Christmas Dinners In Ibaraki!

Merry Early Christmas, everyone!
Christmas is next week, so it is time to prepare for the festivities. Unfortunately, Christmas is not a national holiday in Japan. That means many of us are working during the holidays. I am sure that gives some of us no time to prepare a delicious Christmas dinner for our families and or friends. It can also be very tough to find a Christmas dinner here in Ibaraki. Japanese people go crazy for KFC. As for me, and I believe many of you, KFC is not a Christmas option. Fear not. I have a few suggestions for you on where to get a tasty Christmas dinner.

The Drunken Duck's Christmas Course

This Christmas Dinner is a winner every year! The Drunken Duck's Christmas course. This year's course includes: cauliflower cream soup, pickles, salami and truffle cream cheese, mozz and prosh salad, smoked turkey with gravy sauce, steamed vegetables and mashed potatoes, and one dessert of your choice: cheesecake, ice cream, or chocolate cake.
I have had the Duck's Christmas set and Thanksgiving set in the past, and they have always been fantastic. The turkey is nice and flavorful, the mashed potatoes are soft and creamy, and the gravy sauce with small cranberries is so delicious that it brings back fond memories of happy holidays back in the States.
Both the Mito and Hitachinaka Drunken Duck will have the Christmas course available starting Tuesday, December 16th. The Christmas course is a limited supply—reserve one before they are all gone.

https://www.instagram.com/drunkenduckjapan/?hl=en

Dada's Christmas Fried Chicken

If you are in the mood for fried chicken for your Christmas dinner, I implore you not to go to KFC, but instead head to Tsukuba's Da Da Restaurant.
I haven't been able to write about Da Da yet on the blog, but this place is an amazing restaurant/ winery/ market. The basement floor of Da Da has the biggest wine cellar I have ever seen here in Ibaraki. If you are looking for a particular wine, Da Da most likely has it. The first floor is the entrance and market area. You can buy a lot of local organic produce, sauces, cooking materials, tofu, and other types of local items.
The first floor also has a restaurant area. Unfortunately, that area is only open on special occasions and for lunch. Da Da has a special lunch menu that consists of a meat plate with lots of local fresh vegetables. Because of my busy schedule, I have not been able to have Da Da's special lunch, but I have tried a few things from their market area, and everything I have bought has been fantastic.
That being said, I was in no way going to lose the chance to try Da Da's fried chicken. I have already DMed Da Da and reserved my order. There is a limited supply, so make sure you reserve your order soon.

https://www.instagram.com/dadadavinaiota/?hl=en

Buddy's Rib Company's Christmas + New Year's Platter

Want some BBQ for Christmas? Then you should head over to Buddy's Rib Company in Tsuchiura City. I love this place, and I always ask for this BBQ Christmas platter every year.
When it comes to this Christmas special, you have two choices:
The Christmas Plate, which brings a full rack of ribs (12 ribs), 4 huge BBQ chicken legs, 300g of pulled pork, and a ton of fries to go with that.
The Christmas Half Plate brings half a rack of ribs (6 ribs), two BBQ chicken legs, 150g of pulled pork, and again a ton of fries to go with your BBQ.
Since it is usually Mrs. Ibaraki Eats and me during Christmas, we order the half plate. Even with the half plate, we are extremely full. All that amazing BBQ and fries are an excellent combination for a Christmas lunch or dinner.
The great news about this Christmas plate is that it is available for almost all of December. So you can order this fantastic BBQ plate even after Christmas. I know I will be ordering my BBQ from Buddy's very soon.

https://www.instagram.com/buddysrib/?hl=en

Village Market Toy Drive

Since it is better to give than to receive, the Village Market will be holding a Toy Drive this weekend at the Tonarie Building next to the Market Restaurant.
On December 20th, the Village Market will be holding a Christmas workshop. They will be teaching people how to make Christmas candles, beeswax, herbal tea, and more! Santa will be making a guest appearance! You can drop your toy off with the Village Market staff, and they will make sure it goes to a new home.
On December 21st, The Village Market will be holding their usually farmer's market. Come and buy some fresh organic local produce. Santa will be there, and he will take any toys you would like to donate.
If you are feeling a little hungry, Market Restaurant will have a special Christmas plate.

https://www.instagram.com/market.restaurant/?hl=en

From the Ibaraki Eats Duo, we want to wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. May your holidays be filled with laughter, love, and a lot of delicious treats!