WASHINGTON ā says it’s “so hot right now,” calls it the “next big food trend” and the refers to it as the ācrazeā that “has taken the country by storm.” But to Mikala Brennan, itās just poke. Ģż
āWeāve been serving poke from the [Hula Girl] food truck and now the restaurant for five or six years, so to have it now just in the past year become this trendy item, itās kind of funny to me,ā said Brennan, chef and owner of in Shirlington, Virginia. Ģż
āWe already knew it was a great dish.ā
And while poke is old news to Oahu native Brennan, the traditional Hawaiian dish is new to a lot of East Coasters ā but thatās about to change. Poke outposts are popping up in cities such as Philadelphia, New York and Chicago ā and D.C. is next. Ģż
In its simplest version, pokeĢżis cubes of raw fish (ahi tuna is the most popular), dressed with shoyu (Hawaiian soy sauce), sesame oil, ginger, onion, chili peppers and seaweed.
However, Brennan says there are endless interpretations and variations. Some pokes are made with octopus or shrimp, some are mixed with avocado or mango, and some are served on top of rice or salad.
āYou have purist people and then you have people that are OK with taking some chances and messing with whatās good,ā Brennan said. āItās interesting to see the āchef-ing upā of poke.ā
In Hawaii, pokeĢżis everywhere ā from beach coolers to fine-dining establishments, and even grocery store counters.
āInstead of having just a deli case, you have a deli case and then next to it, youāll have a pokeĢżcase. And youāll find 10 to 12 different varieties of pokeĢżā tuna with green onion, tuna with regular onion, tuna spicy,ā Brennan said.
āItās very accessible. Itās something that you donāt think twice about grabbing a pound and bringing it home.ā
In D.C., itās not as ubiquitous, but it is getting easier to find. At Brennanās restaurant, she makes three different types of poke, including salmon poke, grilled octopus poke and ahi tuna poke.
Maki Shop and District Fishwife , and later this year, Washingtonians will be able to get their fresh-fish fix at Northern Virginiaās new fast-casual pokeĢżspot Leiād.
Husband and wife team Lisa Nguyen and Au Dang, co-founders of the restaurant group Happy Endings Hospitality, are the force behind the new concept. They decided to focus exclusively on pokeĢżafter falling in love with the dish on a Hawaiian vacation and then going through withdraw upon their return to Washington.
āThe DMV area is very diverse and there are a lot of different cuisines, but we couldnāt find pokeĢżanywhere,ā Nguyen said.
She hopes Leiād will fill the void.
The restaurant will be set up similar to Chipotleās service model. Diners will pick a base (rice or salad), choose from five different proteins (salmon, tuna, shrimp, duck and tofu) and finish off their pokeĢżbowls with sauces and toppings.
Similar concepts have experienced success in and , and more food entrepreneurs are . Ģż
āItās fast, itās fresh, itās healthy, itās customizable,ā said Dang, who hopes to open Leiād by December 2016.ĢżāItās also perfect if you want to fulfill a sushi craving, but you donāt want to have to go to a sit-down restaurant or you donāt want to have to pay a fortune for it.”
So why is the excitement over pokeĢżjust now hitting this side of the mainland? Brennanās answer is simple: āProbably because weāre 6,000 miles away from Hawaii,ā she said.
True, but with pokeĢżmaking a splash in the District, the distance between the nationās capital and the 50th state has never been shorter ā at least on the plate.
āI guess Iām kind of tickled to see that it is such a big deal out here. I kind of laugh in ways because itās a trend ā itās just pokeĢżto us,ā Brennan said.
āI guess Iāll just wait to see when it hits Cheesecake Factory. Then you know itās everywhere.”
