After hearing rave reviews about Chamorro-fusion restaurant, Meskla, Sam convinced Shane and I to try out the place. Like always, the toughest obstacle we would need to overcome was determining the one night in our busy schedules when we could collectively find time to meet.

We were thinking of a Saturday night, but I just remembered I had a scheduled appointment to remove two of my wisdom teeth on Friday of that same week. I didn’t think I could enjoy the food and company as I usually do with vicodin-induced drowsiness, so I begged and pleaded with Shane and Sam to instead meet up on Thursday night. So we did.

As I drove to the restaurant, I couldn’t help but feel like I would be partaking in my own Last Supper — or my last meal before being executed. It was a strange feeling, but to this day, I believe it gave me an appetite for dinner. I also enjoyed Shane and Sam’s company even more so than ever, as if it were the last night I’d ever see them again. You see, dentists and I? Not a good mix — the combination spells out doom and gloom for me, especially since I was going under for the procedure.

In any case, for me, when I think of Chamorro food, I envision an endless helping of chalakilis, which, like the Mexican beer Bohemia, I can “pound” all day. I vowed to not order chalakilis if it were on the menu, only so I could try other dishes that I probably would not find anywhere else.

We were seated in a remote area of the restaurant, which had its pros and cons. My back was directly facing the window, which made me feel a bit uncomfortable. I didn’t want to change seats with either Shane or Sam, because the superstition about changing seats at dinner denoting an endless quest to find a spouse bugged me more than my back facing the window.

Either way, we all began to salivate a little reading the food descriptions on Papyrus-font scripted menu. Although we had to ask our server what certain Chamorro-named items were, I started visualizing a super-upgraded fiesta, only this time our tinala katne would not be buffet style.

To start, we decided to order the Chamoru Chesa Platter, which featured kelaguen (yum!), tinala katne and hinetnon tapon. Shane chose to be health-conscious by ordering the night’s special seafood salad and Sam ordered Salmon Wellington (Guihan Engles), which to our dismay, was unavailable that night. After a quick 30 seconds of looking over the menu again, not wanting another seafood dish, Sam opted for the Tuba-Marinated Lamb Chops. For me, it was the Fresh Laggua, or parrot fish, that caught my eye. We also ordered extra flour titiyas, which were prepared with fresh herbs.

It was tough to really share the Chamoru Chesa Platter, since we all found each item equally appealing to our palates. The tinala katne, although dried beef, was not as tough as Shane expected. In fact, it had that dried flavor, but was tender. We were all taimamahlao — none of us were ashamed to take the last piece. In fact, we all fought for it and ended up letting Shane have it before any violence escalated. The kelaguen, of course, went out fast. Dipping titiyas in the hinetnon tapon, or clam bake, was a surprise hit for all of us too. The appetizer could have easily been an entrée for either one of us.

Shane’s salad was refreshingly light, with a citrus-based dressing. Shane and Sam conversed animatedly about what flavors they tasted in the dressing. Sam thought there might have been hints of guava, while Shane insisted the dressing had some type of mango flavor. To our surprise, our server informed us that the citrus fruit flavor we tasted came from orange juice.

With all these rich flavors, Shane was a bit frightened that the lamb chops would have a strong tuba flavor. Again, to our pleasant surprise, the tuba flavor was relatively subtle, yet strong enough for us to have an impact. Shane didn’t like the gamey taste of the lamb chops and openly expressed her dislike. We assured Shane that lamb normally tasted like what we had been served.

The parrot fish dish came last. The fish, fried into a U-shape which housed vegetables cooked in coconut milk, made for an interesting presentation. Although I am accustomed to eating with utensils at fancy restaurants, I figured the best way to eat this whole fried fish was to, of course, use my hands — no shame. We all enjoyed the vegetables and the natural flavor of the parrot fish. The order came with lemmai wedges, which were a good complement to the fish dish.

Not to be outdone by the great appetizer and entrees would be our dessert choice — Manha Crepes. Manha by itself is a great snack — but to add ice cream? The whole time we enjoyed the dessert, I couldn’t believe that I didn’t think of that before. We chose to have strawberry and vanilla ice cream with our manha and didn’t regret a single thing.

We all agreed that Meskla isn’t one of those “one-time is enough” type of eateries. In fact, the next time I go, I’ll be eying the Grilled Ribeye Steak, which, according to the menu is served with a red wine-pugua (betelnut) reduction — medium rare, please.