Galaxy Hot Pot and Sushi

***** Tonight, along with friends Danny and Marla, Jane and I visited with a new restaurant in the area. The Galaxy Hot Pot and Sushi restaurant is located in Deerfield ( but very near to Riverwoods and Buffalo Grove). There are many people unfamiliar with the term “Hot Pot” so to make it more understandable here is the definition:

Hot pot is a flavorful broth traditionally served inside a large metal pot. The broth is brought to a boil and left simmering for the duration of the meal. Raw ingredients, such as meat and vegetables, are placed into the simmering broth and thus cooked. The cooked pieces are dipped into dipping sauces for additional flavor. Hot pot is considered a main course and is usually served without rice or noodles on the side. Hot pots can be prepared and eaten at home or in a restaurant.

Typical hot pot ingredients include thinly sliced meat, leaf vegetables, mushrooms, vermicelli, sliced potatoes, bean products, egg dumplings, tofu, and seafood. Raw ingredients are pre-sliced into thin sections that will cook quickly and consistently in the simmering broth, which is kept at a gentle boiling temperature. Most raw foods can be cooked in a hot pot, although they may have different cooking times, and must be immersed in the soup and then removed accordingly.

At the conclusion of the meal, the broth would have acquired many flavors from the added ingredients and may be served to the diners after turning off the heat source. In many instances, this is like having your soup after the dinner.

This new restaurant is pretty amazing. Our host, Jason, explained the system to us. There are six different broths and since we were going to do a story, we opted for 4 of the 6 available. The table has burners on it allowing for 4  unique pots to be going at the same time.

We selected our menu items:

Lobster Bal  ,prime Brisket

Sweet Potato , Mushroom

Tomato, bean sprouts

Pho Noodle , Fish Meatball

Pork Dumpling , Mushroom

All of these items were gently placed into the different broths and as our “Cheat Sheet” indicated, allowed to simmer for just the right amount of time, then taken from the pot, placed on our plates and then devoured. The flavors were divine. FYI: Once we had placed our orders, we went into the adjacent room where we selected spices and sauces that would compliment what we were cooking at our table.

Meanwhile, since the restaurant name includes the words, SUSHI, we decided to order a few rolls along with an order of Edamame ( which was sheer perfection). The three rolls ordered were:

Chicago: salmon, eel, and cucumber

Godzilla: deep fried whitefish, crab, cucumber, cream cheese and last , but not least- Rainbow :salmon, tuna, whitefish, snapper, crab, and avocado

The rolls were as good as any in the surrounding area and believe me, we have tried them all.

This was not just a dinner. It was a dining experience. Dan, who has done a hot pot before, said that this was by far, the absolute best one he has ever had and the fact that the house was filled on a Wednesday night goes to show that this is an experience that brings people back. The staff is there to help navigate you through the entire experience.

All of the utensils needed were supplied ( and explained) making it simple to navigate thru the entire experience. FYI- this is an All you can eat experience, but there is also a time limit. Two hours should be ample time to enjoy the full experience and on the “all you can eat” part, you should only order what you plan to eat as there are no leftovers as part of the experience.

I can guarantee you will get enough to eat. Beverages are available and while soft drinks were what everyone else had, I did get  a Good Day Lychee beverage ( of which we all did a shot). This was a fruity beverage that has a bit of alcohol, and is quite tasty. They have some neat wines as well.

Galaxy Hot Pot and Sushi is located at 2055 N. Milwaukee Avenue ( at Deerfield Rd) and while they have plenty of parking, it is a difficult lot to navigate into and out. The location is the Northeast corner of Deerfield Rd and Milwaukee Avenue.

The food is unique and the experience is special. To make a reservation visit www.galaxyhotpot.com or call 847-947-2369