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Who said you couldn’t have it all?
Stony Brook’s first poke bowl restaurant, Iron Poke, opens today, Thursday, May 3, at 2350 Nesconset Highway. It shares the same shopping center as 081 Pizza and Ssambapk Korean BBQ.
The eatery is described as a mixture of Chipotle in service combined with traditional Japanese restaurants by owner Kenny Li. The focus is on poke bowls as well as sushi burritos.
Poke bowls are flavor-packed raw fish salads made popular as appetizers in Hawaii. Their popularity on mainland U.S. has exploded this past year.
In its 2017 annual delivery report, Grub Hub listed poke bowls as the No. 1 trending food choice in the country — with a 643% rise in popularity over 2016.
Sushi burritos are basically enlarged sushi rolls wrapped into a burrito by seaweed.
Being a sushi chef for over 10 years in local restaurants like Kumo Japanese Steakhouse, Li says he opened Iron Poke to cater to the growing demand for the bowls and burritos.
“I know how the people feel and know what the people like,” said Li, who also lives in Stony Brook.
How it works
Just like at Chipotle, there is a multi-step process of ordering.
Step one includes choosing between a poke bowl or sushi burrito. Next, you’ll pick the base for the bowl or burrito (rice or organic mixed greens). Then you pick the protein (tuna, salmon, shrimp, etc.). After that, you add the mix-ins, like cucumbers or edamame.
Finally, you top it off with any extras like mango, ginger, wasabi, sweet corn, etc.
For the less creative, Iron Poke also has signature bowls like its Hawaii Bowl, which includes tuna, salmon, spicy tuna, edamame, scallions, cilantro, cucumber, red onions, Hawaiian sauce, spicy mayo, mango, seaweed salad, sweet corn, and crispy onions.
Top: Sushi burritos photo from Iron Poke’s Facebook page.
