Have you been bitten by the poke bug? We sure have.
It's hard not to. Poke is sushi, poke is salad, poke is healthy and light, but it always fills you up. Poke is a cheap date. And yeah, poke is super popular all over the country right now.
In Hawaii where it's from, "po-kay" tends to focus on the fish part of the salad, with less of the accoutrements. But us mainlanders like to mix up, with peppers, edamame beans, fresh avocado, etc. Just in the past couple months, three new places have popped up that let you customize your poke by choosing individual ingredients. One of them even delivers. (!!!)
There's an ocean of possibilities, so set out to find some of the best. Here's where to catch them ...
Moke Poke, inside Eat-A-Pita at 845 E. University Blvd.
This is a pita sandwich with poke inside. Discuss ...
They do pitas, they do poke? What can't they do! Moke Poke opened up about a month ago inside the Eat-A-Pita joint on University Boulevard. The couple that owns the college joint brought in a local sushi chef to prepare the fish and make all the sauces, which include sliced cucumbers, carrots and seaweed salad. (Later this summer, the shop will close for a bit and re-emerge as Jimmy's Pitas and Poke Bowls.) They make everything fresh, so when they run out, they run out. But these poke bowls were some of the best we had: perfect ratio between rice and ingredients, with a nice gingery sauce cutting through the fatty tuna. Also, they'll put your poke in a pita sandwich?!! And then deliver it to your house ...
Pokelicious rating: 🐟🐟🐟🐟
PokeZone, 54 W. Congress St.
We went all out with this customizable poke bowl. But in the end it was still only $10.75.
Even raw fish can get the Chipotle approach. New to downtown Tucson, PokeZone features a line of customizable ingredients like octopus, crunchy furikake rice seasonings, spicy mayo and more. Two UA College of Pharmacy alums Mobeen Moslem and Kevin Tran came up with the concept, which reminds me of the fast-casual poke joints you might see in SoCal. The bowls here are wide, so each scoop is firmly separated from the surrounding ingredients, allowing you to mix at will. Just don't overdo it with too many things. (It's easy here.) By the way, they also do poke burritos.
Pokelicious rating: 🐟🐟🐟
MiAn Sushi and Modern Asian Cuisine, 88 E. Broadway
The yellowtail poke bowl with seaweed salad, $12, and the daily mushrooms with tofu and quinoa, $10 at MiAn Sushi downtown.
The bigger the restaurant, the smaller the poke bowls. (That's how it works in this universe.) At the grandiose MiAn, where sushi rolls are wrapped in tinfoil and set on fire at the table, you have seven poke options: scallops with spicy crab and smelt roe, baked garlic shrimp, roasted beets and buttery salmon, etc. They're all little. But then again, this is the lunch menu. Maybe get some wontons on the side ....
Pokelicious rating: 🐟🐟
Obon, 350 E. Congress St.
Obon is the OG of downtown poke bowls. They had them before they were "cool." But I'll keep coming back. Their poke bowl is both creative and refined, with perfect proportions of fish to rice and all the crunchy, fun textures on top. Get the rainbow poke with tuna and salmon for the most variety. These bowls have a pop of cilantro, which is uncommon. And watch out for those jalapeños. They be spicy.
Pokelicious rating: 🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟
Fresh Sushi Pho, 7159 E. Broadway
Poke bowls are a little on the spendier side at $13.99 with miso soup.
We were intrigued by the concept of sushi pho, which come together seamlessly in the Pho Roll with barbecue chicken. The poke bowls are a little more traditional, composed mainly of ahi tuna and avocados dressed in a gingery sauce. It was tasty, but we preferred the pork banh mi. (The owners are from Huế, Vietnam and excel in the sandwiches and soups department.) So in the end, not worth an East Side pilgrimage just for poke. If you want Hawaiian — or whatever we're calling it these days — go somewhere young and fresh.
Pokelicious rating: 🐟🐟
