Teak

Being the sushi enthusiast that I am, it was only natural to check out the more "upscale" sushi offerings in Hoboken.  Chelsea and I decided to check out Teak on a Monday night to take advantage of their weekly sushi deals.  We went in under the guise that this would be a bargain of a meal, with all prices 1/2 off, but it just wasn't so...

 

The restaurant is really trendy, with a packed bar, indoor/outdoor seating and modern lighting and decor.  The music was  bit loud, but in general the ambiance was nice was upbeat and lively for some Monday night fun.  This place is ideal for meting up with friends, or maybe a date with a looker that you aren't too interested in talking to...

 

We both started out with miso soup, which was quite a large portion (when comparing to the typical black-bowl most places serve) and delicious!  The soup has mushrooms and is some of the best I've ever had.  Following the soup, we had the tuna tar tar, a green ginger salad and some sashimi.  All of these items were good, but nothing that I would over-zealously rave about.  After these sushi bar appetizers, we had a few of the more innovative and exotic rolls which were delicious, but again, nothing that we haven't experienced before.

 

When the check came, Chelsea and I welcomed the biggest surprise of the night.  The check.  Despite the Monday night 1/2-off special, the check came to around $100 (granted there were a few glasses of wine in there...).  So overall, I would say Teak has solid sushi, but for the price you pay, taking a trip to Tokyo (or a walk down to it's sub-sect Robongi) might be more worth your while.  

Robongi

So I have been to a few sushi places in town and I think that so far Robongi is by far the best. Let me start by saying that I love sushi, and I eat it about three to four times on a given week. At Robongi (not sure exactly on the renunciation, but I was assuming the name was a play off Tokyo's young Ropongi district) the fish is fresh, the outdoor seating is lovely and the BYOB policy is fantastic. It was a cool summer evening, so we decided to sit outside, and it really made our dining experience very pleasant. We got there around 6:30 and there were plenty of tables, but by 7:00 everything was taken. The atmosphere is very nice for friends or just a casual date (though I wouldn't recommend this for a first date really) and the service is excellent; very attentive.

I started out with a green salad which was shamefully on the wanting side of basic, but was happily surprised when the fish came out. I ordered the night's specialty roll which included shrimp, lobster, tuna and salmon. This was absolutely delicious--though would constitute a meal on its own. I get lots of ridicule from my friends on this one, but I happen to love tamago (also called 'egg' some places) when dipped in some eel sauce. Actually I douse all of my sushi in eel sauce (and have successfully converted most of my friends to this practice). At Robongi the tamago has such a nice smooth texture and isn't too "eggy" and the eel sauce is nice and thick with a sweet, rich flavor. If you haven't tried either of these items, I highly suggest that you do.

My sister got the chicken teriyaki bento box--but be warned--this could easily provide enough food for a small country in Africa (no, but really, it could feed 2 -3 people with ease). This came with miso soup, a green salad, a tuna roll (which she got wrapped in cucumber instead of rice), 4-6 pieces of sushi, white rice, shrimp shumai AND chicken teriyaki. A lot of food, right? I told you. I can happily report that all of the side items were delicious, the chicken was very tender and the teriyaki sauce was in perfect balance.

For all of the diet conscious people out there reading my blog (ha, Chel) I can happily report that Robongi is able to wrap any sushi rolls in brown rice or cucumber. I personally am a huge fan of wrapping rolls in cucumber because it gives the roll a nice crunch.

So all in all, Robongi is a neighborhood winner. Bring your best friend and a chilled bottle of white wine (or have your friend bring the wine and really luck out) and enjoy a nice evening dining al fresco.