachi joints. We sat down next to Edwin Encarnacion and his comrades & family during this meal. It was quite a thrill to see him gobble down lobster tail after lobster tail and tip the lucky Hibachi chef, who was not authentically Japanese (his name was Juan). We never thought that one man could eat that many lobster tails, but we were wrong. Apparently he worked up quite an appetite during the Reds’ 11-7 loss against the Cardinals. And here we thought we were styling because we got two extra shrimp appetizers. Then Lobster boy came in, and stole the show.

Benihana, from the pictures on the wall that we saw, is quite a big attraction for ballplayers. Ichiro Suzuki and Jose Canseco are shown affectionately hugging a small japanese man, with other big time athletes like John Elway and Dan Marino doing the same. We’re glad we got to have dinner with the quiet third baseman of the Redlegs.