Poke

[DonRocks]

Poke is fast-becoming a trend (or fad, take your pick) in the Washington, DC area - DC has about 4-5 Poke-based restaurants that have either just opened, or are about to open.

New York-based PokéWorks opened in Korean-heavy Annandale, VA (about ten miles southwest of DC) early in 2017, and is also opening in The Heights (as well as in Dallas this Summer).

So, brace yourselves, Houston: Hawaii is coming to you, and don't be surprised to see a few more - mostly using the fast-casual / quick-serve format.

You know what? I still don't know if "Poke" has an <<accent aigu>> over the "e" or not - seemingly 1/3 of the places online have it, and about 2/3 don't. I'm not even sure if it's pronounced "po-kay" or "poke"; I just know that when it's done right - *with fresh fish* (refer to sashimi), it is a monster dish. The problem, of course, being "fresh fish" - which doesn't seem to be much of a problem in Hawaii.

[Josh]

On 4/23/2017 at 8:08 PM, DonRocks said:

So, brace yourselves, Houston: Hawaii is coming to you, and don't be surprised to see a few more - mostly using the fast-casual / quick-serve format.

Oh...it's here in force now.  I had a bowl at one of the "elders" of the scene here (Liberty Kitchen) and found it to be...eh.  Probably my fault for sticking to a very plain mixture of ingredients, but for that setup, I prefer chirashi with really good rice as opposed to the plain-jane steamed variety.

New Players in Houston's Poke Scene by Cuc Lam on houstonpress.com

A Poke Tour of Houston by Beth Levine on houstoniamag.com

Where to Eat Poke in Houston Right Now by Amy McCarthy on houton.eater.com 

[Josh]

My bowl, and the few bites I had of @CeeBee's at Pokeology yesterday were much better than what I've had previously in Houston (or in DC for that matter).

[DonRocks]

Nov 1, 2017 - "Are These the Top Dining Trends of 2017?" by Gwendolyn Knapp on houstonpress.com

From the article:

"Poke, for one, has been the biggest trend Houston has seen this year. When Ono Poke opened in early 2017, there were no other standalone brick and mortar poke operations in Houston. Now there are well over a dozen, including local favorites such as Seaside Poke, Moku Bar, Pokeology, and Laki Fish."