Dish of the Week: Poke
Where: District Fishwife, Hula Girl Bar & Grill, Poke Pop, Compass Rose
Poke may be the 2016’s trendiest dish here in Washington. The Hawaiian rice bowl topped with chunks of fresh, marinated raw fish is a ubiquitous snack food in the 50th state. Its popularity spread across the ocean to California a few years ago, and it’s finally made its way to D.C.’s hot list, showing up at food trucks, pop-ups, Hawaiian nights, special menus, and now Hula Girl Bar & Grill, a brick-and-mortar Hawaiian restaurant in Shirlington, making for some enticing chef-composed bowls available around the area.
I became obsessed with the dish after discovering an authentic little shop in Orange County last year serving up customized orders in plastic containers just as you’d find at roadside stands on the Big Island. Ahi tuna, salmon, or a mix, which could even include octopus, atop a base of white or brown rice or salad and a classic soy sauce and sesame oil marinade on the fish or a creamier spicy mayo. Optional toppings include avocado, smelt roe, fresh ginger, seaweed salad, or even little raw bay scallops when in season, finished with an onion and cucumber garnish. Fresh, clean, flavorful.
The star of the bowl is obviously the fresh fish and the simple saucing. Unlike sushi, no finesse is needed in slicing the pieces just so. Filets are cubed—the word poke (pronounced “poh-kay”) is a Hawaiian verb that means to slice or cut—and then sauced, while the rice is seasoned simply with vinegar and sugar. While sushi can be a bit of a project for an amateur, poke is a cinch to make at home.
Just as restaurant options for poke have jumped, it’s a lot easier to source fresh fish for the job these days, though it’s still a challenge. District Fishwife in Union Market is one destination for picking up a bowl of poke or the sushi grade fish you need. BlackSalt in the Palisades and Ivy City Smokehouse are the other standouts that come to mind. Whole Foods will usually just have frozen blocks, but H Mart is an option if you can make it out to Fairfax.
Tuna and salmon are likely to be the only cuts labeled as sushi grade, but look out for local cold water fish—develop a trusted relationship with your local fishmonger and you’ll be rewarded. I’ve brought back beautiful steaks of Long Island swordfish and sea bass from New York for my poke, but a beautiful Virginia Beach mackerel filet recently caught my eye at Ivy City Smokehouse, its assertive flavor and fatty flesh promising to shine in my homemade version of the dish. Having become used to seeing me haunt the shop while searching for fish to eat in the raw, fishmonger Peter Martone just wrapped it up with an understanding nod.
Small Bites
Frappé Hour at 2 Birds 1 Stone
14th Street’s popular cocktail bar (1800 14th Street NW) will feature a summer happy hour with $9 frozen blender drinks, Tuesday through Saturdays through the summer. Adam Bernbach, whose hot spot just took home Cocktail Program of the Year honors at this week’s RAMMY Awards, will put his spin on margaritas on Tuesdays, then frozen aperol spritzes, strawberry daiquiris, mudslides, and piña coladas on subsequent evenings.You can frappé it up from 6 to 8 p.m., unusually late for a D.C. happy hour.
Regional Panamanian Cuisine
Esencias Panameñas (3322 Georgia Avenue NW) in Georgia Avenue’s Park View neighborhood celebrates its one-year anniversary with specials featuring different regions of Panama through July 23rd, such as specialties like coconut flatbread and ‘S’-shaped corn fritters stuffed with cheese from Bocas del Toro, the backpacking/partying/scuba destination on the Central American country’s Caribbean coast. Chef Yadira Stamp’s Sábados de Fritanga (“Guilty Pleasures”) is a popular weekend brunch option for Caribbean ex-pats, chock full of authentic fried delicacies and rich creamy soursop milkshakes.
Golden Triangle Beer Garden
Neighborhood Restaurant Group will pop up a courtyard beer garden, Canteen (2100 M Street NW). Weather permitting, they will be pouring beers curated by Greg Engert alongside Nathan Anda’s hot dogs from Red Apron Butchery, Wednesdays through Saturdays, and Fridays will be lawn game night, starting at 4 p.m.
Fare Well on H Street
Vegan heroine Doron Petersan’s long-awaited plant-based diner and bakery Fare Well (406 H Street NE) finally opens on June 22. There will be a lot of animal-free goodness going on for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, from sweet to savory, stromboli, calzones, quiches, and house baked foccacia, challah, and whole grain breads. All-day breakfast will include polenta biscuit sliders and French toast casserole, while knishes, buffalo cauliflower dip, and moussaka are just a few of the many options that will be on hand for lunch and dinner.
