We Celebrated Our Son's 11th Birthday At Benihana!

We Celebrated Our Son’s Eleventh Birthday At @Benihana Restaurant! #BeniKids #Ad

*I participated in this campaign on behalf of Benihana. I received a promotional item to facilitate this review and as a thank you item for participating. All opinions are my own.

This past week, we celebrated our oldest son’s eleventh birthday. It’s hard to believe that he is even that old because I can still remember the precise moment that I laid my eyes on him for the first time. He was absolutely exquisite with bright blue eyes and a shock of red hair that I couldn’t believe that he was really my baby. You see, I had wanted to become a mother for four years before becoming pregnant with him but it took us a long time to conceive.

Now he is a tween and I feel blessed to be able to witness his transformation into a young man. He has his own distinct personality and sense of humor and I see so much of myself and his father in him. This year, he wanted to go somewhere special to eat for his birthday and, since he has been wanting to go to Benihana Restaurant for a while, we decided it would be the perfect place to have our celebration.

Ever since 1964, Benihana has featured authentic Japanese food prepared on steel grills right in front of its diners. We loved the fact that we were seated right around the grill as soon as we arrived. Our server promptly explained the menu options to us which was very convenient and allowed us to choose exactly what we all wanted to eat. After ordering our food, our chef arrived with a cart full of fresh ingredients which he used to prepare our meals right in front of us while we enjoyed a few of his cooking tricks.

All of our food was absolutely delicious and the ambiance of the restaurant was extremely family-friendly. We had told our server upon arriving that we were celebrating our son’s birthday that evening so she arranged for him to receive a special dessert which the servers presented to him while they sang “Happy Birthday” to him in English and in Japanese. Our boy was absolutely tickled to be the center of attention and had a permanent smile on his face for the rest of the evening.

As a Leukemia Survivor, there is also another reason why I love Benihana Restaurant. They are donating $50,000 to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® from funds that were raised by the 2014 “Children Helping Children” coloring contest which is part of the Children’s Day program that culminated May 5. Throughout the month of April, children who visited any Benihana location nationwide were encouraged to draw a picture signifying what the theme “Children Helping Children” meant to them.

For each entry form collected, Benihana donated $1 to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®, the global leader in finding cures and saving children from cancer and other deadly diseases. Additionally, 100 percent of the purchase price for all of the Benihana Kabuki Kids meals served on Children’s Day, May 5, went toward the total amount raised. To date, Benihana has raised more than $210,000 for St. Jude.

I’m proud to support a restaurant that champions important causes like finding cures for childhood cancers. It is a great way to teach children and families about Japanese culture while promoting advocacy within our communities. I couldn’t have chosen a better place to celebrate the birthday of one of the most important people in my life, my Firstborn. Make sure you take your family to Benihana and experience some quality time with your family while dining on delicious, authentic Japanese cuisine!

Let’s Discuss: What qualities do you look for in a restaurant when you are dining out with your family?

Disclosure: I participated in this campaign on behalf of Benihana. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating and to facilitate this review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”