Hiro88 and Cupcake Omaha host Omaha Bloggers Birthday!

It has been 1 year ago this week that the Omaha Bloggers Network was formed.  We came together this past Sunday at Hiro88 in the Old Market to celebrate. They hosted us to a fabulous array of appetizers and boatloads of sushi. To top it all off, with any celebration, there must be cake and we were treated to scrumptious cupcakes courtesy of Cupcake Omaha.

Before I dig into the good stuff of food and cake, let me just say how completely amazing it is at how the Omaha Bloggers Network has grown in just this short period of time.  This is an amazing group with so much talent. This group has taught me so much about the business of blogging. Not only that, but I have learned so much about myself. I am excited to see what year 2 brings!

We started out with an assortment of appetizers that I was familiar with, edamame, crab rangoons, and what appeared to be potstickers (we were corrected when someone ordered another order that they were actually fried gyoza). They were all very yummy. The crab rangoon was very lightly fried and the filling was light and creamy. The edamame of course was a little tricky as some of us were trying to figure out how to eat them properly.

Now, I have a confession to make. Sushi for me is kind of like ordering a mixed drink. I don’t do it very often and when I do, I have no idea what to order. So, this event at Hiro88 was perfect to be able to taste different varieties.

Then came the boatloads, about 3 of them, to the table full of different varieties of sushi. There were 15 different types of sushi, some of them with some pretty creative names. I tried 3 different rolls. My favorite was the Las Vegas roll, followed by the Asparagus Salmon and then the Golden Gate rolls. Without even knowing it, I traveled while eating sushi. The Vegas roll had white tuna, crab, cream cheese, masago; and is fried with tempura batter and topped with eel sauce. The Golden Gate had crab, avocado, cucumber, topped with shrimp and more avocado. The asparagus salmon roll had salmon, asparagus, cream cheese and eel sauce.

Some of us also enjoyed a little afternoon drink. I tried a mai tai tini. I remember having my first Mai Tai at Trader Vic’s when I was on a FAM (short for familiarization) trip in Atlanta. It was yummy. There were some other yummy drinks that others ordered from the happy hour including Raspberry Whip and Mango Mojito.

Next we finished our celebration with some cupcakes courtesy of Cupcake Omaha. Cupcake Omaha is also located in the Old Market area. They provided us with a delicious assortment of their offerings. The ones that stood out to me were the Peanut Butter cup, Boston Crème pie, Salted Nut Roll and one that I chose which had macadamia nut and white chocolate chips on vanilla cake. The cupcake was very moist and tasty.

I will definitely come back to Hiro88 for the happy hour which runs all day on Sundays. They have 3 locations. Their first and original location is off of 129th and Maple. The second one which opened in 2009 is the one which we had our party in the Old Market. Their third and most recent location opened in West Haymarket in Lincoln.

Thanks again to Hiro88 and Cupcake Omaha for making our 1st Birthday celebration for the Omaha Bloggers so special!

So, tell me, have you tried sushi? If so, what is your favorite roll?  What is your favorite flavor of cupcake?

Disclaimer: Thanks to Hiro88 and Cupcake Omaha for the complimentary treats. However, all opinions and views are mine.