Sushi Adventures at Sushi Teq

April 15, 2009 12:19 pm

I don't know about you, but I love sushi. There is something wonderful about the crack of fresh ginger on your palate while your taste buds experience fresh raw fish, seaweed, rice, wasabi and any other enjoyable thing you are able to include. My favorite sushi restaurant in the world is Nobu. First hooked at the Metropolitan Hotel's Nobu in London, I have enjoyed them all over the world. Alas, we are without a Nobu in Boston thus far, but I have still been able to satisfy my cravings for excellent sushi.

My usual sushi stomping ground is Zen Sushi in Beacon Hill. They have very fresh fish in great combinations but suffer from a wanting atmosphere of old carpets and mediocre service. The food, including their salmon torch, keeps me coming back nonetheless. Another favorite in Boston is Ginza in Chinatown. They have an incredible sake collection and provide a more formal and authentic Japanese dining experience. This week, however, I was in the mood to try something new.

My craving for fresh sushi brought me to downtown Boston's relatively new Sushi Teq at the Intercontinental Hotel. Wanting a little something fancy last night, my husband and I decided to give it a try. Sushi Teq is in a small funky space, with a wall of light that changes color, high chairs and tables, and what was seemingly the full range of tequila options that an agave plant can produce! Hence the "Teq" in the name.

They take the Teq seriously at Sushi Teq, which I was not expecting. On an empty stomach from work I was not craving high-end tequila. I was seriously craving food ASAP! As soon as the menu came I asked for an order of edamame. The waitress suggested that we also try the special of the day, a yellowtail ceviche. A beautifully presented plate of yellowtail arrived at our table moments later. I wouldn't call it ceviche because there was no lime or lemon cooking the fish meat, but nonetheless, it was delicious. The fish pieces were rolled and had a dollup of spicy sauce on top. The fish was sitting in a thin layer of smoky soy sauce as well. Despite being environmentally unfriendly (see below) it was to die for.

Now I was ready to focus on the extensive drinks list. Tequila options abound and the mixed cocktails were much more than I expected by way of creativity and originality. I went with the raspberry caipirinha, which arrived with giant bright raspberries on top. It must have been the hip Latin music playing that got me in the mood. Next time I want to try the jalapeño margarita.

Before I get into all the fun food we ordered, two quick things to go over. First, for those of you who need a refresher here is a little crash course on ordering sushi:

Nigiri Sushi—hand pressed sushi rice with fish on top
Maki Sushi—rolls of seaweed (nori), sushi rice and fish or vegtables, cut into small cylindrical pieces
Urimaki—this is the same as maki sushi expect that the rice is on the outside
Temaki—the large cone-shaped hand-rolls with all sorts of fillings coming out the top
Sashimi—raw fish served with soy sauce and wasabi

Second, I cannot help but mention that there is growing environmental concern about overfishing. I won't preach, but if you want to know what is best to order by way of sustainability and what to try to avoid threatened fish (such as yellowtail tuna) then you can review the Environmental Defense Fund's "Eco-Best," "Eco-OK" and "Eco-Worst" fish shopping scale.

Okay, so enough background info, onto the main course. As I have noted before, I am a creature of habit. I know what I like. Sometimes I am adventurous, but at Sushi Teq I wanted to see if they could make my favorites just right. They did. I went with a caterpillar, which includes avocados on top, sushi rice, nori, cucumber and unagi (eel). The presentation was very well done. It really did look like a caterpillar. The fresh fluffy rice, sesame seeds and soy sauce made this my favorite piece of the night. We also enjoyed a Philadelphia roll (cream cheese, cucumber and salmon), and a spicy salmon roll. All of our dishes were first-rate. I will definitely be going back again soon.

I don't think you'll need a reservation, but bring your wallets. Those tequila drinks make this a more expensive sushi outing than normal. Great service, great atmosphere and great food!

Nancy Gleason

Sushi Teq
InterConntinental Hotel, Boston
510 Atlantic Avenue
Boston, MA 02210
(617) 747-1000

Zen Sushi
21 Beacon Street, #A
Boston, MA 02108
(617) 371-1230

Ginza
16 Hudson Street
Boston, MA 02111
(617) 338-2261