Sushi by Bou dives into Hotel Lincoln

Chicago continues to cultivate a vibrant sushi scene as it grows and evolves in 2022. This Japanese dish has fascinated locals for some time and many have quickly learned who has the best to offer.

On the second floor of Hotel Lincoln, 1816 N. Clark Street, Sushi by Bou is opening on January 21. This follows the style of the sister restaurant Sushi Boutique that was reviewed in a previous column at the nearby Claridge House Hotel in the Gold Coast area of Chicago.

One key ingredient is the sushi rice and Sushi by Bou has just the right temperature for diners. Combining a variety of ingredients to the rice brings out the flavor as the sushi artist craftily mashes it all together right in front of guests seated at the bar. This is called an omakase experience and takes spectators on a timed journey with a range of sushi bites.

Starting with the yellowtail Hamachi and ending with the Unagi barbeque eel, people try 12 different offerings with the experience. Standouts included the Botan Ebi spotted prawn and the Hotate scallop. The variety of textures was well executed and planned by the chef who recently transplanted from New York to Chicago to create a strong menu.

Community is part of the fish festivities at a time where everyone is cautious of their surroundings and the people around them. It is not spaced apart at the bar and creative ways to do this should be considered in the future. Vaccine cards and identification was checked, but January is peak time for the current strain of COVID, so keep this in mind when making a reservation.

There are more spacious places to sit in the restaurant and the place has a very hip vibe to it. A fulling stocked bar is on the north side of the room and the cocktails were dealt with a heavy pour. The Whiskey Library is the setting where one can take in all the top-shelf offerings that this venue has.

One cocktail titled A Little Bit More combines vodka, iichiko barley and umami bitters. Umani bitters are a mix of Japanese ingredients with kelp and shitake mushrooms. For your first visit why not try the First Time drink with tequila Blanco and grapefruit juice. It has just the right flavor to encourage a second sip and a third!

Mochi ice cream is coming to satisfy the dessert craving and after-dinner drinks will hopefully be included in the future to give guests staying at the hotel a complete trip.

This was all just a sample of things yet to come for Sushi by Bou and judging from this preview things are off to a good start.

Visit SushibyBou.com or Open Table to plan a 30 or 60 minute trip to enjoy unforgettable Japanese cuisine in the future.