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According to this article in Washington City Paper, four poke restaurants have either just opened or will open shortly in D.C. Poké Papa and Abunai Poke opened this month. Poki District and Honeyfish Poke are opening soon. I enjoyed the Poke at Hula Girl Bar and Grill in Shirlington and was wondering if anyone had tried the two new poke restaurants or had recommendations for places to get poke in/around DC or NoVA?

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1 hour ago, Rising Suns said:

According to this article in Washington City Paper, four poke restaurants have either just opened or will open shortly in D.C. Poké Papa and Abunai Poke opened this month. Poki District and Honeyfish Poke are opening soon. I enjoyed the Poke at Hula Girl Bar and Grill in Shirlington and was wondering if anyone had tried the two new poke restaurants or had recommendations for places to get poke in/around DC or NoVA?

Thanks for posting. Have had tuna poke from Hula Girl's old truck, Aloha Grill in Arbutus, a place in Boothbay Harbor ME, and a couple of other chains like Bar Louie. I've been working on upping my protein game so this is a welcome trend for me (have switched from sushi to sashimi in the past year for this reason). Poki District is an easy walk from my office so I'll be trying it after it opens.

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Central has Ahi Tuna Poke for lunch ($18).

I have two questions about Poke:

1) What is its appeal vis-a-vis, say, sashimi, carpaccio, crudo, stroganina, ceviche and other raw-fish preparations?

2) Is it correct to say "Do you have poke on the menu?" or "Do you have a poke on the menu?" It sounds like such a simple question, but I thought about it for a moment, and realized that I don't know the answer, so I thought I'd ask.

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The article mentions it as well, but isn't Poke really just supposed to be fish (with some flavors), which could be on a bed of rice?  Most of those dishes look like basically a rice bowel with tons of toppings and maybe some poke added.  I wonder if its finances or local tastes that make them add all that other random "stuff" for toppings. 

At least Hula Girl's website http://hulagirlbarandgrill.com/ shows a picture of poke (fish with a light sauce plus some spices) with some chips to the side - that's more of what I'd expect when ordering poke.

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14 hours ago, DonRocks said:

1) What is its appeal vis-a-vis, say, sashimi, carpaccio, crudo, stroganina, ceviche and other raw-fish preparations?

2) Is it correct to say "Do you have poke on the menu?" or "Do you have a poke on the menu?" It sounds like such a simple question, but I thought about it for a moment, and realized that I don't know the answer, so I thought I'd ask.

As far as I can tell, it's flavored differently.  Poke is generally marinated in soy sauce.  Sashimi is not tossed with soy sauce, and none of the other forms of raw fish ever see soy sauce.  When I was in Hawaii, they seem to poke everything....I've tried a few and never really developed any affinity for poke.

 

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A good poke requires as much skill as a good Bloody Mary.  Which is to say, significant.

And a good poke doesn't need to have any rice at all...shouldn't, even.  Just good cuts of fish and some artful combination of, e.g., soy, sesame oil, green onion, white onion, sesame seeds, chile pepper, seaweed, and masago.  Mmmmmm.

Asking its appeal vis-a-vis ceviche and sashimi is like asking the appeal of hamburgers vis-a-vis steak, brisket, and beef ribs.  They're their own distinct things.

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It seems like good poke is hard to find outside of Hawaii and the many times I've tried it in the DC area has been something that just doesn't come together. That said look forward to hitting some of the new spots. 

 

 

 

 

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Was in Orange County last month for 4 days...became obsessed with Poke.  There are a bunch of quick service- Chipotle style service POKE places.  Poke-Ria was my favorite, I think I had Poke 5 or 6 times on that trip.  

All places were pretty similar in service style- start of with rice (white/brown) or salad- then choose some base veggies and how many scoops of fish (determines price), along with a sauce.  This gets tossed in another bowl and placed onto of the base rice/salad.  Then you can add toppings, including avocado, red sushi eggs, fake crab salad (much better than it sounds), seaweed salad, etc.  You can have all, without any extra charge.  Then some crunchy toppings- like fried onions, crispy seaweed, etc.

It was like eating a bowl of springtime weather.  So fresh. 

I tried the place in Annandale--- doesn't even compare to the taste/quality/variety of the California chains.  Looking forward to trying the ones above.

 

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If I remember when I'm at my computer, I'll need to post a picture of the poke I had a few years ago at Poke-Poke in Venice Beach.  Sublimely simple and absolutely amazing; it blows that $14 saucy gloppy ricefest from Abunai I had yesterday out of the water.

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Daikaya Izakaya serves poke. They change the preparation from time to time and are currently serving it with diced yamaimo, basil pesto, and rice pearls. 

Compass Rose also has poke on the menu. 

One of the best poke I have had was at the Hillcrest Farmers Market from San Diego Poke Company. Didn't hurt that a nearby stall was selling fresh uni -- as in they opened the shell and cleaned it in front of you -- which @MichaelBDC and I ended up splurging for and putting on top of the poke. That was an amazing bowl of poke. 

IMG_0461.jpg.d3801d27e28b195cd497b7b36782fdb2.jpgIMG_0465.jpg

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I enjoy the Daikaya poke, but I think I like the poke at Poke Papa a bit more, and its cheaper too.  Had several of the Poke Papa varities (regular ahi, ahi poke, spicy Korean mix, and lomi salmon) and have enjoyed them all.

For you purists out there, both places serve their poke over rice.

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On 4/19/2017 at 4:47 PM, pras said:

Costco (at least the on in Gaithersburg) is selling it by the pound.

So glad that you posted this!  We went last week and got the spicy and wasabi kinds, both quite enjoyable considering the quality of fish that one can reasonably expect for a suburban Costco (and with the right amount of kick).  $17/pound seems to be the going rate most places and probably not much more expensive than buying sashimi-grade ahi elsewhere and making it yourself.  Adding the rice ourselves at home was easy enough.  The fish is obviously not as fresh as what we had at Ono Seafood in Honolulu but it will do and we'll definitely be buying some more on the regular.

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20 minutes ago, silentbob said:

So glad that you posted this!  We went last week and got the spicy and wasabi kinds, both quite enjoyable considering the quality of fish that one can reasonably expect for a suburban Costco (and with the right amount of kick).  $17/pound seems to be the going rate most places and probably not much more expensive than buying sashimi-grade ahi elsewhere and making it yourself.  Adding the rice ourselves at home was easy enough.  The fish is obviously not as fresh as what we had at Ono Seafood in Honolulu but it will do and we'll definitely be buying some more on the regular.

Wow, this sounds great. Eating a bowl of nicely seasoned raw tuna to me is basically heaven.Big Costco user so I will look for this at Chantilly.

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My friend, who was born, raised and now lives on the island of Hawaii pronounces it po-kay. So that's what I have always called it. There is a fresh fish shop in the Ferry Building in San Francisco that carries "poke mix" from Hawaii with recipes printed on the back. There is no accent over the "e" on their packaging. It includes Hawaiian salt, ogo (seaweed) and chili pepper. They recommend adding sliced green onion as well. I usually buy a few of these packets and keep them on hand, and when I get the chance to buy some nice, fresh fish, I am poke ready.

I just heard an ad on the radio for a restaurant in Bethesda, MD (for Silver) mentioning Ahi Tuna Poke, and the announcer pronounced it Pokey (like Gumby and Pokey) - that doesn't seem right to me.

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We were in the Hawaiian islands about a year ago and probably had poke a dozen times including for breakfast.  Pronounced po-Kay as the posted article states, never with rice and always tuna.  Another faux pas that the posted article did not mention is referring to the "mainland" as the "states" as Hawaii is certainly a state as well (although there is a local effort to secede from the US).  Locally, I sometimes meet friends for happy hour at Quench in Rockville which has poke on the menu ($9 no rice) although I thought that their preparation was better about a year or so ago.

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10 hours ago, pjnewman said:

We were in the Hawaiian islands about a year ago and probably had poke a dozen times including for breakfast.  Pronounced po-Kay as the posted article states, never with rice and always tuna.

When my children were very small, we went to Hawaii every winter and ate a lot of poke. Ahi was the most popular, but we also consumed a lot of tako. Both of my kids preferred tako. I was always the one who wanted to buy some tuna.

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Don't forget also, that this is essentially eating a mound of Ahi Tuna, which is listed as "Near Threatened" as a species. 

I remember having Poke in Hawaii and loving it, but it was so long ago that I just don't remember it vividly.

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4 hours ago, Gadarene said:

Fad or not, it's really really tasty when done well, so there's no reason why it shouldn't be part of the D.C. food scene firmament.

no doubt. this is the best fad to come about recently. better than small plates.... 

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On 5/11/2017 at 0:04 PM, DonRocks said:

Don't forget also, that this is essentially eating a mound of Ahi Tuna, which is listed as "Near Threatened" as a species. 

I remember having Poke in Hawaii and loving it, but it was so long ago that I just don't remember it vividly.

Ahi tuna is not the name of the species. Ahi is a Hawaiian nickname for yellowfin, sort of like Chilean sea bass not being the species name. Before the marketing department came up with Chilean sea bass, it was known by it's real name, Patagonian toothfish. It only became threatened as a species when it got a "cute" name.

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By the way, it is really easy to make. You need really high quality tuna, which you can normally find at Union Market. There are literally thousands of recipes on the internet. If you serve it over rice, be certain that the rice has cooled completely, or it will begin cooking the tuna. I like a little really finely diced jalapeño in mine.

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2 hours ago, Finatic said:

Ahi tuna is not the name of the species. Ahi is a Hawaiian nickname for yellowfin, sort of like Chilean sea bass not being the species name. Before the marketing department came up with Chilean sea bass, it was known by it's real name, Patagonian toothfish. It only became threatened as a species when it got a "cute" name.

Neither is yellowfin. :P

The species is T. albacares, FWIW.

And actually, if you note the top-right of the yellowfin Wikipedia page, "Near Threatened" is the second-*best* rating a fish can have.

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On 4/18/2017 at 9:07 AM, Rising Suns said:

According to this article in Washington City Paper, four poke restaurants have either just opened or will open shortly in D.C. Poké Papa and Abunai Poke opened this month. Poki District and Honeyfish Poke are opening soon. I enjoyed the Poke at Hula Girl Bar and Grill in Shirlington and was wondering if anyone had tried the two new poke restaurants or had recommendations for places to get poke in/around DC or NoVA?

On 4/18/2017 at 10:14 AM, Bob Wells said:

Thanks for posting. Have had tuna poke from Hula Girl's old truck, Aloha Grill in Arbutus, a place in Boothbay Harbor ME, and a couple of other chains like Bar Louie. I've been working on upping my protein game so this is a welcome trend for me (have switched from sushi to sashimi in the past year for this reason). Poki District is an easy walk from my office so I'll be trying it after it opens.

On 4/18/2017 at 8:22 PM, Escoffier said:

There's now a poke restaurant place where Z-pizza(?) used to be near 8th and H St. NW. Haven't tried it so I don't know how good (or bad) it might be. 

Just figured out (following one of the above links) that's Poki District.

Just tried Poki District at 906 F. Thought it was a very nice, healthy, light lunch. I got ahi tuna and yellowtail over a base of zucchini noodles. Next time I'd go the extra $2 for another scoop of fish.

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21 hours ago, gnatharobed said:

The poke at the Gaithersburg Costco is the most similar I've found in this area to Hawaiian poke. They actually list kukui nut as an ingredient!

Has anyone see poke at the close in VA Costco's?  We check when we go to Pentagon City and others but have not seen it.

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3 hours ago, iolaire said:

Has anyone see poke at the close in VA Costco's?  We check when we go to Pentagon City and others but have not seen it.

I think I have seen it at Pentagon City, but is is typically only available on the weekends.

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5 minutes ago, iolaire said:

Thanks is it part of the seafood road show? Where in the store is it?

Not sure about Pentagon City, but in Gaithersburg, it is with the in-house prepared foods.

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On ‎4‎/‎18‎/‎2017 at 9:07 AM, Rising Suns said:

Honeyfish Poke are opening soon.

Just saw the sign in the window this is coming into 1401 K ST NW, into a former Subway sandwich shop.  Its very close to my work at 14th and L so very happy.  They are doing build out right now and don't have paper up on the windows so it feels like they are trying to get it open quickly.

Lots more details here, its from the Pinkberry founder:

https://www.washingtonian.com/2017/05/09/california-poke-restaurant-honeyfish-opening-soon-in-downtown-dc-and-rockville/

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The industry put their whole self in, but I've put my whole self out. New entrants are going all in, too, but let's see how that shakes out. I think poke's pretty hokey, yet it turns people all around.  It's a poor man's chirashi:  that's what it all about. 

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