I'm in a hotpot rut: Q restaurant in Boston

I can get in a rut easily. I'm just rolling along minding my own business, and all of a sudden I notice I'm having pasta every night for a week, or chicken for days on end, or (shamefully) beef beef and more beef. I've been in a bit of a hotpot rut lately but when my friend suggested Q restaurant, the temperature was in the low 20s and it just felt like the thing to do. He was right .. it was a great idea for a freezing night in Boston. Q restaurant is the downtown and more upscale version of Lil Q Hotpot in Arlington. I love Chinese hotpot, much more than shabu shabu (Japanese style) mostly due to the strength of the broth. At Q you can order two broths, and last night it was Ma La and black bone chicken broths. Notice all the sticks and twigs and nuts and berries in both broths. It really is a thing of beauty.


You also get a basket of veggies, your meat of choice and any other add-ins you like. We got a mushroom platter, chinese broccoli, white winter squash, udon and lamb, in addition to the beef short rib that was the foundation of the platter. It's a fun and interactive meal, as you are constantly dipping, slurping, dunking and fishing food out of the broth. And as the broth cooks down, it gets more intense .. the Ma La will make a grown man cry. I've seen it. Twice.

I will admit I'm a sucker for presentation. At Q everything comes beautifully arranged, like this lamb here:


Q is very similar in flavor to Lil Q but it has a wacky "upscale" atmosphere (see the bubble wall in the first picture), with a surprisingly welcoming and cozy bar, an extensive cocktail list, and sushi as well as the hotpots. I may like the Arlington outpost more for it's complete lack of flash and polish, but this is a nice option for downtown, where the theater district meets Chinatown. There are worse ruts to find yourself in.

Q Restaurant
660 Washington Street
Boston
theQusa.com