Fun at the Hibachi....not!

We took the kids out for dinner Friday night cause 1. we're stupid, 2. we were lazy and 3. we had a coupon for the local Japanese steak house that the kids really love. We got out of work late and picked up the kids later than normal so we were hitting prime time dinner hour. So we call ahead and make a reservation. We get to the restaurant exactly on time and get seated right away at a table with a couple that were clearly perturbed by our presence. We take our place across the large section of the table in our 4 seats with the two older kids in the middle and the baby in her seat in a high chair. That leaves a seat in the corner between me and the woman. Then comes the next couple who sits next to L and on their short side and again leaves a seat empty. So all in all, a good start cause we are not crowded. The kids are excited about being there and Z was asking me over and over and over where the 'cooker' was. Meanwhile the woman to my right, clearly not friendly, kept moving the empty chair in between us, which she felt she was entitled to cause she piled all her crap on it, and was hitting me in the leg over and over again. So I move toward Z and start to crowd him and start to get annoyed. We order and get our soup. E loves soup and starts to tear into her obviously piping-hot bowl and proceeds to spill it over her...typical. Meanwhile, Z is still asking where the 'cooker' is cause he refused to eat any of the soup or salad and wants his kid's chopsticks which the waitress clearly had forgotten along with my sweetener for my tea, the Sprite that Z ordered (she brought him milk) and refills for the Diet Coke. More annoyed. L and I start snapping at each other which makes the couple to my right clearly unhappy. While the kids were annoying us, they were actually fairly well behaved and sat in their seats and were not very loud throughout the whole meal. Because I was worried about bothering the engaged couple to my right who has never even played with a child and can never imagine ever having one (the DINKs) and the elderly grandparents to our left (the DORKs), I started getting self conscience about their behavior. However, that went out the window after I saw how the DINKs and the DORKs acted; "This salad is slimy, send it back", "I want my noodles cooked real well and served to me during not before the meal", "I want different dressing on my salad" and so on...
By this point Z was real excited when the 'cooker' came and it was time for the show. Now, he's terrified of the large fire during the meal and based on the looks I was getting from Mrs-to-be DINK we were hesitant but we asked the 'cooker' to tone down the fire. Well I could have just pissed in her food based on the look she gave us. I realize I brought my kids to a somewhat adult restaurant but they were not bothering them..much..so I thought it would be OK to ask for a 'favor' of the adult patrions. This was the first time someone had a problem with a scared child in all the time we have been going to the Hibachi. More whispering from the DINKs going in and they are clearly unhappy with our ruining their fine Hibachi dining experience. So I kick it into high gear cause at this point I want to see how many more ugly faces she can give us. Baby starts screaming from the noise so I sit her on my lap in view of Mrs DINK. I cuddle Z and make a big stink about how even if there is fire that he shouldn't be scared and I was here for him the whole time. I totally, by accident, dump the entire bowl of the kids rice onto the floor and scream and rant about it and L and I start bickering even more. Both the DINKs and the DORKs are starting to be the ones feeling uncomfortable and whisper to one another while I try to talk cryptically about what is going on to L cause he was clearly missing much of the looks we were getting. The 'cooker' is done with his display and Mrs. DORK is totally unhappy with the way her food was cooked and asked for it to be put back on for a few minutes while Mrs. DINK who hated her salad refused to eat any veggies and only wanted to slurp up the seafood sauce which she lathered onto everything and needed more.
OK, so we are all done and the kids ate fairly well. Of course this is the time of every meal (when we eat out) where Z has to go potty. So L sets off with both Z and E to the potty while I get the check. With the kids gone I wanted so much to ask WTF the DINKs problem was with my kids. They were not noisy, they were not all that fidgety and they ate well. But I refrained. Instead I scooped up the rice I dumped on the floor to show good graces. The DINKs get up to leave first..yay..and we are left with the DORKs who were still complaining that their shrimp was underdone and that this was the WORST experience ever.
I have never been with two couples clearly disturbed by the fact that we brought our kids out to a restaurant and they acted like we did so specifically to ruin their night. My kids have just as much right to be there as they do, as paying customers (kinda), but I know clearly that they felt that we were the worst parents in the world. What a night. I guess we will be laying off the Hibachi for a while.