Zushi Poke
In her 1996 book The Food of Paradise: Exploring Hawaii’s Culinary Heritage, food historian Rachel Laudan describes the traditional Hawaiian dish poke. In its simplest form, poke is “fingertip-sized chunks of raw fish seasoned with Hawaiian salt, chopped seaweed, and roasted, ground kukui nut meat.” It is, Laudan writes, a “down-home version of the elegant and restrained sashimi.”
But poke — which rhymes with “OK,” and is sometimes (though not traditionally) styled as “poké” — is not always done simply, and it is not always done well. It’s an ancient dish, but due in part to the migration of Hawaiian diaspora, its popularity has soared exponentially in recent years, with poke chains and mom-and-pops alike popping up in cities all over the map — including Nashville.
We at the Scene recently sampled a handful of Nashville’s newer poke spots, and you can read our findings below. This is by no means a comprehensive list of where to find the dish in the city. In fact, you’re liable to find poke on the menu at various sushi spots, and Funk Seoul Brother — which currently operates a food truck as well as a spot in The Factory at Franklin — was one of the first establishments to popularize the dish in town. Here are our thoughts on four places that specialize in poke.
Zushi Poke
2407 Eighth Ave. S.
Zushi Poke recently replaced Pizza Fire in the Melrose neighborhood, adding a sushi bar and a fish tank, but retaining that failed-pizza-franchise air of lost dreams.
If you get overwhelmed by rows and rows of ingredients, you can opt for one of Zushi’s signature bowls. That’s what I did on my first visit, opting for the Ironman. It comes with rice, tuna, white tuna and yellowtail, mixed with truffle ponzu, green onions, sesame seeds and squid salad. As I sat there picking the tuna out of my bowl — it was mushy and too fishy — I stared longingly at the ordering counter. Mango, seaweed, pickled ginger. Was I insane? My chopsticks found their way to my companion’s tofu bowl, which he filled with flavorful fresh fruits, veggies and ginger shoyu sauce.
I went back for lunch the next day armed with a list of ingredients I selected for creating a special bowl. I went with a medium-size bowl with sushi rice, salmon and shrimp, truffle ponzu, spicy mayo, avocado, seaweed salad and five toppings for $14. It’s a scientific fact that mayonnaise will improve literally anything — french fries, eggs, my mother’s mood, male-pattern baldness — so I had high hopes for this meal. And let me tell you, folks, I licked the bowl clean. The salmon was buttery, the shrimp was plump and firm, and the toppings — mango, pickled ginger, cucumber, wasabi and sesame — gave the dish a nice, bright kick.
My advice? Check out the menu and plan your bowl ahead of time — and take it to go. ERICA CICCARONE
Poke Bros.
2414 Elliston Place
Not every meal needs to be a gourmet repast in an elegant dining room. Sometimes you just need something quick, healthy, tasty and filling, and if that’s what you’re after, Poké Bros. has you covered. It’s a medium-size chain, with more than 20 locations in the Midwest, New England and the Southeast, and one of the newest (opened March 1) is nestled next to Thai Satay in a shopping center on Elliston Place. The bright, clean, modestly appointed eatery is across West End Avenue from Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt Medical Center, and most of the clientele on my recent visits appeared to be students between classes and off-duty hospital staffers.
You can build your own bowl by choosing from a selection of bases, proteins, toppings and sauces that’s broad enough to cater to most tastes but isn’t overwhelming. If you’re going with friends who are a little squeamish about raw tuna or salmon, they can get salad veggies or cooked chicken or shrimp instead. There are a half-dozen signature bowls on the menu, and of the three I tried, The Duke — which cost $12.50 — was the most satisfying. It’s a combo with tuna, salmon and shrimp, and while the meats don’t have a ton of personality by themselves, they taste fresh, not fishy or chewy. The savory seaweed salad, slightly sweet edamame and cucumber, briny OG Sauce (a Poke Bros. special recipe) and spicy gochujang play together nicely, even if it’s not something you’ll necessarily rave about later. There’s a refrigerator case with bottled drinks, and mochi ice cream (for $5, you get three toothsome little sweet rice-paste dumplings filled with soft-serve) for dessert. STEPHEN TRAGESER
Kawai Poké Co.
Kawai Poké Co.
901 Woodland St., Suite 105
Of all Nashville’s newly minted poke spots, Kawai Poké Co. — which opened in the summer and is located in the bottom level of East Nashville’s WeWork building — just might be the one to beat.
The space itself has clean, bright design complete with a full-wall piece by Music City Murals reading “E Komo Mai!” — a Hawaiian phrase that roughly translates to “Welcome!” As with most poke spots, Kawai offers build-your-own options, house-made bowls and daily specials. I sampled the house-made Samurai Style and Fire Mountain bowls, both of which cost $12.50 for a regular size and $15.50 for a large. Both bowls are built with edamame, Japanese pickle, pickled ginger, scallions and furikake (a type of dry seasoning), but the Samurai, which features shoyu (soy sauce), seems a more conventional, mild option. The Fire Mountain is much more piquant, thanks to its creamy chili sauce, jalapeños and Kewpie wasabi, and its slices of watermelon radish provided a bright, refreshing crunch. The fish in both bowls (I went with ahi tuna in one, salmon and tuna in the other) was fresh and light, but shrimp, baked tofu and seasonal vegetables are also available. In addition to white and brown rice, Kawai also offers mixed greens and soba noodles as alternative bases. Sauce options include shoyu, creamy-spicy (think wasabi mayo) and gluten-free tamari.
Kawai also offers build-your-own smoothie bowls. I haven’t had the opportunity to dive in there yet, but I did manage to sample a house-made key-lime doughnut that hit the spot. The East Side establishment has a wine and beer list and a happy hour every weekday from 3 to 6 p.m., not to mention a wall of Japanese snack foods, including Pocky and Koala’s March. In a word — delightful. D. PATRICK RODGERS
The Poki
119 Franklin Road, Brentwood
The Poki, a self-described chef-driven poke shop that opened in a retail strip in Brentwood in October, distinguishes itself with a large variety of toppings. Owner Kelvin Tran, who was born in Houston but has lived in Nashville for a while, has a passion for Japanese food that he has incorporated in The Poki’s concept, which could be described as Asian fusion.
Poke originated in Hawaii, but Tran decided to get creative by offering dozens of more unusual toppings for customers to choose from; many of those ingredients come from Japanese or Korean cuisine. They are divided in six lists on the menu: the base (white and brown rice or salad), proteins (fish, tofu and chicken), mix-ins, sauces, “textures” and oils. You can create your own combination or pick one of the signature bowls.
I tried the truffle-yellowtail poke bowl, with brown rice as the base, topped with truffle-infused soy sauce, puffed rice (that’s the texture element), ito togarashi (Japanese dried chili strands), and candy-striped beet. Because the bowls come with unlimited toppings, Tran pointed to all the other ingredients on the line, and piled on even more suggested toppings, like sesame, green onion and jalapeño. It was terrific. A regular bowl is $12, a large is $16, with as many toppings as you like. Tran aims to rotate some of the ingredients based on the season.
The atmosphere is definitely casual, almost fast-food like — you order your bowl from the line and then take it to a table or banquette — but the room is comfortable and pleasant. Poki is a great addition to the Brentwood food scene, and Tran is looking for a site to open a second location in Nashville proper. DANA KOPP FRANKLIN
