Poké Green

I am a suburban mom of adult daughters.   I will be the first to tell you I'm not "cutting edge".  Not even close.

So when my daughter-who-lives-in-Manhattan told me she likes poké, my first thought was this:





Then she explained what it really was  -- diced raw fish served as either an appetizer or as a main course, one of the main dishes of Native Hawaiian cuisine -- and I was intrigued.

So I had lunch at Poké Green.

It's a counter service restaurant.  No seating, but there is counterspace where you may stand while eating if you choose.  The menu offers two options -- house poké (pre-selected combinations), or "build your own" from an array of interesting ingredients.

Not being familiar with many of the ingredients, I chose one of the house dishes:  poké special.   The dish included seared albacore, cucumber, sweet onion, hijiki seaweed, avocado, Hawaiian shoyu (a sweet soy sauce), and roasted sesame oil. 

To be honest, I liked all the flavors in the bowl.  Except the tuna.  The "star" of the dish, and I wasn't enjoying.  The fault wasn't with the fish, it was me -- I am used to the small portions of tuna you find in sushi, and the amount of tuna in my bowl seemed a bit overwhelming.

My second trip to the restaurant, a couple of weeks later, was more succcessful.  This time I ordered chicken poké -- free-range chicken breast, sweet onion, edamame, cilantro, poké juice (a slightly spicy sauce that features sriracha), and garlic crispy. Very enjoyable.

Next time I think I'll try building my own.