poke

It’s a Good Day for Poké in Long Beach

October 9, 2015Leave a comment

It’s only been open a week, but it is already causing major buzz in the LBC. With a location in Hollywood, and two others to come in Studio City and Eagle Rock, Poké Bar is bringing the Hawaiian Classic further south with their Long Beach location. You get to choose your bowl size, your base (rice, nachos, or salad), your protein (salmon, tuna, spicy tuna, octopus, shrimp, albacore, and tofu, your toppings (crab meat, seaweed salad, cucumber, jalapenos, onions, green onions, pineapple, corn, cilantro, wasabi, ginger, avocado, and more), and your sauce (ponzu, house dressing sauce, spicy mayo, and more)!

I chose the small brown rice with crab meat, seaweed salad, salmon, cucumber, onions, masago, ginger, and ponzu sauce. Everything was very fresh and for the smallest size, the salmon to rice ratio was perfect. I will definitely be going back to try the other combinations. It’s very similar to a lot of other build your own poké bowl places, especially to some of the newer spots in LA and the Westside, but it is a welcome and needed new spot in downtown Long Beach!

For more information, visit http://gopokebar.com/

Salmon, Ahi, and Wahoo, OH MY!

November 11, 2014November 10, 20142 Comments

I want you all to be the first to know that I am in love! I have found my soul mate in Newport Beach, CA. Its name is Bear Flag Fish Co., and it is amazing! Founded in 2007, they have defined themselves as the “fish market for the new generation.” They have transformed the typical fish market experience into one that is modern, approachable, and more than just a market. Although they have a set menu, you can pretty much get away with whatever combination you want. They keep a list of available fish for that day on a board, and you can choose to eat it on a plate, in tacos, or as a sandwich. The staff is very knowledgable about the preparation of the fish and what combinations go well together. In addition to the restaurant aspect, they have a full selection of fish to purchase, and appetizers to eat there or take home, including Calamari Salad, Seaweed Salad, Ahi Poke, Salmon Poke, and various sushi rolls and sashimi options. This place has EVERYTHING. When I found it, I went 4 times in one week. I’m not joking.

My favorites, so far, have been the tacos and the poke. Of the tacos, I have had Ono tacos, Swordfish tacos, and Calamari Tacos, all of which have been awesome, fresh, and perfectly prepared. In addition to what you get, I highly recommend to get a small or medium container of mixed Salmon and Ahi Poke as an appetizer or side to your dish. It comes with lightly salted chips and it is just the most refreshing dish I have had in recent months. There are too many options to choose from, and I regret sticking to my favorites and not trying more to report back my findings; however, this is a place that one must experience for themselves.

With two locations in Newport Beach, Bear Flag Fish Co. just made Orange County my new favorite place. To find out more information on the restaurant/fish market, visit their website at http://newport.bearflagfishco.com/.

At Home with the Italian Fisherman

July 31, 2014July 30, 2014Leave a comment

As of recent, I have been trying to eat out just a little bit less. In doing so, I have been having some amazing kitchen adventures with fellow foodies that I am lucky enough to call my friends. I will be featuring some of these dinners with you. For the first “At Home” post, I wanted to share with you my friend Andrew, also known as the Italian Fisherman. A little bit of a backstory, he has been friends with my boyfriend since elementary school and they share many memories of Catalina trips and fishing excursions over the years. Recently, though, it seems Andrew is on an overnight fishing trip every other weekend, but we can’t complain for not seeing him as much, because when we do…

He shares the fruits of his labor with all of us. Last week, we were invited over for seafood night with some close friends and family. It was truly a group effort in preparing the meal. Andrew was running the kitchen and showing off his Yellowtail catches, his girlfriend was frying some pieces, I was forming rice balls for the nigiri, and my boyfriend and others were rolling sushi rolls and preparing poke with onions, avocado, Sriracha and some secret ingredients.

With 15 pounds of fish prepared four different ways, everyone had a different favorite. My favorite was the Yellowtail Sashimi and Spicy Poke. Even though summer is almost over with August right around the corner, I hope that we get to have many more dinners with our friends.
Maybe even a pizza night coming up…(hint hint: keep a look out for At Home with the Garske brothers).