Sushi by Bou’s Tuna Cutting Is a Disco Dinner Party
Chef Alex and his team turn the ceremonial carving of a bluefin tuna into a celebration for everybody but the fish.
After a brisk elevator ride to the rooftop of the CitizenM Hotel, the doors open directly into Sushi by Bou, a spirited spot, wild with colorful lights and decor, not just for the night but every night.
We find the place filling up with festive souls, a few having bites at the bar, while others grab photos on the patio outside, disco grooving over the sound system. Cocktails and sake flow, as the restaurant’s head chef Alexis Hernandez — Chef Alex — and his team prep for the evening’s performance, a tuna cutting ceremony, and guests gather in hungry anticipation.
“Tonight is gonna be fun,” Hernandez tells me, as the Bee Gees sing “You Should Be Dancin’” in the background. “If you’ve been to a tuna carving experience before, I always try to give my people the best experience ever, like a party, and make sure everyone’s having fun.”
It definitely feels like a party as the room awaits the arrival of the guest of honor: a 220-pound bluefin tuna Hernandez will carve with artful precision into delectable sushi, served fresh on the spot.
The Japanese art and ritual of carving down a whole tuna, known as maguro kaitai, dates back centuries. Hernandez trained his tuna carving skills with Sushi by Bou’s corporate culinary team since coming on as head chef a couple of years ago, though he’s been honing his sushi skills for far longer.
“My first restaurant was when I was 16 years old, at The Hamilton,” says Hernandez, who was born in Chiapas, Mexico, but grew up in the DMV. “It’s an American restaurant, but inside it has a sushi restaurant. That was my first place, where I got training by a Chinese guy.”
Now he wields his knives like a master, and entertains the crowd like a true showman. Yet, he assures me, giving diners a quality meal and experience is his top priority. He works closely with the restaurant’s tuna partner, Bluefiná, to ensure the quality of what they’re serving, or in this case, carving down to pieces.
“When I get the tuna, I also scan the tag on the fish,” he says. “The fish has a tag, you scan it with your phone, and then you can see what was the last time it was in the water. So you know the tuna you’re breaking down.”
He scanned tonight’s tuna upon its arrival. “Our tuna is coming from el Pacifico, from Baja — Ensenada, Mexico,” he tells me, adding that this “big boy” was still in the water just 32 hours ago. “It’s literally a one-day flight from Mexico to get here.”
And it takes less than an hour for Hernandez and his team to carve the tuna down to an all-you-can-eat buffet of sashimi and nigiri, passed around as the party rages on. A rainbow unicorn neon sign glows bright beside a dozen disco balls, as adventurous revelers pose with the gape-mouthed tuna head, and some of the freshest, most succulent sushi I’ve ever had keeps rolling our way.
Sushi by Bou DC is located on the rooftop of the CitizenM Hotel in L’Enfant Plaza, 550 School St. SW. Tuna Cutting Ceremony tickets are $125 per person. For reservations or info on the next Tuna Cutting, visit sushibybou.com.
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