Food & Drink

Searching For Aloha Spirit, Plate Lunch and Poke in Seattle

By Seattle Mag September 13, 2013

poke

!–paging_filter–pspanEven with the glorious weather in the Puget Sound this past week, I’ve been suffering from a severe case of Maui withdraw since returning from a href=”http://lesliekellywhininganddining.blogspot.com/2013/09/50-things-i-love…“a blissful trip/a. Among the many highlights of this hosted visit to the Ka’anapali Fresh Culinary Experience were a facsinating tour of a a href=”http://www.mauigrowncoffee.com/StoreFront.bok“coffee plantation/a–the only place on the planet that grows the ancient Mokka beans–a DIY cocktail competition (my attempt to create a bourbon-based tropical drink constituted a noble failure) and being a judge at the grand Hawai’i 5-0 culinary competition that paired farmers with the island’s top chefs. The winner was Greg Grohowski, the executive chef at the Hyatt Regency, who made a Vietnamese-seared Maui Cattle beef salad featuring the most incredibly tender greens and herbs from a href=”http://kaanapalifresh.com/walter-evonuk-evonuk-farms/“Evonuk Farms/a./span/p
pMy down time was dedicated to eating as much a href=”http://allrecipes.com/recipe/ahi-poke-basic/“poke/a (pronounced po-kay) as possible. That chopped, raw seafood salad comes in a colorful rainbow of flavors with the straight-up shoyu and the spicy ahi from the Foodland Supermarket deli ending up on the top of the heap for me. Especially when scooped up with an island-made taro chip while sitting on the beach, watching a bunch of turtles swimming just off shore. Yup, guess that’s why they call it paradise!/p
pTo cope with a massive case of missing Maui blues, I’ve gone on the hunt for island-style grinds and here’s what helps transport my tastebuds to a happy place:/p
pThe loco moco on a href=”http://maono.springhillnorthwest.com/food/brunch/“Ma’Ono’s brunch menu/a is da freaking kine. Not only is the locally sourced hamburger patty seasoned and cooked just right, and the gravy that tops it a vast improvement over the typical plate lunch place, the kitchen also throws in some spicy Portuguese sausage in the bowl. The bottomless mimosas are brilliant, too./p
pCraving some mighty fine swine? Try the smoky good Kaula pig at a href=”http://www.kauaifamilyrestaurant.com/“Kauai Family Restaurant/a in Georgetown, where sitting in the busy dining room can feel like a family reunion. On Saturdays, they fry up Malasadas, the dangerously addictive Portuguese doughnut./p
pa href=”http://www.northshoreseattle.com/menu.html“North Shore Barbecue’s/a mac salad is one of the best versions I’ve had of that carbtastic side anchoring a plate lunch. Save room for the haupia, the firm, flavorful coconut pudding./p
pBy the time I made it to a href=”http://\/\/seattlemag.com/hawaiian-celebrity-chef-sam-choy-rolling-seatt…” target=”_blank”Sam Choy’s Poke to the Max truck/a–on Tuesdays, at Second Avenue and Pike Street–the mobile kitchen was sold out of poke. Dang it! Next time!/p
pFinally hit poke pay dirt at the Uptown Met Market, where it recently installed a help-yourself poke bar. The ahi tuna poke was a big hit, spicy with a hint of sesame. Took a bowl of it down to the beach at Myrtle Edwards, and, while I didn’t spot any turtles, the view of the Olympics was pretty darned breathtaking. Ahhh, Aloha spirit restored./p

 

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