Good from A to Z: Q Restaurant Preview Party in Boston

By: Finance Foodie

Last night, I had the pleasure of attending Q Restaurant's preview party in downtown Chinatown Boston. Formerly the "Little Q Hot Pot", this popular sushi and hot pot spot dropped the "little" and upgraded relocated from its old digs in Qunicy to the 1st floor of the swanky Archstone apartment complex (you're in the big leagues now baby). I've been walking past this mysterious new resto everyday for the past month on my way work, so I was super excited to finally check this place out.

After I passed through the electric blue LED "waterfall" entrance, I sat down at one of the bar tables and ordered a Mai Tai. Perhaps my previous Mai Tai indulgences were made by cheapo bartenders who slagged on the rum to juice ratio, because I thought the Q's mixture was waaay aggressively strong. Fearing a nasty hangover (and remembering my project presentation to my boss in the following morning), I used my better judgement and stopped after a few sips.

Luckily, the food was a plenty and made up for my lack of drinking! I started with an eel caterpillar roll, which actually looked like the furry critter it was named after.

Tuna Tartar. Yum!

Tunas, shrimps, and whitefish -oh my!

To be frank, the sushi offerings were pretty good but very standard. The real reason to go to Q, however, is for the hot pots (aka Chinese fondue). For those who are not familiar with hot pots, basically a boiling pot of seasoned stew is placed at the center of table and raw ingredients (such as spinach, mushrooms, beef strips, and bok choy) are added and cooked in real time on the table.

My family and I used to go to hot pot spots all the time in Houston during the wintertime (even though the temperature in Houston is laughably warm compared to Boston), so I totally grew up on this style of eating my meats and veggies. Healthy, filling -- and a fun way to play "chef" -- the hot pots at Q are THE (affordable) way to go for warming up those chilly winter nights. Looks like I know where I'll be camping out till next Spring!

Q Restaurant
660 Washington St
Boston, MA 02111
(617) 773-5888